How long does it take to train a finished cutting horse?

How long does it take to train a finished cutting horse, on average?

Just curious!

C'mon, someone has got to know!

First off I'm not a trainer and don't have cutting horses but have spoke to a few trainers. Prospects are started usually when they are 17-18 months in order to have enough training on them to compete as a three year old in the big futurities. Right there your looking at probably a good year and a half of solid training just to get them to their first shows! That probably wouldn't even make them finished as a cutter as far as I am concerned either because in my mind a finished cutter should basically be the same horse every time that you ride into the herd and this is what you would call "seasoning".
All in I think it would take at least 2.5 years minimum to produce a finished cutting horse and that may be very optimistic!

Also if your having someone do the training and showing it can get really pricey very quickly.

Kinda what I figured, as that's similar for barrel horses.

Was just curious!

Beau,we start colt's for the futurity right at 2 yr old's and ride them once or twice a day until the end of their 3 yr old year.some are exception's,but usually it takes a good year and a half of training if you want him solid.

I would say maybe 3-4 or more years. Why do I say that?
You start them at 17-18 months old. And that is 2- 2.5 years of training before the futurities.
Then it takes 3 years before they are "finished" where you don't have to worry about keeping them at a trainer all the time to stay winning open or nonpro.
I wouldn't call a cutting horses finished until it had a year or 2 showing under its belt.

A finished cutter should know what to do and know all basic western riding commands/aids so their rider can drop the reins and hold on and let the horse 'do his thing'. If you ever watch cutting horses on TV you will notice the riders rein hand almost never moves, and it's very low and their hands almost rest on the withers of the horse. These horses know their job, and need very little to tell them where to go and what to do. I have seen some cutting bred horses play with dogs and 'cut' them, as they would do with cattle.

T f you are correct about the hands.but you also use leg and body cues to train,work and show a cutter.

And depending on the horse you may beed to use alot of spur or just a little. I have had one that needed spur to get across the arena and I have rode another that all I had to do was sit and let him do all the work.

I am not saying they don't use anything in cutting. I am saying they use their body more, and very little hands cues, so the horse should also be trained to very subtle body cues, like the horses that are trained to ride bridleless.