Non-Professional Cutting Horse Rider Is Back to Full-Time Competition After Two Hip Replacement Surgeries

Dr. Nicholas H. Mast has performed hip surgery on numerous athletes both professional and amateur. In 2022, Debbie achieved her lifetime goal as an inductee into the National Cutting Horse Association Non-Professional Hall of Fame. When she came to him for hip surgery, he knew he had an interesting patient.

This highly competitive sport does not group riders into age groups like many sports so Debbie competes with various riders. Cutting requires ultimate flexibility, agility, and mobility in the hip region.

In 2018 she started asking questions about the reduced mobility she was experiencing in her hip. She met with four different surgeons and Dr. Mast’s name kept coming up when she inquired about a top West Coast surgeon for her hip replacement. Debbie came to Dr. Mast after noticing stiffness and reduced range of motion in her hips. She wanted to make a full recovery and return to her demanding sport. Cutting horses is her hobby and passion.

See Debbie at one of her recent competitions on YouTube.

According to Debbie: “I trusted Dr. Mast after researching surgeons for a long time and reading all about the procedure. His name came up two times. I had my first hip done in 2023 then three months later the other hip. It was a positive experience from the pre-op staff to the surgical team and I would encourage others to get the surgery. Having a skilled, confident, and experienced surgeon gave me hope that I could return to my sport again and that’s exactly what happened!”



“I trusted Dr. Mast after researching surgeons for a long time and reading all about the procedure. His name came up two times. I had my first hip done in 2023 then three months later the other hip. It was a positive experience from the pre-op staff to the surgical team and I would encourage others to get the surgery. Having a skilled, confident, and experienced surgeon gave me hope that I could return to my sport again and that’s exactly what happened!”

When we caught up with Debbie she was all smiles and said: “Next week I’m going to the National Cutting Horse Association Superstakes!”

Debbie is our champion and we could not be happier that she has had a complete recovery and is now back to competing full-time. “Go get ‘em Debbie!”

The sport of Cutting horses has gained exposure and attention lately due to the popularity of the television show Yellowstone. The term cutting refers to the act of separating one cow from a herd of cattle. The sport of cutting is a subjectively judged event that involves a horse and rider and a herd of cattle. The first competition was held in 1898 in Haskell, Texas.

During the era of the open range, cattle from one outfit often drifted and mingled with those of other outfits. Twice a year, in the spring and the fall, neighboring ranchers would join in a roundup to sort out their brands. Ranches traveled with their remudas (a herd of horses from which ranch hands choose their mounts for the day) to accomplish this task.

Visit the National Cutting Horse Association and CuttingHorseCentral websites to learn more about Cutting and to view national competitions. 

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#yellowstonetv #yellowstonetvshow  #kevincostner

Nicholas Mast MD is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in conditions of the hip and pelvis.

Trained in pelvic and acetabular trauma and reconstruction by some of the best in the field, his treatments range from non-replacement options for the management of hip osteoarthritis to complex revision surgeries and hip preservation techniques including periacetabular osteotomy.

He is the most experienced surgeon in the region in the use of the anterior approach for hip replacement and regularly uses this minimally invasive, fast recovery anterior approach to treat a wide variety of hip conditions.