Zack T. Wood Jr., who served many years as executive director of the National Cutting Horse Association, passed away this morning. Services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20 at Holy Apostles Episcopal Church, 3900 Longvue Ave, Fort Worth 76126. A reception will follow at the church.

“According to my mother, I arrived here on the earth with a love for horses,” Wood once said, “and it never did leave me.”

In 1955, Wood helped form the Delta Cutting Horse Association, and he was working for the Agricultural Extension Service in Arkansas when he was elected an NCHA director in 1960. He had two staff members when he signed on as NCHA’s secretary/treasurer, a position that evolved into executive director. During his 28-year tenure, the association began the NCHA Futurity, Derby and Super Stakes, as well as the World Finals.

“I guess I was just lucky,” Wood told me in 1990. “When I first came here we were smaller. We kind of all grew up together, so that made it easy.

“The thing to me that’s different about our people is that the vast majority of the people involved in NCHA ride a cutting horse, and they love what they’re doing. They’re hands-on people. They want what’s best for the association as a whole.”

While NCHA membership tripled during his watch and cutting became the richest equine arena sport, Wood said on his retirement that he didn’t want to stand on a soap box.

“I just hope that people continue to ride ’em and love ’em,” he said. “And if you do one you’ve got to do the other.”

At the request of the family, memorial donations may be made to NCHA Charities Foundation, 260 Bailey Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76107.