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Grassy Plains Team Cattle Penning
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I arrived Saturday morning at the Grassy Plains Team Penning with some trepidation. It's been nearly 9 months since I last penned, and nearly that long since I've moved cows. I haven't seen some of these people in nearly that long, and have never met others. How was my day going to go?
Trucks and trailers were parked everywhere - brand new pickups and huge campers towing fancy 4-horse models to old beaters with clunky trailers attached behind. Team penners arrive in all shapes and sizes of vehicles, and they were scattered all around the yard in some semblance of organization. Sixteen people came from the Quesnel and Williams Lake areas were camped out, in addition to the locals, it can be pretty intimidating!
The teams start at 9 am. I watch the fast paced Open class - these riders are the best from Quesnel through Grassy Plains... we cheer when it goes well and they pen three in a good time. We wince and groan and offer condolences when they blow out or pen two cows instead of three. I start seeing once again all the things that can go wrong, imaging them happening to my teams. What am I doing here??? Nine months since I've done this - I won't remember what to do! Panic is starting to set in.
The #10 class arrives and with it my first ride. It starts well, other than a few crow-hops from my borrowed mount - he's fat and lazy and would rather go home than go to work! Another team member cuts first, and starts to bring her cow out. The rest of the cows funnel along as they generally do, circling her and back to the top of the arena - but wait! Two cows shoulder to shoulder make a break for the pen end of the arena! My teammate and I race towards the cow-line to cut them off, but in vain. The horn sounds and we are a no-time - two wrong numbers across the line. Hopes dashed. In this type of competition, you need to pen three cows every round in order to bring home a cheque.
A long wait until my second run, mid-way through the #7 class, then another run in the #7 class follows. We pen three on both teams, not super fast but we penned three. By this time I am feeling glad to be back team penning. I'm looking around wishing I was on more teams - I'm done now until after lunch. It's been a long time, but now I remember why I took this sport up - what a rush! Each run has it's own good points and bad points - things that could have gone better and things that feel so great. I'd relate more of them to you, but to tell the truth, team penning is truly an example of living in the moment. By the time you exit the arena, most of the time you can't remember what all happened inside!
The important thing is the feeling of accomplishment when things do work. The roar of adrenaline when you pen three cows in the 90 second time limit. The sense of being so in tune with your horse that he becomes an extension of yourself. The feeling of working as a team with your partners when everyone was in the right place at the right time (even if the cows forgot to read the manual!).
It's awesome. It's a rush. It's team penning.
If you have tips or questions on equipment care, purchases, fit, or anything else to do with equestrian equipment, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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Past articles are all available in the
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Leadropes
Leadropes come in many different lengths, thicknesses, materials and with different hardware as well. How can you tell which is right for you? We'll look at some of the options available to you and discuss what works and why.
Most leadropes are cotton or nylon braid. Each has its pros and cons. Cotton is softer and less likely to burn your hands should the horse pull the rope from you. A cotton lead will also stretch a small bit, which can be a good thing if a horse gets into a wreck. Also, in my opinion, cotton tends to have a nicer feel in the hand than a nylon rope.
Nylon tends to stay cleaner than cotton, perhaps because the natural fibers of cotton pick up more dirt. Nylon ropes also tend to come in a larger variety of colours and patterns, allowing you to customize your horse's wardrobe. A nylon rope is also stronger and less likely to break if a horse pulls back.
You will probably need to replace them at about the same age - nylon ropes fill with dirt and become stiff, which makes them very hard to tie with. Cotton ropes fray and break as they age, and if left at ground level, the mice will use bits of them as bedding.
You can also use leather, which is usually called a lead shank instead of a lead rope. Leather is recommended for showing at halter, but a horse should not be tied with it as it breaks too easily. Lead ropes or shanks may come with a chain built in on one end - see Feb 21 & Feb 28 issues for more info on using a chain.
A neat idea used by some old timers is to reuse some of that baling string that is cluttering up the barn by spring time. Several sets of strings can be attached together to a snap and braided into a serviceable rope which might not look as nice as a store bought rope but will probably last longer (I've seen some at Foote's that have been used for leading horses, tying gates, and skidding logs, and they are still usable!).
Next week, size and hardware choices..
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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We update the Events Page regularly - so be sure to check often
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Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse
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If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page.
Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.
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How to be a better coach
For you coaches out there, I am not trying to make it harder for you to get work. Instead, I am trying to raise awareness of the students to their responsibility to themselves, their horse, and their coach.
To become a more effective coach, make sure you always put the student's needs at the top of your list. If your student is terrified of jumping big fences, don't keep pushing them to go higher and higher. Instead concentrate on developing a bond between horse and rider, increasing the confidence of the rider, until she is ready to move on.
There are many ways of being a better coach. Be supportive. Your student looks to you for guidance and to recognize them when they are on the right track. They also depend on you to keep them from getting too down when things aren't going well.
Explain the lesson plans in detail so that the student can clearly see what the objectives are. Let the student choose her goals, and encourage new ones as well. Establish a long term game plan that allows for student input - by having an agenda to gain the goals, you follow a set course instead of wandering around and losing sight of the main objective. This benefits both of you as you gain ground much quicker if you both know the direction you are heading in.
Break things down into manageable portions for your student. Their end goal may be to jump at Spruce Meadows, but first they need to master keeping pace between fences, getting their position over smaller jumps, and building trust with their horse. By setting smaller steps, the big objective can be reached over time without being too overwhelming.
Make sure the student is willing to commit to the goals - if not, they may need to set more practical ones for their level of dedication. If they shirk their end of the deal, confront them with it. Ask them to reevaluate themselves and go from there.
While you are teaching, you also need to stay open to learning from your students. You might be surprised!
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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