The eventers have a go at cow chasing
Well, fake cow chasing!
My friend from school Tahlia is a camp drafter. She used to show jump but decided chasing cows was more fun, so sold her thoroughbred and bought a quarter horse and never looked back.
Recently she got a mechanical cow and invited Coolie and I over to have a go! Coolie is an Australian Stock Horse, a breed traditionally used for cattle work. I don't think he was bred with the intention of drafting, his mum was an eventer too, but he is a very versatile horse who will give anything a go.
Camp drafting is an Australian sport, originating I think to when musterers wanted to show off their cow skills. In competition you go into a pen, the camp, with a mob of cattle and select a beast. Then you cut it from the mob, work it a bit before you call gate, then drive it into the main arena. There you have to get the beast around a pattern, two markers set on either side of the arena, then through two smaller markers. You are given a score and it's pretty tricky to even get around the first peg. Or even into the main arena.
Anyway, we didn't do any of that, we set up the mechanical 'cow' which is a flag on a sting attached to a pulley system and a motor. It's controlled by a remote so you can stop and start the flag, and increase the speed it moves. The idea is to get the horses to lock and and follow the movement.
Coolie was pretty convinced the flag was the devils work, it MOVED, and he couldn't jump over it. We started out following the flag up and down the line, and turning n the haunches at either end. Then we had a break while Tahlia showed us how it's really done before having another go. Coolie was actually ok, and by the end started to tune into me and the flag and was getting the idea of stopping when the flag stopped and going when it moved. We got a couple of ok turns too.
Then I got to have a go on my friends mare, Topsy. That was very cool, her turns were amazing and so much fun! We headed out for a bush ride after we were done chasing cows. We had a couple of super fun gallops which Coolie wasn't confused about at all!
My friend from school Tahlia is a camp drafter. She used to show jump but decided chasing cows was more fun, so sold her thoroughbred and bought a quarter horse and never looked back.
Recently she got a mechanical cow and invited Coolie and I over to have a go! Coolie is an Australian Stock Horse, a breed traditionally used for cattle work. I don't think he was bred with the intention of drafting, his mum was an eventer too, but he is a very versatile horse who will give anything a go.
Camp drafting is an Australian sport, originating I think to when musterers wanted to show off their cow skills. In competition you go into a pen, the camp, with a mob of cattle and select a beast. Then you cut it from the mob, work it a bit before you call gate, then drive it into the main arena. There you have to get the beast around a pattern, two markers set on either side of the arena, then through two smaller markers. You are given a score and it's pretty tricky to even get around the first peg. Or even into the main arena.
Anyway, we didn't do any of that, we set up the mechanical 'cow' which is a flag on a sting attached to a pulley system and a motor. It's controlled by a remote so you can stop and start the flag, and increase the speed it moves. The idea is to get the horses to lock and and follow the movement.
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| What is THAT? |
Coolie was pretty convinced the flag was the devils work, it MOVED, and he couldn't jump over it. We started out following the flag up and down the line, and turning n the haunches at either end. Then we had a break while Tahlia showed us how it's really done before having another go. Coolie was actually ok, and by the end started to tune into me and the flag and was getting the idea of stopping when the flag stopped and going when it moved. We got a couple of ok turns too.
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| What is she chasing?! |
Then I got to have a go on my friends mare, Topsy. That was very cool, her turns were amazing and so much fun! We headed out for a bush ride after we were done chasing cows. We had a couple of super fun gallops which Coolie wasn't confused about at all!
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| He is so fast, we had to wait for our cow chasing buddies to catch up! |
oh man that sounds fun but REALLY challenging haha
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a blast when they get into the arena. Very fast paced, and so many mad skillz
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