WHAT IS.......

 

 

W/T/C: = Walk, Trot, and Canter (Lope)

 

PLAYDAYS aka Gymkhana: 

It is a combination of horse and rider timed events or compete in games on horseback such as the egg and spoon race. There are usually four events at each playday: Poles, Cloverleaf Barrels, Straight-away Barrels, and an optional Jackpot Race. Riders can ride for fun or compete in play day. Riders must compete in his/her age group/class to receive points. Points are awarded on the basis of the rider's finish/place. Riders accumulate points for each event that they compete in. At the end of each play day, winners in each age group will receive an ALL-AROUND award on the basis of his/her accumulated points.

 

LITTLE BRITCHES RODEO:

The National Little Britches Rodeo (NLBRA) allows children ages 5 to 18 to compete in a variety of different rodeo events. The NLBRA provides three different age groups. Little Wrangler is a coed age group of children between the ages of 5 and 8. Kids ages 9–13 are junior contestants. Senior contestants are ages 14 through 18. Both the junior and senior divisions are broken down into boys and girls events. There are also coed events for the junior and senior categories.Girls events: Senior Girls breakaway roping, Senior Girls barrel racing, Senior Girls goat tying, Senior Girls Trail Course, Senior Girls pole bending, Junior Girls breakaway roping, Junior Girls barrel racing, Junior Girls goat tying, Junior Girls Trail Course, Junior Girls pole bending.

Boys events: Senior Boys bareback riding, Senior Boys saddle bronc riding, Senior Boys bull riding, Senior Boys steer wrestling, Senior Boys tie down (calf) roping, Junior Boys Saddle Bronc Steer Riding, Junior Boys Bareback Steer Riding, Junior Boys bull riding, Junior Boys breakaway roping, Junior Boys goat tying, Junior Boys Flag Racing. Coed events: Senior team roping, Senior Dally Ribbon Roping, Junior team roping, Junior Dally Ribbon Roping, Little Wrangler barrel racing, Little Wrangler Goat Tail Untying, Little Wrangler Flag Racing, Little Wrangler pole bending.

In addition there are awards based up senior and junior all-around cowgirl and all-around cowboy. A number of notable Pro Rodeo cowboys got their start in Little Britches rodeo. Mam if you want you babies to grow up to be cowboys/girl this is where to start.

 

RANCH SORTING: 

Is a western-style equestrian sport that evolved from the common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring, or transport. Ranch Sorting is an event that pits a team of two riders on horseback against the clock. Teamwork is the key with both riders working in harmony to cut out the correct cattle and drive them to the pen while keeping the wrong numbered cattle back. There are several variations of ranch sorting with one, two or three riders on the team, but all require sorting the cattle from one pen to the other in the correct order. Ranch sorting is performed in two pens that are fifty to sixty feet long with a twelve to sixteen foot opening between the pens. The corners of the pens are cut at 45 degrees. Both pens are the same size and sorting can take place from either pen to the other.

At the beginning, there are eleven calves at the end of one of the pens with numbers on their sides for identification. The judge raises the flag and when the riders cross the gap between the two pens the clock starts and the competition begins. The judge raises the flag and when the riders cross the gap between the two pens the clock starts and the competition begins. The team of two riders have to move the cattle one at a time from one pen to the other in numerical order, starting with a random number called by the judge. The fastest time wins. If a calf gets from one pen to the other out of order, then the team is disqualified.

 

TEAM PENNING: 

Is a western equestrian sport that evolved from the common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring, or transport.

Today it is a fast-paced event that gives a team of three riders on horseback from 60 to 90 seconds (depending on the class or the sanctioning of the event) to separate three specifically identified cattle from a herd of 30, and put them into a 16' x 24' pen through a 10' opening, at the opposite end of the arena.

The sport features 30 head of cattle, typically yearling beef cattle (mature cows or bulls are not allowed), with numbers affixed to their back, three each wearing a number from 0 through 9 or with colored collars attached. Timing starts once the line judge has dropped his flag as the lead rider's horse crosses the foul line. At that time, the announcer identifies the cattle to be separated by calling out a randomly drawn number or collar color. The riders must cut out the three head that have been nominated, take them to the opposite end of the arena, pen them and call for time.

Teamwork is the key with all three riders working in harmony to cut out the correct cattle and drive them to the pen while keeping the rest of the herd (sometimes called trash or dirty cattle) back.

The history of the sport is thought to date back to 1942 when brothers Ray and Joe Yanez, along with Canadian cowboy Bill Schwindt were sorting steers from a herd of cattle on a Ventura County, California ranch. During a lunch break the trio reportedly came upon the idea of organizing what were routine cowboy chores into a competitive sport, one in which cowboys could showcase their horsemanship. The first organized competition is thought to have taken place at the Ventura County Fair in August 1949.

Today, the sport is a fast-growing western horse sport in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. In North America, the primary team penning sanctioning organization is the United States Team Penning Association (USTPA), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. There are an estimated 93,000 active team penners in North America.

 

EQUESTRIAN DRILL TEAM: 

Is a group of horses and riders performing choreographed maneuvers to music. Teams typically perform at rodeos, horse fairs, parades, benefits, and drill team competitions. Drill teams are intended to entertain, show sportsmanship, horsemanship, team work and dedication. Competition drill at the national level is a controlled ride and has continuous forward motion. Some competition venues have set up special divisions of competition to provide for novice, rodeo, youth, gaited and special effects (as allowed at the venue) such as theme and drama. Theme drill provides a division that allows teams to showcase their uniforms, horse ability, music, and inclusions of trick riding or other variations.

Members must have a uniform appearance, including outfits, hats, tack, and flags (if used). Horses should be of the same type, e.g. stock type, gaited, or miniature, however matching horse colors or breeds are at the team’s discretion. Teams can range in size from four horses (Quad team) to 20 plus horses.

At competitions, a drill team is judged on ability, including spacing and alignment, timing and coordination, originality, difficulty, and attractiveness of patterns, speed, horsemanship, uniformity, manners of the animals, music, and crowd appeal. Categories can include Novice, Youth, 4-H, Gaited, Theme, Rodeo, Quad, or Open.

The United States Equestrian Drill Association (USEDA) is the governing body for mounted drill and color guard competitions in the United States. The USEDA sanctions competitions throughout the United States. The United States Equestrian Drill Championship (USEDC) is held each June at the Texas Rose Horse Park near Lindale, Texas as part of Super Ride - an International Festival of the Equestrian Arts.

 

WALK-TROT CLASSES:

The Walk Trot classes are designed for novice or beginning level riders who are not skilled or experienced enough yet to be able to lope their horses. Walk Trot status should be based on the rider’s ability only-not on the age, experience or health of horse; not on the horse’s training level; nor on the rider and horse’s experience together. Competition in the Walk Trot classes is designed to be among riders who are less experienced, thus allowing an even playing field for beginning riders to compete safely and to have a positive show experience. Allowing riders with more advanced skills to compete in the Walk Trot classes would negatively impact the goal of nurtur

ing our beginning riders. Walk Trot riders are usually in their first or second year in the 4-H Horse project and are not yet skilled

enough to be able to lope (unless authorized by their 4-H project leader that they should continue in walk trot classes for a longer period of time). Likewise, non 4-H Youth exhibitors should be novice level or beginning riders who are not yet skilled enough to be able to lope their horse.

 

LEAD LINE: 

Is for children as young as three years of age.  The child has to be accompanied by an adult, who will be participating in class by learning how to keep themselves and child safe while on the ground and while the child is riding.  Adult will be leading horse and giving cues to the horse while the child learns how to properly sit, start and stop the horse, and play games while riding, such as Simon Says, mother may I, and ring toss.

 

THE DUN FACTOR: 

The dun gene also is characterized by primitive markings, which are darker than the body color. Primitive markings include:

• Dorsal stripe (stripe down the center of the back, along the spine), seen almost universally on all duns, grullos and some buckskins

• Horizontal striping (zebra stripes on the back of  the forelegs, common on most duns/gullos, although at times, rather faint

• Shoulder blade shade, the least commonly seen of the primitive markings