Addition #10 and #11 are quite short and sweet, so I thought I would put both up this week!
Campdrafting has been popular in particularly rural areas of Autralia since 1885. This discipline requires the art of a rider separating a single steer or heifer from a herd of cattle, getting this beast under control to some judges’ criteria, and then manoeuvering the beast through a course and between the gate (two finish line pegs) within a time limit. It is believed that the first competition was held in Tenterfield NSW, however the idea behind the competition came from stockmen working cattle across rural Queensland.
Campdrafting is scored out of 100, and is scored under the Criteria of: Cut Out, Horse Work and Course Completion. Competitions can often have hundreds of entrants, so a horse that is capable of winning many campdrafts becomes quite an asset to it’s owner, because they are often ranked amongst the finest Stock or Quarter Horse in the country.
The two main associations that govern Campdrafting nationally today are the Australian Campdraft Association Inc. and the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association Ltd (colloquially known as ABCRA).
Feature Image Courtesy of abc.net.au.
– Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management