Quickly growing in popularity is the horse sport of Team Penning. This sport requires 30 head of cattle to be marked with coloured collars or numbers in sets of 3, and placed at the “mob” end of the arena. Teams of 3 riders then attempt to cut out a set of 3 cattle each from the”mob”, and put them in the “pen” at the other end of the arena, within 2 minutes.
Team Penning differs from Team Sorting, because there are 10 cattle in sorting that require cutting out from the herd in numerical order, opposed to sets of 3.
Both horse sports are keeping traditional stockman skills alive that have been used in Australia for hundreds of years to manage stock. If you are interested in getting involved in Team Penning or Team Sorting, have a look on the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft & Rodeo Association (ABCRA) Website http://www.abcra.com.au/ to have a look for your closest club.
Feature Image courtesy of Living Equine.
-Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management.