Every Friday, guests and crew can participate in team penning, on horseback, with steers. I had the afternoon off and decided to give it a try. First a wrangler explained the rules for us newbies...
Then they gave us a demonstration...
A team of three riders enters a large ring, chooses their cattle, cuts them from the herd and
attempts to drive them to the other end of the ring and into the pen. The pen is open
on one side, so someone has to guard the gate to make sure they don't just run straight through and back out. These were the steers we had to choose from, some friendlier than others, all with horns.
The clock has started, and we're coming up with our strategy...
Kind of like choosing your best shot in pool, some cows are a more viable option than others.
A bit of chaos as they scatter...
Our chosen three... now to move them!
I've got one cornered and on the move!
Sadly, he took off back towards the herd, and I had to find a new one ;(
Above, the black one will do as a substitute...
Almost there with two cows...
Two in the pen and guarding the gate.
Success!... in 86 seconds. Our next time around, it only took us 54 seconds. Our third try was slightly better, but the winning team had 23 seconds. Worst team time was almost 2 minutes (not us). After 3 minutes, you get a "gong" and have to leave the ring if you haven't penned any cattle ;)
My teammates were a nice couple from Scotland, and our team name was Brexit (we were ALL for it!) ;)
Afterwards, the five 3-person teams lined up our horses at the fence to watch the kids' painted (chalk) horse parade and cheer them on. What a great day!
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