OklahomaHorses Magazine January 2023

24 OklahomaHorses • January / February 2023 etsy.com/shop/VintageCopperAndMore VintageBeltBucklesAndBoloTies.com block the cattle in that area. Cook also informed me that the cattle work included boxing only one cow or steer at one end of the arena for youths and amateurs but added the element of taking the cow down to the opposing end of the pen and back for open competitors. Miranda Redding, president of NWAHSA, informed me that the open class had two minutes to complete the work; the youths and amateurs had 90 seconds. There would be no running a cow along the fence with two turnbacks and finishing by getting the cow to do a figure eight in the center of the pen, as in open NRCHA events. The obstacle course was fairly straightfor- ward also because of the preposted pattern. However, having a two-year-old brought other aspects to consider. We had opened and closed several gates, but this particular arena put the horse’s head into a corner, and the gate was covered with a silver tarp and had a different latch mechanism, with different sounds than gates with which we were familiar. Dragging a log was no problem. The short backward angle to lope the right lead while traveling approximately four strides to the next obstacle was not so easy unless your horse is well trained. (We are not there just yet!) Walk over the wooden bridge and then into a square marked by poles. Turn fully around without disrupting or knocking into the poles. Trot serpentines through cones. Rope the dummy. Sidepass over a ground pole to a bright yellow crackly horse-eating slicker on a six-foot pole — oh, my! We had practiced with a slicker, but my ride said, “Not today!” A slicker above her head might as well have been a mountain lion in a tree. Rather than take out both judge Troy Murrell and the ring steward, I sidepassed, then turned to the judge and said, “Thank you.” ShowsWelcome Newcomers Did I mention that the temperature on my arrival was a frosty 27 degrees? By the time I left, it was a balmy 38 degrees. During this great rise in temperature, I learned a great deal by asking many, many ques- tions. Having spoken to the president of the association, the judge, Jordan Shores (University of Arkansas Ranch Horse Team coach), and Cook as well as several other competitors, I found the entire atmosphere congenial, welcoming, humble, and sincere. Cook mentioned the obvious. “There has been a hole for ranch-type horses with a good handle. Customers find their goals at- tainable in the ranch horse classes. The arena is welcoming to newcomers. It can be a nice transition from the fuss of horse showing.” Shores basically reiterated those ideolo- gies. All but one of his team members were in attendance. I learned that 18 colleges across the country have ranch horse teams. These young riders show great promise for the future of the horse industry. Shores also let me know that in many events, the big win is the average overall. That means a fairly good horse-and-rider team that doesn’t necessarily win big in each event might win the overall average. “It’s fun. There are lots of show people getting into this. It’s growing nationwide,” he said. The University of Arkansas hosts spring and fall shows in Fayetteville. Shores said the shows typically offer a clinic on Satur- day and a show on Sunday. The next clinic and show are scheduled for March 18–19, 2023. For more information, e-mail Shores at jtshore@uark.edu. For more information on NWAHSA shows, check Facebook or call Redding at (501) 213-7265. To get involved, contact local clubs or associations to see what they offer. And do not be intimidated — we all have to start somewhere.