News

The Cotton Man Goes Cowzy

or

Did We Get a Bum Steer???
by Penny Dees

The MBHA (Morongo Basin Horsemen’s Association) held its first cattle sorting clinic. Renowned reining trainer Bob Flowers (now retired) and his fellow clinician and friend Jim Ahner were the hapless souls, er, lucky fellows that were going to help us cattle sorting wanna-bes learn what to do.

What is cattle sorting? You have ten cattle with numbers on their backs in an arena. Numbers go from 0 to 9. You work in single, two or three person teams. It is a timed event. You are given a number of the cow you are to sort from the herd and move into the sorting pen. Once it is safely ensconced you go back and are given another number to move, and then another till you have three cattle in the holding pen or area or have run out of time. It is done at a walk. You can’t imagine the fun you have just walking around quietly and moving the cattle.

Inclement weather on Friday had us worried but Sat dawned and gave us not only perfect weather but a substantial turn out for the clinic.

Deciding who I would ride in the clinic was easy. Eliminated my old gelding, a horse. Not because of his age but the fact that he intensely dislikes the bovine odor. Hubby‘s mule, nope, too young, too spooky, not enough wet saddle blankets on the big boy for this old lady to ride him. Ok, the Cotton Man, little white mule it is.

Truck to trailer, tack to trailer, mule in trailer. Off to my friends, Jean, to pick up her and her sweet little Arab x mare and head to the clinic.

Once at the clinic, we got tacked up and joined the rest of the waiting riders. We would be doing single man sorting first.

My little mule was fine till he spotted the strange creatures out in the arena. Ears stabbing forward, eyes intent and slight body stiffing. He never relaxed his ears (could have stuck him to a tree with them) or took his eyes off the cattle.

I was relieved to find when they opened the gate and I rode Cotton in that he did not, A. Bolt, leave area in great haste and with little regret or B. Buck, nough said, little explanation needed.

Once in the arena I was given the number of the cow I needed to put in the sorting pen.

Starting towards the cattle and Cotton really began to stiffen. Stopped him, stroked his neck and talked to him. Asked him to go forward and he followed my direction and we pushed our cow thru the herd and into the holding pen. Another number called out and we successfully got that one into the sorting pen. I quit at two in the pen. You know, quit while I was ahead. I was thrilled!! Left the arena patting and praising my little mule.

Wow. What fun.

Got a big laugh out Jean’s little Arab x mare on her go. One of the cattle was not going to move and this little mare was delighted that she now had the chance to bite the cow to change its mind about that. Jean stopped her before the enamel met the cow hide but it was cute to watch. Another close friend, Diane, did well on her Arab mare as well. And her mare wanted to nibble on a cow that was standing its ground. This is Arab behavior?

Let me just say that due to the excellent tutoring us wanna-bes received, everyone did well. All I heard was everyone verbalizing about coming back and what a superlative time they had.

A big, huge thank you to MBHA and the help of Bob Flowers and Jim Ahner for making this a day we will remember and smile!!! THANKS!!!

Ok, I need to go show Cotton a picture of a cow so he doesn’t forget……..

Penny and the Amazing Cattle Sorting Mule, Cotton Man