Dayboro Cow Horse Club

Notice Board

New Photos Uploaded to Gallery 19th July: Photos from 23rd May Penning & Cutout.

Updated Saleyard 20th July: Stunning Ima Cool Seeker Mare & Colt added.

Barry Thompson Cattle Clinic: Once again Barry has come through with the
goods and shared his knowledge with a group who had a wide range of skills
and experience. There's not too many guys who can manage to switch from one
rider to the next and and then on to another and be able to quickly analyse what
each riders needs are and then come up with some useful advice.
It would be fair to say that every rider who attended managed to overcome some
issues with their horse, their riding, or both and come away with the feeling that
they've had a win or two on the day.
A special thanks to Barry who worked all day without complaint despite being in some pain from recent medical treatment.

Club General Meeting - 5th August: Held at the Dayboro Pony Club Canteen
at 7:00pm. This is your chance to have a say on how the club runs.

DCHC Offers Members
Our club offers riders of all ages and experience a chance to compete in a safe, friendly, family orientated environment. DCHC caters for people interested in:
    * Team Penning
    * Cutting
    * Regular Practice Days
    * Novelty Days

Our Events
CUTTING evolved at time when there were few fences and thousands of cattle grazed vast areas in the Southwest of the United States in the early 1800’s. Cattlemen gathered large herds on open plains. Individual cows had to be separated or “cut” from the herd for branding, sending to market or driving to new sections of grazing. It was soon discovered that the job could be performed easily and efficiently by using specially trained horses called “cutting horses”. The competitive nature of the cattlemen led to the initiation of cutting horse competitions in the mid-19th century. In 1898, the first known contest for money was held at the Cowboy Reunion in Haskell, Texas. From this a whole industry has developed with cutting spreading to 22 countries throughout the world and individual stallions being valued in the millions. In cutting horse competitions, horse and rider have two and a half minutes to demonstrate their ability to cut cattle and prevent them from returning to the herd. Contestants usually separate two or three individual cows before time expires. The clock starts when the horse crosses an imaginary line approximately fifty feet in front of the herd. The horse takes control of the contest and with lightning fast starts and turns, prevents the cow from returning to the herd. The horse and rider quietly walk into the herd; the rider begins the process of selecting one cow to “cut” from the rest of the group. The rider carefully selects a cow and drives it forward from the herd. When the separation has been made, the rider must loosen or “drop” the reins and allow the horse to work independent of any guidance from the rider. When the cow turns away or discontinues its effort to return to the herd, the rider may lift the reins, signalling the horse to “quit the cow”. The cow is allowed to return to the herd and the process of selecting a new cow begins. Dayboro Cow Horse Club’s cutting practice, comprises an allocated time of 3 - 4 minutes per run in which to work with a herd of cattle. The aim is to use the time train your horse to practice cutting out beasts from the herd. Everybody is encouraged to take part and participation as herd persons and turn back riders ensures that there is plenty of encouragement for the novice rider.

TEAM PENNING is a sport that started in America and evolved from the common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring or transport. Today, it is a fast paced and exciting event that provides a team of three riders 2 minutes to separate three same colour collared cattle from the herd and pen into a yard located at the opposite end of the arena. The herd can range from 21 head to 30 head of cattle and judges ensure that the colours are rotated fairly amongst the various teams. Team work is the key with all three riders required to work in harmony to cut out the correct cattle and drive them to the pen at the opposite end of the arena while keeping the wrong coloured cattle back. The sport is widely promoted as the fastest growing horse sport in the United States, Canada and Europe, with an estimated 93,000 active Team Penners in North America alone. Dayboro Cow Horse Club proudly promotes the sport of Team Penning that encourages the mixing of all age groups, abilities and skill levels within a fun, social, yet competitive atmosphere.