It was Friday evening,
December 10, 2004 at the Palm Beach County Mounted Posse facility. The cold
front predicted by forecasters had not yet rolled in and there was a pleasant
breeze blowing across the arena from the West. This would be the last Team
Penning contest for the year and the cows seemed determined to let everyone
know that they were the stars of the show.
Different strategies were
displayed by the riders and their mounts. Some tried the three tiered approach
and others utilized a cutter being shadowed by the second rider with the third
rider poised to turn the herd. A few teams sent all three riders into the herd
at once.
Mango, Reina and Kita were enjoying an evening away from Drill
Team Practice.
They were cantering and cutting and
kicking up their heels. Plenty of Geldings were participating on this night,
but these mares were confident in their abilities. On this particular evening,
the Mares would rule and the Geldings would drool.
The strategy was
established and Elaine on Mango would be the lead rider. Tim on Kita would be
her shadow and Candie on Reina would cut out the trash. Elaine was to cut her
cow and push it down the arena to the pen. Tim was to roll into the herd for
his cow while Candie shadowed him. Once Tim got his cow, Candie would cut hers
and bring everybody home. Elaine would take the hole, Tim would have the wing
and Candie would push the cows into the pen.
Our trio entered the arena
with Elaine cantering down the left side. Tim was to her right and Candie to
his right. Helmut announced that number 5 would be the selected competition for
our riders. The cows were bunched in a herd in the far left corner. Elaine
brought Mango (a.k.a. "Sheer Perfection") on a sweeping move from left to
right. Four cows separated from the herd and began to move with her. Tim held
the balance of the herd as Candie prepared to cut the trash out of this pack of
four. Elaine's lead cow was a number 5, so she positioned herself to push her
cow down the arena to the pen. As the four cows bolted in front of our riders,
it became apparent that the second cow was also a number 5. This had the
potential for a Good run. Wait just a second, was that third cow a number 5 as
well? Yes, indeed it was. What luck. Our trio had the potential to turn a Good
run into a Great run as long as they maintained their composure.
Elaine
stayed off the cows to allow them to turn to their right once they approached
the fence so that they could head for the pen. Tim fell back to ensure that the
fourth cow dropped off and that only the three number 5 cows crossed the line.
Candie took the herd and pushed them toward the pen. With Reina in full canter,
Mango raced to the hole as Kita flew to the wing. Our trio had been flawless to
this point, but there was still plenty that could go wrong. Elaine beat the
cows to the hole and turned Mango sideways to block one escape route. Candie
utilized the fence to circle the cows away from the wing as Tim became an
extension of the pens entrance gate. Candie pressed the cows to force them to
turn toward the pen. The cows looked to the hole, but it was blocked. The cows
looked to the wing, but it was also blocked. All three riders hooped and
hollered and the horses held their ground. With no where to run, the cows
turned into the pen. Candie pushed them in and raised her hand in the air to
call for our time.
The evenings best had been 48 seconds by a seasoned
competition team earlier in the night. The Mustang Club has had several teams
break 60 seconds over the years, but no team had ever broken 50 seconds. We
found out shortly thereafter that the Years Best Time for all participants at
Posse had been 47 seconds. When Helmut announced 36.07 seconds
for our trio, the crowd erupted.
America's Living Legends have added
another skill to their repertoire. How are we going to add this to the
Versatility Show. Hmmmmm!!!!!!!!