JULY 2022 THE RIDER /17


Fuel Prices Give Birth to a New Club!


Extreme Cowboy Western Ontario


The sport of extreme cowboy is one that holds such great


potential. Not just as a sport but, potential to motivate riders to make better educated horses. I recall the first time I had heard about the sport and my first thought was ‘ack! I don’t want to be engaged in some crazy cowboy race’. I soon learned how wrong I was. The most extreme part of Extreme Cowboy is the horsemanship. Riders must adhere to ‘speed with control’ so that means that a novice rider who only has control at the walk/jog, is a rider that competes at that level. As confidence builds, the speed will come. Those that push for speed too early, often find themselves with horses developing anxiety and their overall skills diminish. Since I have been competing in Extreme Cowboy, my horses are some of the best I know, around the ranch, on the trails and just about anywhere I take them. They cross water, don’t spook at flags or other fluttering objects, I can open and close gates without dismounting, they stand qui- etly but most of all, they trust me. The competitions are based on up to 13 obstacles , de-


pending on the level you compete in. It is against the clock and is intended to simulate challenges you’d encounter working your horse on a ranch. The timed portion gives added bonus points and a smooth, efficient fast run is always amazing to watch. Each obstacle is scored 0-10 with 0 meaning that you failed to show up to it and that will add a 30 second penalty to it. Showing up to an obstacle and failing to complete it will still get you a score but are limited to 30 seconds to complete that obstacle once you have engaged it. Bridges, water boxes, ground poles etc are all common


obstacles seen in this sport. Courses that balance technical abil- ity with speed and common ranch challenges are my personal favourite. I have attended the World Championship in Texas four


times now and had the honour to not only compete there but also work alongside the founder and great Horseman Craig Cameron. I also got to scribe with the best judges in the world and this is where I learned the most about the sport. The courses there are incredible and so I have simulated a combination of the World championship courses along with the Calgary Stam- pede’s Cowboy Up Challenge into my own ring at home. After I hosted the largest Extreme Cowboy show in Canada as well as some other world class events at my own facility, I began to believe that this sport had bigger potential than what it was ex- periencing. The province of Ontario is very large and the original club


hosted their series from one end of Ontario to the other. I recall hitting every show and we were all like a travelling band of gypsies. It was fun to say the least. Due to the travel distances, this often led to interested riders not pursuing it as they did not want to have to drive so far to be competitive for points. Now add in the fact that Diesel is over $2 a litre and the interest drops further. Locally we have so many interested riders and the de-


mand was evident… a local club was needed. I believe this is the way to build the sport and have a true provincial final. We are so happy to announce our new club Extreme Cowboy West- ern Ontario (EXC WO) based out of Circle 8 Ranch near Ayr. The season had a great start with a three day event weekend in- cluding a clinic with David Cowley and two shows. One trip and three events! People loved it. Quality judging included top rated judge Diana Mc-


Murtrey from Florida and top horseman David Cowley. Prizes included handmade sliver buckles out of Texas and $1000 cash. Live entertainment and amazing food most certainly added to the whole experience at Circle 8 Ranch. An added bonus is the agreement for Co-Sanctioning with the other clubs so member points can be shared for those that wish to travel the province while our club’s members points are not affected for Year End awards. This is a win win for all the clubs and the members. For those who ride English that are interested, we allow English tack in your first year of membership so give it a try! At least two more shows are being planned for the Fall


and an Extreme Cowboy Clinic is planned for August 6th that will include horsemanship, obstacles, show prep, intro to cows and proper rope handling. All levels and ages of riders are wel- come.


For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ extremecowboywesternontario or email circle8QH@gmail.com


ORHA $500


Rookie Shootout 2022 @ The Grand Finale


Sponsored by Jessie Dorland-Marchant, Smart Chicoree and Samuel Nelson.


Competitors must compete in Rookie 1 or Rookie 2, and


must enter and receive a score in both slates. You can show in both divisions but your score only gets counted once for the shootout. The highest combined score over both slates wins. This is an optional bonus division within ORHA. All win- nings will not affect your NRHA earnings and therefore your


eligibility. Earnings also do not count towards ORHA year end.


The same horse and rider combo must be used. All NRHA


rules are to be followed. You must be an ORHA member to enter.


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