Yes Ian, these horses are really amazing.
For some of you that may not be familiar with cutting horses or what they do, and at Asher's request, I will give you a brief description.
First of all, the act of "cutting" or separating a specific calf from a herd of calves started long ago back in the real cowboy and cattle ranching days. The cowboys did not have the convenience of an enclosed arena containing all of the animals, such as the one where this competition is being held. They were usually out in the open, on the wide praries and grazing lands where if spooked, cattle could run for miles and scatter everywhere. They needed to get inside the herd, in a quiet and controlled manner, and without spooking all of the animals, select a specific calf or steer and "cut" it out of the herd so they could then do what it was they were trying to do in the first place, such as roping and branding it or treating it medically or whatever. It took a good team of both horse and rider to do this successfully.
There are still cowboys today that do this type of work but not nearly as many as in years past. They are a dying breed thanks to the commercialization of the cattle and beef industry. That's a whole different story. The cutting horse however, bred and trained specifically for this purpose, is still alive and well and competitions are held at locations all over this country and many more as well.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the biggest in the world. It goes on for 3 weeks every March and draws millions of people and they have all sorts of different competitions. The cutting horse competitions draw big crowds and pay big money to the winners. In Texas among the cattle and horse people, it is a really big deal. They have many different levels of competition from beginning amateurs all the way to top professionals. The champion horses can earn millions and millions of dollars not only in competition but also in stud fees after their playing days are over. I can't emphasize enough what a big deal this is to some people down here.
OK. So in the competition, there is a herd of 30 to 40 calves at one end of the arena or corral. They are natural herding animals so instinctively they just stay all huddled up together as much as possible. There is safety in numbers I suppose. The contestant has 2.5 minutes in which to work.
The horse and rider comes walking up slowly and deliberately with the rider looking over the herd. He must pick out a specific calf and let one of the judges that is in the arena also know which calf he has selected. By the way, there are usually 4 other cowboys in the arena on horseback with the contestant. They keep the herd together, talk to the cowboy or cowgirl about the calf they select, and just keep things organized. There is usually one on either side of the herd. There are also two more on horseback that stay back behind the contestant. They keep the calf from running away in the opposite direction once it is outside the herd and help keep it facing the horse so it can do its work.
The cowboy has selected the calf he wants and from that moment on his eyes never leave the target. If they go after a specific calf and it gets away and they end up cutting out a different calf than the one they selected, they get penalized on their points. The horse and rider walks slowly into the middle of the herd towards the target calf. The whole idea is to walk slowly and deliberately, and eventually separate or "cut" the desired calf from the herd without spooking or in any way disturbing all of the others. That is the first part of the task.
If he is successful, and he has cut the calf out of the herd, the fun really begins then. The calf's instinct is to get back to the safety of the herd. That is all it thinks about and all it wants to do. It will do whatever it can to get past the horse that now stands between it and that herd. At this time, the horse's instincts take over. The rider actually loosens his hold on the reins and the horse does everything instinctively from that point on. The cowboy just hangs on to the saddle horn and goes along for the ride as the horse does his work. His whole reason for living at that moment is to keep that one calf from getting by him and back to the herd. The horse will watch the calf intently and will match it move for move, starting and stopping on a dime, going from one side to the other, keeping it at bay. The horses get so involved in what they are doing they almost seem like dogs at play, crouching down, looking, waiting for the calf's next move so that they can pounce. They absolutely love their job and it really shows. They work the calf like this until one of two things happens. Either they mess up and the calf gets by them and back to the herd, in which case they are penalized points, or the calf finally submits to defeat, gives up his attempt to return to the herd, and usually just turns its back to the horse and stops moving. At that time, as long as there is still time left on the clock, the cowboy will turn back to the herd, select another calf, and start the whole process again. There is no specific number of calves they have to cut in the 2.5 minutes. It all depends on how hard the calf works the horse.
Five Judges score the horse and rider as well as the calf and determine their overall score. The score is derived based on the challenges the calf made, the horse's instinctive reactions to the calf's challenges, and any errors in judgement made by the horse or rider during the competition. Each judge gives a score of between 60 and 80 points. The highest score and the lowest score from the 5 judges are discarded and the remaining three scores are totalled for that contestant's overall score. Highest score wins.
It is a fascinating thing to watch if you ever get the chance. If you want to see someone who truly loves their work, go watch one of these beautiful animals.
James Newman
PS - If you actually made it this far through the post, here is a clip of a young cowboy that competed last year in the Houston rodeo. He was at the ripe old age of 6 and people that know these things say he is going to be a force to be reckoned with when he gets a bit older.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjvNTuKthZA
