All-Breed Ranch Work Championship to pay $10,000 to hardworking horses July 7

Spurred by the popularity of ranch horse events that celebrate the versatility and workmanship of a cattleman’s best asset, APHA and Classic Equine have teamed up to host the inaugural Ranch Work Championship July 7 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Held in conjunction with the AjPHA Youth World Championship Show, the Ranch Work Championship is an all-breed, all-age event that offers $10,000 paid out in a divisional format. The championship focuses on authentic ranch work events—ranch work, ranch roping, ranch cow work and ranch cutting—to spotlight horses with the skills to be valuable assets on the job; read on for class descriptions.

A 3D Divisional Payout—where each D pays equally—offers increased payout opportunities for all skill levels. Each division also includes a $600 high-point champion and $400 reserve champion award bonus. Additionally, the high-scoring Paint Horse in each event will receive special awards.

The pre-entry deadline for the Ranch Work Championship is 5p.m. June 29. Entries will be accepted after June 29, but fresh cattle will not be guaranteed.

Visit apha.com/ywcs/rwc/ for more information and details as they become available.

—All-breed, all-age show

—$10,000 added

—3D Divisional Payout per Event – Each D pays equally

—Special awards presented to the high-scoring Paint Horse in each event.

Division Splits – 4 point splits

Example: 78 is high score in class

1D winner = 78 score

2D winner = 74 score

3D winner = 70 score

The Ranch Work event tests the horse’s ability to cope with situations encountered while being ridden through a pattern of obstacles and maneuvers generally found during the course of everyday ranch work. The horse/ rider team is judged on the correctness, efficiency and pattern accuracy with which the obstacles are negotiated and the attitude and mannerisms exhibited by the horse. Judging emphasis is on identifying the well-broke, responsive and well-mannered horse which can correctly navigate and negotiate the pattern.

 The purpose of this event is to show the horse’s ability to assist the rider in roping a cow out of a herd, as would be done on a ranch for branding or doctoring. The horse and rider should move quietly through the herd, to locate the desired cow and position the rider to make the catch quietly with as little disturbance to the herd as possible.

The ideal ranch horse should also be a cow horse and this event demonstrates and measures the horse’s ability to do cow work. There are five parts to this work: boxing the cow; setting up the cow and driving it down the fence to the opposite end of the arena; boxing it at the opposite end of the arena and then driving the cow past the middle marker again, then circling or roping. There is no expectation that the exhibitor will make a“fence turn”, rather the boxing, driving, boxing, driving, roping or circling.

This class is judged on the ability of the horse to work a cow by separating it from the herd and holding it to demonstrate the horse’s ability to work the cow.

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[Reprinting all of part of this story is permitted, so long as credit is given to the Paint Horse Journal and a link provide back to apha.com.]

About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses.