FROM THE JUDGE’S CHAIR

“The exhibitor should have a fair chance to compete on the animal drawn.” That statement sums up what the judge goes by when a possible new cow situation arises. The key to this statement is twofold: Is the rider in a good working position to control the cow, and does the exhibitor show the judges that a new cow is deserved? It’s easy to forget that the cow draw has a lot to do with the success or failure of a cow work. Around 10 percent of a herd are traditionally really good, 10 percent are really bad (new cow material) and 80 percent are basically workable and go from pretty good to pretty difficult.

Here’s some history to think about. Greg Ward was considered legendary when it came to working cattle. He could work a bad cow better than most people could work a good cow. So, he would draw a poor cow and work it pretty well. The next exhibitor would draw the same kind of an animal and would be unable to work it and a new cow would be awarded. What’s fair? Greg didn’t need a new cow to get the animal worked, and the other exhibitor needed a new cow to complete the work. Being able to recognize the degree of difficulty and the expertise that is required to work a difficult animal are constant challenges for the judges. Being fair and consistent when making the call to grant a new cow issue is the challenge.

Twenty or so years ago, the people in power put in a 20-second rule to declare if you wanted a new cow or not. You boxed the cow and if you wanted to try another you had 20 seconds to declare. You could do this one time, but if the second cow was unworkable the judges could award you a third cow. It sounded OK at the time until the exhibitors started schooling their horses up to the 20-second limit then declared for a new cow. Also, it became an issue when they were a tad late declaring and a review was necessary to see if they declared within the 20-second time limit. This did not work very well.

The Judges Committee has hashed over the new cow issue numerous times trying to find consistent guidelines. The one constant that keeps coming up during these discussions is asking if the exhibitor is in position to control the cow or not? There are numerous scenarios where this question comes in to play.

The idea behind the boxing phase of the cow work is to attempt to get your horse hooked (acknowledge) to the cow, and to get the cow to honor the horse. If done correctly, and the cow is decent, the cow should turn on the fence when the exhibitor is in a controlling position. There are two reasons an exhibitor could be considered for a new cow option in the boxing phase. If the animal wouldn’t move, or if the animal runs, or attempts to run, through the exhibitor and the exhibitor stays in the proper position to control the animal. The key here is the animal consistently will not take the pressure off the horse by turning away but instead keeps pushing on the horse until it loses the cow off the end. The exhibitor must attempt to hold a hard charging cow for a new cow to be considered.

Over-boxing, where the animal wouldn’t run down the fence, is bad cow management and the new cow issue, should not come in to play.

Being in position weighs heavily on the judges when granting, or not granting, a new cow.