Herdwork can be a huge challenge! There’s a lot going on!

Herd holders are talking. Cattle are changing positions. Your horse needs to stay with you as you both moving fluidly through the herd.

Then, there are all kinds of the things going through your mind about what to do … what not to do … which cow?

It’s easy to become so involved in the moment that you lose connection with your horse. Suddenly you need to make a fast move with a cow and your horse might not respond immediately … and then, it can be too late to get where you need to go.

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As you’re making your cut, have you ever heard, “Stop sword fighting”?!?

This refers to waving your hand as you make the cut. This happens when the cutter is anxious, indecisive, or tries to guide the horse with the reins only.

Have you heard, “Use your feet; use your feet!” as you make the cut?

Perhaps, you tried to use your feet, but the results were random, at best because you didn’t understand exactly how to use them.

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This is Part II of a two part article about cutting horse herdwork best practices.

In Part I, I talked about how you can help yourself make a clean, pretty, flowing cut when you cut a cow that’s near the end of … and on the outside of cattle as they roll around you.

When the cow you cut is chosen randomly, it’s called “shape”. When you arrange for a pre-determined cow to be in a good spot to make a credit earning cut in the middle of the arena, there’s no special name for it. You are simply cutting a specific cow.

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Three Steps to Cut a Cow on the Outside of the Flow

This is Part I of a two-part article about cutting horse herdwork best practices.

You can help yourself make a clean, pretty, flowing cut when you cut a cow that’s near the end of … and on the outside of … the cattle flow as they roll around you.

When you do this in a “random” fashion, you step into the herd, and clearly see what rolls around you. The cut seems to set-up on its own. That’s called “shape”.

When you desire to cut a specific cow, a common, effective approach is to drive a predetermined cow to the outside of the flow. From here you shape the cow you want so she ends up in the middle of the arena.

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Make It Fun!

Being able to identify cattle is a major part of being a cutting horse competitor. This is true whether you’re just beginning, or you are a seasoned competitor.

If you typically cut shape, you still need to recognize colors, and some of the basics of the cutting arena vernacular … like “baldy,” “mott,” and “redneck”. This is important so you can follow the guidance of your helpers when you show.

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Six Tips to Help You Pick the Right Cow for Cutting

Recently I received an email with an interesting question, “When a horse is cutting out another animal, what is it reading?”

I’m not sure what a horse is reading. (Much is instinct for a cow bred horse … just like a bird dog being on point is natural for that kind of dog.) But, I suspect what a horse intuits is similar to the signs that help people “read” a cow.

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Ten Tips to Improve Your Cuts

“Cuts make runs. It’s a domino effect.”

These are the words of Russell McCord, Director of Judges at the National Cutting Horse Association.

Russell’s insights had laser-like clarity about how a judge views runs during a three-day showing clinic. Front views, as well as an elevated, rear video angle provided lots of situations to explain key points.

Much time was spent discussing herdwork because of the potent positive or negative consequences cuts have on a score.

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I’m Not Talking About Quitting Our Sport!
I’m Talking About Quitting a Cow!

A big challenge for many cutters is understanding the “whys” of an instruction.

We cutters have a love-hate relationship with the fact that our sport requires moment-t0- moment decisions.

It’s the nature of our sport. There are no pre-set patterns or courses. We have to make decisions on the spot. We hold the reins. 

This makes our sport exciting … and sometimes frustrating.

One of these crucial decisions during competition is when to quit a cow and go for another. Click here to read on…