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Enter at A.. X halt, salute, proceed working trot. C track left and sort your steer. E rollback left and cutoff your steer, rollback right and drive him. If these movements were required on your next test, would you be nervous, or at least a bit apprehensive? For the fourteen participants in the first cattle working clinic specifically aimed at dressage horses, the answer would be no.
Held the weekend of October 14-15, 2000, at the Parsons' Marana Stockyards in Marana, Arizona, this unique workshop was conducted by Ellie Stine-Masek and her husband George Masek. Ellie is a full-time instructor, trainer, and American Horse Shows Association "R" dressage judge. She has earned her USDF bronze and silver medals, and she serves as president of the Tucson Dressage Club. George is foreman of the Empirita Ranch, with an extensive background in ranching and polo. The Maseks decided to combine their skills to create a cattle-working clinic for dressage horses.
The concept of comparing dressage to western disciplines is not a new one, especially where reining or "cowboy dressage" is concerned. The idea behind this workshop, however, was borne off utilitarian benefit as much as good old fashioned fun--and we all know how easy it is for us DQs to let go of the reins and just have a good time! In theory, a good cow horse has to be soft, supple, working readily off of his hind end, and responsive to his rider's every cue. In addition, it helps if he is agile, smart, and level-headed. Is this starting to sound familiar? We put an awful lot of time, money, and energy into developing these attributes in our horses. Why not test them in a different
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warming up with exercises that got their horses moving forward, bending, and working off their hind ends. The greatest exercise in teamwork, however, came when we all had to establish a "cowboy arena," which basically meant that each of us had a section of invisible fence to maintain as one person would go into the herd to work a steer.
Sound pretty simple? Well, factor in that you now have three minds to coordinate: you, your horse, and the steer. Frequently heard was, "They're coming' at ya!" and "Close the gap!" which often led to "You almost got him that time!" and "Good effort!" We had to watch each other to make sure all venues for escape were covered. Slowly but surely, everyone became more focused, less strays were getting past our watchful eyes, and whoops and hollers of encouragement as older, less lively horses transformed into playful, crow-hopping horses with a sparkle of pride in their eyes.
On day two, Clay Parsons, a respected and talented horseman and rancher, joined the clinic. Clay showed us the virtue of "less is more" by teaching us how to effect the right response from a steer with the least effort. Riders practiced leg yielding and turns on the haunches to move cattle in the desired direction. By the end of the day, two groups of seven riders moved half the steers to separate arena ends and worked within the boundaries of our small and portable cowboy arenas. The fun escalated when range wars broke out as steers refused to stay in their appointed groups. Shouts and laughter made it sound like a soccer game. "Get him, Bob, get him!" and "Go long, (Continued on page 10)
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