The Ranch classes are starting to pop up in my area, and they look fun! Anyone here compete either in a local circuit like the ECRRA or the rated AQHA/APHA stuff? Would love to here how you like it, what type of horse you ride, maybe how you chose your horse for this discipline, and anything else that would be helpful for a newbie!
I have shown in both Ranch Trail and Ranch Riding at APHA shows. The classes are really fun, and the patterns have been fun and challenging, too. I just lost my steady eddy show horse, and am starting over with a new horse, so not sure we’ll be showing this year. Where I live the ranch classes haven’t been very big, but in certain parts of the country they’re huge, especially in Quarter Horse shows.
My horse was broke, broke, broke. He was my former all-around horse. I rode him extensively out on trails, camped with him, did some team sorting on him, and that prepared him mentally for the trail classes. He was also a very good mover, and had a beautiful flying lead change. But you can certainly win with a simple change, but it needs to be smooth.
Work on your transitions. When you extend your trot and your lope they need to be very clearly different. Teach your horse to work off of your body, not your hand, so you don’t obviously pull on the reins to get the downward transition. If you’re going to do trail, practice on real gates, not the rope gates regular trail classes use at breed shows. The classes are starting to use cattle in pens in the arena, load onto a trailer, etc. Try to get your horse out and about to see lots of things. Work over poles, at the trot and lope. Set up scary things (I’ve seen tents, fake trees, tarps draped over hay bales, etc.) in trail courses. Teach him to drag a pole or some other fairly heavy item. Learn how to handle a rope, and get your horse used to it, too.
I love the classes. I love that horses move out like a working horse should, and their scores are lower if they don’t. No fake tails, no banding or braiding, no expensive clothes, no fancy tack required. And the other competitors have been super friendly and supportive of each other.
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After about a decade of saying I had no interest in showing - I went to watch a friend compete in Ranch Horse classes and asked if I could show one of her horses in the very next show.
I love it. No crazy outfits, no unnatural gaits, and no hyper-competitors. It’s like we all get together once a month to gossip and swap recipes and, oh yeah, brb, let me go show my horse. Getting together and having a good time is the primary goal and ribbons are cool too if they happen.
After I showed my friend’s horse a couple of times, by the next year I bought my then-22 year old QH. He’d retired from performing at the Dixie Stampede and had been a family horse and another friend’s husband’s cow horse for a couple of years after that. He’s short, sweet, and sorrel, and will try his best to do anything I ask him. So even though his life experience has been drill team and cows up to now - he’s happy with learning to do new things. I think that’s the best quality anyone, horse or human, can have.
Enjoy your new hobby!
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Planning on doing it this year. Bought a three year old filly last month that is bred that direction and has her training well started for those events also.
I’ve shown at the local level for several years. Decided that next year I’m going to do a few AQHA shows. I too like that they have a more natural gait and allows the horse to move out. As with anything, being particular and precise about your pattern is what makes the difference. So when it tells you to go from a lope to an extended lope, there better be an obvious speed difference! (as one example) And as with anything, the more invisible your cues, the better the horse looks.
My brag picture of my horse Shotgun and I taking first place at a local show in the Ranch Riding pattern class this past year. I think there were about 15 entered. I was so proud of him!! 
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Wow! Shotgun’s looks are enough to brag about! Nice photo!
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If my APHA Over Fences horse doesn’t rehab well enough to jump this year, we are debating going the ranch division route. He neck reins, has the flying change, is broke to death on transitions/collection and extension and nothing phases him. I’m loving hearing other people’s experiences with it!! My goal for 2019 is just to have fun with him and I think this would be!
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They were HUGE at Morgan Grand Nationals this year. Took a whole day to judge. The reiners used them as “warm-up” since reining classes (much smaller) were the next day, and had an obvious advantage when it came to precision. There was a wide range of horses, bloodlines, rider talent, etc. and minimal silver. Almost everyone looked like they were having fun.
I did a bit this year and agree with just about everything stated in the prior posts. You want a horse that goes forward willingly but is real soft in the face and very prompt and responsive. My only “complaint” was that the judging seemed to be somewhat inconsistent from show to show. One horse would win everything one day, and not be used at all by the judge at the next show. And in the rail classes sometimes the extensions turned into a bit of a race, lol.
I did it this year at about 8 shows. The pattern class - not the trail and only showed once in the Ranch Rail. I showed a nice pleasure/all-around gelding, and made a point to have him come up, step out, and enjoy himself. We usually won! We show ApHC and B-rated mostly.
A club I used to ride with a couple of farms ago introduced it in the shows. I tried it and loved it! I would do it again in a heartbeat.
One club I have showed in does a different spin on the ranch horse classes.
Mainly like reined cow horse, ranch cutting, dry work reining pattern, boxing and going the fence but depending on what division you’re in you can circle your cow or rope it.
But also added is a ranch trail class and a rodear type roping.
It’s a lot of fun and even if someone doesn’t rope there is a division. Plus you dont have to spend a pile of money on trendy tack or show outfits. A fun and affordable way to show.
Another local club who puts on schoolng shows but doesn’t offer any cattle classes offers the ranch riding. It is fun and really helpful for schooling horses who anticipate in a reining pattern. It puts them in the arena alone in a show situation but it is different than a reining pattern with a lot of the same maneuvers making it hard for them anticipate.
Those of us on the north east coast just don’t get exposed to cows like those in other areas.
I really like the ranch classes- horses look great. However I ride english and doubt you can show in them with english tack as it is not very ranchy. I used to show my OTTB in trail classes (with english tack) and she did really well. She has also done trail trials. Love having horses and riders doing useful and practical things.
Barbara Cox ( Chris Cox’s wife ) did a show on Ranch Horse this week on rfd-tv. She has some questions about her young home bred that she showed in ranch horse class. A trainer was on there to help her with some of her questions.
I have a young filly that I will be showing this year, locally and hopefully AQHA if it ever stops raining for more than a day or two. She is cow horse bred, has an excellent mind, good movement and likes to work.
I like that the horses move out more and there is no fancy clothing or silver laden saddles. Add in full manes and I am happy.
