Yeah, good luck just ‘sittin’ on THAT.
If you aren’t on FB, here’s him in action. (fixed the video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoj-iwy5fr8
What a horse, what a rider.
I would LOVE to “sit” on a good cutting horse. But seriously, I’m afraid I’d fall off!
Now THAT’s western. couldn’t get the video but the stills say a lot! Real working western.
I’m one who just sits up there! lol And I find that difficult enough to get just right. 
I KNOW I would fall off…take that back…I would FLY off!!
That still DOES say it all. They go in 40 directions at once, and may change it all again in a split second
Better video
Wow…amazing! And it does look like a lot of fun! I don’t think even hanging on would save me from the whip sawing up there. They have to be very fit riders…great core!
Hat cam video from the NRHA futurity finals. Yeah, he’s just sitting there.
[QUOTE=reinerspook;6730477]
Hat cam video from the NRHA futurity finals. Yeah, he’s just sitting there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEoWnIGqp1w[/QUOTE]
Holy #@$%!!! That’s an amazing video. It was like an amusement park ride!
Once the horse knows which cow it is supposed to go for, is the rider even necessary? I mean what if you rode the horse till the cow was picked out and then Quick jumped off? The way these horses are trained could probably pick out the target cow bridleless. Seems the horse doesn’t really need the rider to do the outwitting the cow part. Wouldn’t it be easier for the horse without a rider on board?
[QUOTE=katarine;6730424]
That still DOES say it all. They go in 40 directions at once, and may change it all again in a split second
Better video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoj-iwy5fr8[/QUOTE]
I get all choked up when I see a horses do it like this. You can’t train that into a horse. He’s got to really have it inside to be that good. And after watching that video I’m not “afraid” I’d fall off. I have NO DOUBT I’d fall off!
LOVE the videos!
This is my favorite cowpony…TR Dual Rey. Has more cow in him than the cows do. :winkgrin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS3y_TFbEJ8
Nah…dumb little cowponies aren’t athletic. Or able to “really get under themselves.” :winkgrin:
Once the horse knows which cow it is supposed to go for, is the rider even necessary? I mean what if you rode the horse till the cow was picked out and then Quick jumped off? The way these horses are trained could probably pick out the target cow bridleless. Seems the horse doesn’t really need the rider to do the outwitting the cow part. Wouldn’t it be easier for the horse without a rider on board?
Yes, cutters will cut without the rider. But it’s not trained into them…a cow horse is born and not made. It will get the rough edges buffed off with training, but there’s no amount of training that will make a horse “cowy.” Breeding is very important in cutting because having cow sense is passed on. (hopefully) There is a lot of conditioning…building up the muscles so they can get down and change directions so fast means they need to be uber-fit to avoid injury. So not all horses with tons of cow sense make it as cutters, they also need the speed and conformation and conditioning to be that physical. A cutting horse will have different desired conformation than a roping horse or racing horse or jumper, etc. Cutters are often a bit downhill…they tend to squat down in front a lot.
But a cutter can’t compete without a rider. The rider chooses the cow and then points the horse at the chosen cow. The rider signals when to start cutting and when to stop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQU8YVHc3iw
When watching cutting horse videos…watch the horses zero in on the cow…watch the face. Watch the eye contact they make. No different than watching a really intense sheepdog herd sheep. They use intimidation.
Loving these pics and videos! I have an english/endurance background and am getting into the stock horse thing. I bought a 2-year-old QH with a ton of potential this past summer. I am working with a reining/cow horse trainer and am realizing that this requires some serious riding skills!!! I thought I was a decent rider until I started on this journey!
Here is another cool picture that came across my FB news feed. Love how relaxed this rider is.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=575311555819234&set=a.335417169808675.100360.317539564929769&type=1&theater
[QUOTE=reinerspook;6730477]
Hat cam video from the NRHA futurity finals. Yeah, he’s just sitting there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEoWnIGqp1w[/QUOTE]
I’m impressed with how smooth the video is. Usually shots from helmet cams swing around so much I nearly get seasick watching them. Heck of a rider under this hat cam!
[QUOTE=Mukluk;6730512]
Once the horse knows which cow it is supposed to go for, is the rider even necessary? I mean what if you rode the horse till the cow was picked out and then Quick jumped off? The way these horses are trained could probably pick out the target cow bridleless. Seems the horse doesn’t really need the rider to do the outwitting the cow part. Wouldn’t it be easier for the horse without a rider on board?[/QUOTE]
Once your cow is cut from the herd and the rider drops their hand, the rider uses their legs very actively to control the horse and keep it in proper position with the cow’s head. You cannot turn a cow or stop it without “heading” it. Most horses will typically work short to one side and be long on the other, so it is the rider’s job to either speed them up or slow them down.
My horses will work almost anything that moves- cattle, goats, sheep, people, mechanical cow, cutting “flag”- but it is my job to “help” them maintain a correct position on the cow.
One of my dingbat horses “cuts” me whenever I bring out lunch hay. He tries to move me (well, the hay) away from the other horse…or move the other horse away from the hay. At least he stops trying to move me when I point my finger at him. :lol:
I have no idea if he was ever a cutter, AFAIK he was just trained for general ranch work when he was a youngster. But when it comes to food, he’s pretty serious. :winkgrin:
That reining video was amazing. I grinned through the whole thing. A flying lead change at a gallop? How cool was that?
Years ago my trainer put me on a horse I didn’t know for a lesson since mine was a little foot sore from his shoeing. He wasn’t very big, but seemed nice. As we walked into the arena, my trainer suddenly turned and crouched down in front of us. Then she zigged and zagged, and the horse proceeded to show me he was trained as a cutting horse! I fell off first thing! My trainer thought it was hilarious, and the horse stood and waited for me to get on. She tried to fool him again but he was too smart to waste his time on her again! It was an awesome five seconds, though.
LOL! Beth Case, who is pretty much “THE” Hunter under saddle trainer in the QH world posted this video of her first cutting lesson a couple of days ago. I think her comment about it was: “That was the most fun I’ve ever had trying NOT to fall off.” ROFL!
You may need facebook to see this but I’m not sure…
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4044788156801&set=vb.1194783131&type=3
Here is a 2 y/o filly that will be in the 2013 NCHA Futurity as a 3 y/o. Dual Smart Kitty. Talk about a natural! I’d wager that she will make the finals in the Futurity and probably will be in the top five or ten. Will be interesting to watch her progress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nRendgFyDo&feature=share&list=FLfMt4Zwt9kONK_bBitMRx3g
Every time I watch her my heart skips a beat. LOL.
Oh, Man! I gotta take up reining and cutting before I get too old!
All I’ve ever done was some gathering and sorting at the cousin’s ranch. Every now and then a horse I was on (oddly both times I was on an OTTB and an Arab) would get down nose to nose with a calf or cow trying to get out of the gate or away from the bunch. Short experience, but very, very cool.
[QUOTE=rtph;6742175]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nRendgFyDo&feature=share&list=FLfMt4Zwt9kONK_bBitMRx3g
Every time I watch her my heart skips a beat. LOL.[/QUOTE]
That’s some deeep footing that horse is in.
