OVTPA - Team Penning/Ranch Sorting Basics

Ranch Sorting Basics

Ranch Sorting consists of a 2 man team working cattle from one Sorting pen that is a 60-70’ round pen with a 16’ gate and no 90 degree corners. The catch pen is required to be at least 40’. These pens are connected together with an opening varying from 15-16 ft. The cows are numbered 0-8 and the object is to move the cattle from one pen to the other in numbered order without letting any trash or blank cows through. A blank cow is an unnumbered cow. The announcer calls a number (example #6) the team must cut one number 6 from the herd and drive it past the foul line and keep it passed, then move to number 7,8,0,1,2,3,4, and 5. When the number 5 crosses time is called. Any cows that cross out of order, or if more than one of the same number is driven past or a cow comes back across the foul line, a no time is called. The team to sort all cows in order in the quickest time wins.

Team Penning Basics

Team Penning consists of a 3 man team cutting cattle out of a herd and penning in a catch pen at the opposite end of the arena. Three cows are numbered the same, for example there are 3 number 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3, 4 cows. When the team enters the herd the announcer calls out a number. The object is to cut out and drive down the 3 cows of the same number that was called (example) the announcer called a number 5, the team must cut 3 number 5 cows out of the herd and drive them past the foul line, if a numbered cow comes across the foul line which is not the number called you have a no time. Once all three cows are pushed past the foul line the team drives the cows to the pen and pens them. Your horse's nose must be in the pen and your hand raised before time will be called. The team that pens their cows in the fastest time wins.