Your third penner can t be found. You and your second stand in the arena looking around. Suddenly the third comes blasting through the gate and barrels up to you and your partner. Sorry about that, I was finishing my beer. And then he spurs his horse and blasts toward the herd.
Nothing beats a teammate who is on the ball.
Shaquille O Neal had to learn, and may be something we can adapt to team penning. Funny thing is, I have also seen that if on draw pot rounds, I meet these two strangers and immediately offer to hold back the herd, it seems to relax the other riders and build some implicit trust, which is a key element of team work. A similar thing happens just as you approach the herd. Often, your horse might outrun another, or you might spot a cow first. If appropriate at the moment, it seems always better to let your teammate have their run at the cow, instead of you jumping in to take it.