I guess team penning has been around ever since cattle and horses have been, says Jim Leonard, a veteran penner from Cedar Rapids. Before they had fences, that s what they did, they set these corrals up out West and brought the cattle in and penned them in these pens. As old as the cowboy, team penning was a way for cow hands to make a contest of their cattle work. In team penning competition, three riders have 60 seconds to cut three head from a herd of 30, move the three across the starting line and into a free-standing pen at the back of the arena. The fastest team to complete the cutting and penning wins.
Riders start behind the judge s line.
After they cross the starting line, the announcer calls out the good number, and the penners immediately begin to sort that number from the herd. Sounds simple enough, but with three riders, it takes good communication and strategy to corral three head in under 60 seconds. One cuts, two turn back, says Leonard of the most popular penning strategy. The cutter goes into the herd to sort out the first calf, while the remaining teammates are holders, keeping back the bad numbers and letting the good number pass. If a bad number gets by the judge s flag, then it s a no time, he explains.