Team penning was introduced to Australia from the US back in 2007, and local horsesport enthusiasts have taken it up with passion. Those familiar with campdrafting may consider it a team campdrafting competition, with teams of three riders having two minutes to pen three head of cattle wearing the same coloured collar, while limiting the remainder of the mob from crossing the ‘foul’ line.

One of the sport’s attractions is that it is very family-oriented, according to local club secretary Sarah Watson. Of the three competing divisions at the Tenterfield meet (youth, mixed and adult), it’s not unusual for teams in the mixed division to feature granddad, mum and one of the kids.

“Each has their different role,” Ms Watson said.

Competition entries tend to be limited only by available cattle numbers. The Tenterfield club is fortunate to have cattle provided by local graziers Gary and Donna Jarrett, Neil and Kim Rhodes, Roy and Emily Smith, John and Vicky Watson, Jim Koch and Mark and Karen Cooper. Each run requires 30 head of cattle (usually weaners), and each mob can be used for no more than 10 runs. 

A miniumum of three sets of 30 is required for the competition, so the challenge of sourcing sufficient cattle is always high.

Riders will come from as far afield as Glen Innes, Inverell and Graves End for the competition, with team penning taking place in the morning. The Saturday afternoon is for a variation called arena sorting, which requires participants to muster as many numbered cattle as possible through a gate in numeric order in two minutes, without allowing through out-of-sequence cattle or ‘clean skins’.

It involves 10 head of cattle in the end of the arena marked with visible numbers from zero to nine, plus two head of unmarked cattle (the ‘clean skins’). The team of three riders sorts from the number given by the judge at the start of run in upwards numerical order, so if their number is six their challenge is for the cattle numbered 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 to pass through the gate in that order.

It all makes for great spectator viewing,and if you get hooked it’s a good lead-up to the team penning national titles to be held in Glen Innes from September 1-4.

Entries for the Tenterfield competition close August 19, and the action starts at the showground around 9am on the 27^th. For more Information contact Sarah or John Watson on (02) 6737 3662.