Excessive Herd Help

Excessive Herd Help

by | Jan 22, 2024 | Judging

It seems like after every major event, the topic of excessive herd help comes up. It was covered really well in Dec at the NRCHA Judge’s Seminar, so I thought before the Celebration of Champions, I’d recap what is allowed to do without consequence to the exhibitor vs what will result in a reduction of their score.

The herd holder’s duty is to contain the herd giving the cutter the opportunity to demonstrate their horse’s ability to cut a cow cleanly with little or no disturbance to the herd and to drive the cow up out of the herd to the middle of the working area. They then should make sure all the cattle are back in the herd and move to the side where they can control the herd yet not distract from the run.

Any excessive action by the herd holder can result in a reduction of the score for that run. For instance, if the action of the herd holder “saves” the contestant from incurring a major penalty (such as losing a cow or getting a back fence), or the herd holder cuts down the width of the pen, or in fresh cattle, drives the herd out for the cutter, a penalty may be applied.

Here are a few examples of what can and can’t be done without penalty.

  • If the exhibitor is ready to get off, but the cow won’t turn away 1) as the cow approaches the side of the arena and the exhibitor is in position, the herd holder can move up and turn the cow away without penalty. However, if the exhibitor is behind and has lost control, and the herd holder turns the cow away thus saving the exhibitor from losing the cow, a penalty should be applied.
  • If the exhibitor loses control while making a cut and the herd holder prevents the cow from being lost, a penalty should be applied.
  • After the cut has been made, if the herd holder doesn’t move over to the wall causing the cow being worked to be influenced by his presence, a penalty may be applied
  • If the herd holder is sitting in the corner as the cow approaches the corner, the herd holder moves slightly, no penalty. If he comes out of the corner and obviously attempts to stop or turn the cow, the run content should be reduced.

The general rule of thumb is when a major penalty is saved by the action of the herd holder, the judge can deduct up to ½ the value of the penalty that was going to be incurred. So, for a back fence, it would result in a 1.5 point deduction. For a loss, it would be 2.5 points. This is taken over on the far-right side of the judge’s card and is deducted from that particular cow’s score, not subtracted at the end like a back fence or a loss would be.

All that said, the job of the herd holder is to help the exhibitor, and we’d all rather lose 2.5 points instead of 5 points. The key is to stay in the position of control and if you’re not, don’t be surprised if you see an excessive herd help penalty on your card.

See the score card below for clarification:

From the Judge’s Chair

From the Judge’s Chair

by | May 30, 2023 | Horsemanship, Judging

I was looking back on some past articles that Bill Enk (NRCHA Director of Judges and teller of great stories) has written for the NRCHA magazine and saw this. It’s so well written about the importance of reading a cow, that I thought I’d share it.

From the Judge’s Chair May 2022
 

Bill Enk on reading a cow
 

Everyone has their strengths and weakness when it comes to showing reined cow horses. Reading a cow accurately is a must. Sometimes luck is involved by drawing a perfect cow, but when that doesn’t happen, the showman that reads the cow the best has a definite advantage.
 

In the herd work, most people pick the cattle they want to work before they walk down to the herd. They have watched the cattle when the herd was settled and usually watch each rider before them cut so they know which cattle have been used and which are still fresh. Having a good idea about the behavior of the cattle to be cut goes a long way toward earning a good score.
 

Cutting in the center of the pen and staying even on both sides of a cow are a must for credit to be earned. How far to go by the cow to control and turn him is part of reading a cow accurately. Go too far, you might lose working advantage: don’t go far enough, the cow might not set up and turn, causing your help or the fence to turn him- no credit there.
 

The exhibitors that read the cow best know when they can play offense and when to play defense. If the cow is aggressively trying to get back to the herd, it’s time to be on the defensive. If the animal lets you control him in the middle of the pen, it’s time to play offense.
 

When the cow enters the arena during the cow work, the experienced showman starts sizing up the animal immediately. Some cattle head better than others, some are numb and won’t head at all, and some are a combination of both. The idea while boxing is to get on both sides of the cow to stop and turn it so when you get to the head on the fence, the animal will honor your horse and turn.
 

How long the animal is boxed has a lot to do with how the rest of the fence work plays out. Boxing too long takes too much juice out of the cow and the finish of the run is weakened. If you don’t box enough on an active animal, you risk not being able to catch and turn it on the fence and have a tough time finishing in control on the circles.
 

The #1 priority when judging the cow work is: Did the horse have position and control during the entire work? If they did, and had at least an average degree of difficulty, they should earn a good score. Reading the cow accurately allows the exhibitor to be consistent throughout the work and finish strong. Remember, using good judgement on a cow always gives you a fighting chance.
 

Thank you Bill Enk!
NRCHA Dir of Judges

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