Team Penning, Sorting, & Gymkhana at it's best in northern NY!

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2007 April Show Re-Cap

Wow what a great start to the 2007 season for Cimarron Arena Horse club.  284 teams endured the misty rain to Penn and Sort with friends and family. 

This year not only is there beautiful Gist Buckles up to be won in each class.  There are 3 SADDLES being awarded to the top Open, Amateur and Novice rider.  With a new points system in place every rider has a chance to take home either a buckle and or a saddle come year end, you can look at the points standings under the results tab on the website.

Friday night started off with a fun filled Gymkhana, and One on One.

Saturday morning started out with 40 teams competing in the # 9 penning:  1st place went to Elaine Drain, Benoit St. Germaine and Robert Bentley with a total time of 155.49 on 9 head, in 2nd place was the team of Robert Bentley, Leah Butts and Rob Butts with a total time of 157.99 on 8 head, just hundredths of seconds behind them was the team of Brandon Teft, Eleisia Reed and Rachelle Danesha at 159.49 and 8 head and in 4th place was Christian Demers, Leah Butts, and Trisha Day with 165.78 on 8.

We then took a short break while the cattle were divided into sorting herds.  First up was the # 6 sorting, the duo of Robert Bentley and Trisha Day led the way sorting all 9 in three consecutive goes with a total time of 162.08, coming in 2nd on 26 head were Benoit St. Germain and Rejean Daigle.  Robert teamed up with Benoit to take 3rd and him and Leah Butts finished 4th.  Then onto the # 4 sorting where 68 teams sorted, sorted, and sorted, when the class was over, the team of Trisha Day and Jake Perry finished 1st with 25 head in three goes with a total of 169.59, in a close battle for 2nd and 3rd, the team of Becky Jarosek and Brandon Teft squeaked in with a time of 177.10 on 22 head and at 179.70 on 22 head was Kevin Eastman and Justin Moulton.  Finishing 4th were Kelly Day and Kelly Gough with a time of 177.09 on 18 head.

We then ate dinner and Vice President Robert Bentley presented Rob, Kathy and Leah Butts with a slate plaque thanking the family for all they do for CAHC.  With out this family effort, there would be no Cimarron Arena Horse Club and all of the members are extremely thankful.  But the day wasn't over yet; we still had another penning class to go.

57 teams made up the # 6 Penning class which was won by the Canadian team of Christian Demers, Francis Bergeron and Martin Demers with 9 head penned in 131.40, 2nd place with to Brandon Teft, Jake Perry and Deb Tuller with 144.86 on 9, in 3rd place also on 9 head was the team of Bruce and Robert Bentley and Jake Perry with 151.49 on 9 and in 4th place was David Guay, Justin Tetreault, and Jordan Manning penning 4 cows in 3 goes with a total time of 115.18.

Sunday 43 novice riders teamed up together and had a blast sorting.  In the end the team of Kathy Eastmen and Hugh LaMay finished 1st with 14 head in two goes with a combined time of 142.70, there was a tie for 2nd at 13 head and 150.0 seconds between the team of Barb Belcher and Erin Silver and the team of Tracey Green and Justin Tetreault, and in 4th place was Nicole Blow and Kathy Eastman with 150.0 seconds and 12 head.  

Up next came the Youth Class.  30 kids made up 10 great teams and they all had fun.  I can still remember that with each team that entered the arena we were all riding with them cheering and coaching them from the cattle end to the pen.  At the end of two full goes, the class was won with 4 head penned in 73.71 by the team of Justin Tetreault, Jordan Manning and Ashley Reed.  In 2nd was the all-family team of Jake and Ben Perry and Hector Carasco with 4 head penned in 85.27, 3rd place went to Justin Tetreault, Jordan Manning and Karin Dorsey again with 4 head and a time of 96.55 and in 4th place was Jake and Ben Perry this time with Taylor Trinceri.

To finish off the weekend the Novice Class took their turn to Pen some cattle.  After 30 teams went two full goes the class was won by Jake Perry, Cindy Gallagher and Barb Belcher with 6 head penned in 112.34, in 2nd place was Cheryl Gallno, Taylor Trinceri and Karin Dorsey with 6 head at 121.94, in 3rd place was Justin Tetreault, Jordan Manning and Erin Silver penning 5 head in 128.81 and in 4th place was the father son team of Ken, Jake and Ben Perry penning 5 in 130.62.

Despite the clouds and occasional mist from the sky, a great weekend was had by all, and for those of you who couldn't make it, the club will do it all again May 25th - May 27th.  You can see the complete May show flyer here on the web site, take a moment to review the points standings as well.

 

ARTICLE IN THE PRESS REPUBLICAN
12/19/2005

WESTERN SPORT TAKES ROOT IN PERU
By LUCAS BLAISE, Contributing Writer

PERU -- It's been hailed as the nation's fastest growing family sport, and it's made it way to the North Country.Team penning, a rodeo-style event, has been gaining national acclaim. Birthed from cow herding, the penning requires swift riding and good teamwork.Robert Butts, of Mannix Road in Peru, has created the Cimarron Arena Horse Club after his love for a western town. The club, with more than 150 members ranging from 6 - to 80-years old, compete on his 70-acre grounds.

"It's intense," Robert said. The fast-paced sport derives its name from the teamwork needed for three riders to pen three designated cows out of a group of 30. On one end of the arena stand the cows, and on the other, divided by a foul line, are the riders. The cows wear numbers 1 to 9, and there are three in each number group. Once the event starts, the riders have to work together to herd just the three cows of a predesignated number into a small pen at the other end of the arena.

All this, with just 60 seconds to do it and with the stipulation that not a single cow is hurt."You can holler all you want, but you can't touch a cow," said Robert. The sport is also commonly called horse penning or cow penning.

Though relatively unknown to most of the North Country, team penning has gained a large following from around the continent. In just the Butts's club alone, there riders and spectators ailing from Quebec, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvnia and New York state. "Every time I go there, I see a new face," said Debby Calisti, a spectator and occasional statistics keeper for the club's monthly events from May to August.

"You get to have a lot of friends," said Robert's daughter Leah.  She and her sister, Molly, have competed along with Robert in many team penning competitions for and have placed in the top ten a few times. At Cimarron Arena, a varying amount of talent and rules apply. The fee for a team is $30. The United States Team Penning Association, the recognized national organization of the sport, has a rule regarding "trash" that the Butts' choose to utilize.

"No trash can go over the line," Calisti said referring to cows of a different category. "If the trash gets over the foul line, the riders must herd it back behind it before the next cow is penned." This can take time from the 60-second limit, though Robert mentioned that he and his girls fully penned all three cows in just about 22 seconds on one occasion. Weekend visitors can bring their campers for the monthly events. There are spots for snacks, riding their horses and swimming in the pond that Robert made. A barbecue is also held regularly. Before the beginning of the season, Robert will buy fresh, un-penned cows. If they are too familiar with the sport, the cows will go into the pens by themselves. After the season is over in August they are sold. Shortly thereafter, a party is held for presentation of year-end awards. This year, belt buckles were the premier prize for each riding class.
Cimarron gives young horse lovers a venue for competition and team work. Robert's daughters acknowledged another reason that he is so taken with team penning."He's just obsessed with the west," said Molly, smiling."It's such a great place for the kids," commented Calisti, "and he's the biggest kid of them all."

President -Debbie Tuller  e-mail
Vice President - Rob Spaulding  e-mail
Treasurer - Rob Butts e-mail   
 Secretary - Tracy Green   e-mail