[curlykarot]

Has anyone ever been to one or competed in one? How was it? What types of obstacles did they have competitors go through?

[pds]

Go to HorseCity.com and you can watch all the shows for free.

http://horsecity.com/videos/online_directory/

You will get a good idea on what types of obstacles from watching the shows.

Season 8 is The Extreme Cowgirl Race. These gals can ride!

[Luckydonkey]

My vet has competed in them a fe times. Itdoes cost several hundred dollars to enter- an they have several elimination rounds- but it is a lot of fun to watch-

[Catalina]

I have watched just about every season and they have to do some crazy stuff:
*jumping up and down the 'Texas Three Step' (a series of banks)- okay, not crazy, but definitely humerous
*shooting a baloon with a pistol from horseback, preferably while lopeing
*double bareback through DEEP water
*go through a nylon tunnel with long strips hanging vertically across the entrance and exit
*rope a numbered cow
*stand on the horse's back and touch a tennis ball hanging over their head
*loading into a stock trailer in the end is always included
*dismounting, removing the saddle and remounting and then jumping while bareback

etc.

Are you getting ready for the one at Loch moy in June? I am hoping to be able to come and watch .

[curlykarot]

I will definitely be at the race in June at Loch Moy. (They are still taking entries for that race I think - www.themarylandhorsetrials.com) I was watching some on youtube last night.... thats some crazy stuff!

I will look over on horsecity to see what else I can dig up.

[mp]

They've had a couple at my barn over the last several years. Catalina outlined most of the stuff I remember. The scoring is a little weird -- the judges score you on each task and you can get extra points if you make it more difficult (e.g., backing through an obstacle if the the task calls for going forward or riding bareback and the contestant also rides without bridle ). Time enters into the equation, too. In the first round, I think and not so much the 2nd.

Craig Cameron's commentary is hilarious. It's fun to watch but no way in hell I'd ever do it. My horses would say "there's a perfectly good path AROUND that ditch -- I'm not jumping it." Good luck if you enter. Most of the people who did it seemed to enjoy it.

[kewpalace]

Look here for some sample obstacles: http://www.extremecowboyassociation...._obstacles.htm

I went to watch one a few months ago locally (well, an hour away). The course was fairly easy - walk over a bridge, back through (pretty WIDE), turn on the hQ & forehand, walk through a ditch (most horses jumped it), drag a tire, stop/rollback, "cowboy curtain" (strips of tarp hanging down in a PVC pipe "tunnel"), three "jumps" (large PVC pipes), three water obstacles w/mounds, moving cattle from one side of a pen to the other, free aride around the area and load horse in a trailer. Pro division had a few "harder" obstacles, but nothing that was really very difficult.

Judges (one was my trainer so I talked to him after) were looking for the best horsemanship at each obstacle - so the least pulling, restricting your horse the better for the score. Some of the horsemanship was pretty horrendous. There is a 30 second limit for each obstacle although the judges seemed to give the riders a little extra time.

Everyone seemed to have fun, but ours was not planned very well, with a late start and a huge amount of entrants, the pros did not get to go until the next day. I only went the first day. I did enjoy watching the kids ALOT - there were many who were downright good!

The cost was pretty pricey, since you have to join the association to compete in addition to the entry fee. I'm doing a "non sanctioned" one in June - price is better for me ... $35!

[katarine]

I've done some small local ones. Those that are indoors are harder as slows it down a lot, and they are more technical- sidepassing down an elevated pole you could easily tip, vs sidepassing down a stout log. Both my horses I use prefer to be out and going somewhere. But January is a bad time for that so we do the indoor deal LOL

The outside patterns are a LOT more fun. I'm doing one this weekend. I don't work gates enough at home so I struggle with them, and I don't do enough backing through patterns, though we are getting better. we can back patterns...it's backing through obstacles that is mentally hard for a horse that thinks he's going to run into something. Good test of trust. All the other stuff we're pretty good with- I trail ride a lot and ask my horses to do things often- step over THIS log exactly right here then whoa and step over 3 steps to your right...ok go on.

I wish there was a penalty for the snatch and spur crowd. Maybe a whistle of warning, then you're out if you don't clean up your act.

[JetsBuddy]

Not sure how far from Maryland this is but JC Cutting Horses in Boyertown, PA does an Extreme Cowboy Challenge.
http://www.jccuttinghorse.com/extrem...challenge.html

I've never been but have been considering it.

[mp]

I wish there was a penalty for the snatch and spur crowd. Maybe a whistle of warning, then you're out if you don't clean up your act.

At the "official" Cameron/RFD-TV sponsored ones I've been to, I've never seen any real snatch and spur stuff. Cameron narrates over a loud speaker while the contestants are on course, and he critiques the riders as they go. If someone really got after a horse, I'd imagine he'd let 'em have it.

That's not to say some contestants don't have it in them to yahoo -- they just don't do it in front of Cameron. I threw several out of the indoor when they kept running their horses at jumps and letting them crash until they cleared it. Then they'd raise the height and do the run/crash crap again. You can do that at home, boys, but not here. Not while I'm around.

[Guilherme]

Saw part of one round at latest Equine Affair in OH. Was interesting to watch and probably tougher than it looked, but I'd not use the word "extreme" to describe it.

G.

[tx3dayeventer]

I have watched just about every season and they have to do some crazy stuff:
*jumping up and down the 'Texas Three Step' (a series of banks)- okay, not crazy, but definitely humerous

I am proud to admit that the banks were MY idea.

My SO worked for Craig as his assistant trainer for almost 3 years and lived on his place in TX. During that time I met my SO. Craig was very interested in what I did (I am an eventer). We were all out at dinner one evening and they (Craig & Dusty) were trying to think of new stuff for the race, which I think they had had only 2 or 3 of them at the Bluff Dale ranch. I suggest that they use some ideas from cross country jumps, silly cowboys I told Craig he should put in some banks (the jumps) and some ditches. I got to design them and then we got to ride around his place looking for the perfect place for them.

Once the steps were finished being built, Dusty, Craig and I were the first ones to try them out. He couldn't think of a good name for them so I said, "hey, why don't we call them the Texas Three-step, like the 2-step dance?" It stuck.

[curlykarot]

That is pretty cool tx3dayeventer!

I was talking to the organizer of the race at Loch Moy Farm in Maryland and they are still accepting entries...