THE Swan Hill and District Campdraft Club will be holding its annual camp-drafting competition at EF Butler Reserve this weekend.
Entries are strong with nominations coming in from four states — Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.
Some competitors will travel many hours to bring their horses and family members to Swan Hill for a great weekend of drafting.
Seven hundred entries have been accepted with still more people on a waiting list.
Seven hundred “runs” requires about 850 cattle for the weekend as each beast is used once only.
Camp-drafting is a sport the whole family can participate in.
Some events are restricted by the riders’ credentials and others are based on the horses experience and what level of success the horse has achieved in the past.
Horses are classified as maiden, novice or open while riders have competitions for juniors, juveniles and open age events such as encouragement for those less experienced riders through to open competition.
Camp-drafting appeals to all ages.
Obedience, cow sense, quickness and the ability to gallop circles are necessary attributes for the equine side of the partnership.
The aim of camp-drafting is to begin in the camp yard, select a beast suitable for your horse’s abilities, separate it from a small herd, hold it away from the herd for a few turns, call for the gates to open and then guide the beast around a clover leaf pattern within the confines of a large arena hopefully finishing with a completed course.
Camp-drafting is an extremely challenging sport.
Competitors need good judgement when reading the reactions, and anticipating the intentions of cattle, as well as having good riding abilities.
Horse and rider must work in partnership with one another, and when this is achieved, drafting can be an adrenaline rush that becomes addictive for all concerned.
Camp-drafting is also known as a great leveller as cattle have a mind of their own and may not always be cooperative.
A little bit of luck can help. Win or lose camp-drafters keep coming back for more.
This will be the fifth year the club has been running the event.
