FILER, Idaho — Over 320 entries have registered so far for the Magic Valley Reined Cow Horse Association's annual futurity, derby, and horse show. The event started on Thursday, August 8th, and runs from 8 a.m. until pretty much dusk, through Sunday, August 11th at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds in Filer.
- Events start at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10th, and Sunday, Aug. 11th at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds in Filer.
- Professional trainers and non-pro participants and their horses will compete in three events across several classes, and 35 belt buckles will be awarded for each class at the end.
- Winner of the non-pro Bridle Spectacular will win a custom saddle, and other prizes will be awarded.
- Admission is free.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“It's not us against each other. It's us against the cows,” Becky Hurst said after her round at the Magic Valley Reined Cow Horse Derby.
The weekend’s stars are athletes with names like Freaky Floyd, Hello Darlinn, and Guitar Town.
"This is a five-year-old stallion named Lucky's Highbrow Dunit," said Becky Hurst.
Hurst is a horse trainer from Almo, and she told me what to look for at the event.
"You want to watch for a horse that has a lot of expression,” Hurst said. “Keep their eyes on the cow, you know, that cows stays in time with it.”
“The whole show is back like the old vaqueros years ago, how they rode Spanish style, the bits, the tack they used, and how they work cattle out on the ranch,” Frank Craighead told me. “A cow breaks from the herd, you got to go get it and bring it back, things like that.”
Craighead guesses he's judged 6- or 700 cow-horse competitions around the world.
“And you think you’ve seen it all, and you haven't. You always see something new,” Craighead said.
I asked Magic Valley Reined Cow Horse Association president Carl Smith if these events were similar to something we'd see in a rodeo.
" Yeah, this is a little different horsemanship,” Smith said. This is a judged event, whereas rodeos are timed. The stuff has got to be done fast, but it's got to be done smooth and correct and then look good. Being a judged event, it's got to look good.”
“The most exciting event that we do is Down the Fence, which we’ll do tomorrow and Sunday with our derby horses and that's the one that the crowd really gets into,” Hurst said. “It's pretty fast-paced.”
Down the fence, also known as boxing, offers fast-moving action, as riders and their horses run a cow down the fence in two directions, then circle it at the center of the ring.
“It is a great sport, I think, for spectators,” Hurst said. “I think people would absolutely love it.”
