Here’s our story from last year’s Warwick Rodeo and Gold Cup Campdraft…
This year’s Gold Cup Campdraft has well and truly kicked off, kicking up dust from early on Monday morning.
Campdrafting is a unique Australian sport involving a horse and rider working cattle.
Known by many as the “Melbourne Cup” of campdrafting, the Warwick Gold Cup attracts more riders and offers more prize money than any other campdraft in Australia.
Worth over $105,000 plus a Gold Cup and a trophy saddle, it is and has been for many years, regarded as the Australian Championship Campdraft.
The Canning Downs Campdraft also offers a significant prize worth $52,500 and its own trophy saddle as does Saturday’s $5,000 Stallion Campdraft.
Campdrafting competitions involve a rider on horseback guiding a beast from the “camp” or mob of cattle and through a course. This requires them to turn the beast two or three times to prove they have control.
Then, the rider has to guide the beast in a figure eight before guiding it through the gate.
This must all be completed in a short amount of time, around 40 seconds.
Events for juniors 8 years and under 13 years have one sound beast in the camp or yard at all times, while in other events the recommended minimum of stock in the camp is six.
Riders are judged on their cut out, horse work, and course. There’s a total of 100 up for grabs.
The cracking of a whip signals that a competitor has been disqualified, which usually occurs when a rider has lost control of their beast more than twice on the camp, lost control in the arena, or run the beast into the arena fence.
A “tail turn” executed by a horse in the opposite direction of the beast’s line of travel also incurs disqualification at any stage of the draft.
The sport requires consummate skill and horsemanship, and the skill in selecting a beast from the mob that will run well, but is not too fast for that particular horse.
Great prestige is bestowed on the winning horse and rider of the competition.
