Vol 5 No 3

Letter from the Editor

Dear Golden State Members,

I don’t know about where you live, but those March showers definitely brought the April flowers. It’s simply beautiful here on the Central Coast. Looks like there will be great weather for the Out West Spring Classic in Ceres. A few intrepid Golden State members had great success at the Sun Circuit and the results are in this issue.

Western States has made a change in number of shows needed to attend their Finals. Read on.

Have you ever wondered what constitutes “excessive herd help?” Sandy Collier helps us out with the answer.

All that, and more, in this issue. The weather is great, let’s show!

Dawn Poston
Editor

Send comments, concerns, & ideas to [email protected]

President’s Award for Excellence

Bill Sanguinetti Says “Thank You”

Dear Golden State Board,

I wish to thank the Board of Directors of the GSVRHA for making me the recipient of the 2024 President’s award. This is a great honor. I’ve never been more surprised in my life.

I have been able to watch the association grow and develop since its beginning. I’m so impressed with the steady improvement in the horses and horsemanship displayed by the members. This is not only due to the excellent training and guidance done by the professionals, but to the teamwork and friendship exhibited by everyone at GSVRHA shows.

Thank you,
Bill

Out West Spring Classic

Becoming an Annual Event

He’s Superior!

AQHA Honors Fresnos Plain Peppy

Central Coast Ranch Horse Classic

#1 Versatility Show on West Coast

Did you know that the Central Coast Ranch Horse Classic is in the AQHA Top Ten Versatility shows in the nation? There’s a reason for that-it’s a great show. Scheduled for May 18-19 it’s a full AQHA VRH, a Golden State VRH and a Western Heritage show. Three in one! (All three shows, simply by entering, are qualifying shows toward the AQHA/NRSHA/Ranching Heritage World Championship Show.) Golden State entry fees are much reduced and give competitors another opportunity to qualify for the October Western States Finals. (Because the GS fees are much reduced, there will be no class awards, just division champion awards). AQHA Division Champions will get a chance to have a buckle that is personalized for them—their name or their horse’s name on the buckle—or both! Beautiful Skyline Silver spur straps will be for the AQHA Reserve Champions and silver key chains for third. Each AQHA & Heritage class winner will receive a wine gift with glasses.

As Columbo Used To Say

“Just One More Thing . . . “

Sun Circuit

Golden State Members Shine

It’s a long haul to Westworld in Scottsdale but the prospect of two Western States VRH shows and an AQHA show, a number of Golden States members made the trek. They demonstrated that California has some very tough riders and brought home good awards. Along with the riders pictured below, Cecilia Coulsen and Todd Miller also competed. Good work everyone!

Excessive Herd Help

Sandy Collier Explains

It seems like after every major event, the topic of excessive herd help comes up. It was covered really well in December at the NRCHA Judge’s Seminar, so I thought I’d recap what is allowed to do without consequence to the exhibitor vs what will result in a reduction of their score. This is for the herd work portion of cowhorse shows and for cutters.

Any excessive action by the herd holder can result in a reduction of the score for that run. For instance, if the action of the herd holder “saves” the contestant from incurring a major penalty (such as losing a cow or getting a back fence), or the herd holder cuts down the width of the pen, or in fresh cattle, drives the herd out for the cutter, a penalty may be applied.

Here are a few examples of what can and can’t be done without penalty.

• If the exhibitor is ready to get off, but the cow won’t turn away 1) as the cow approaches the side of the arena and the exhibitor is in position, the herd holder can move up and turn the cow away without penalty. However, if the exhibitor is behind and has lost control, and the herd holder turns the cow away thus saving the exhibitor from losing the cow, a penalty should be applied.
• If the exhibitor loses control while making a cut and the herd holder prevents the cow from being lost, the penalty should be applied.
• After the cut has been made, if the herd holder doesn’t move over to the wall causing the cow being worked to be influenced by his presence, the penalty may be applied.
• If the herd holder is sitting in the corner as the cow approaches the corner, the herd holder moves slightly, no penalty. If he comes out of the corner and obviously attempts to stop or turn the cow, the run content should be reduced.

The general rule of thumb is when a major penalty is saved by the action of the herd holder, the judge can deduct up to ½ the value of the penalty that was going to be incurred. So, for a back fence, it would result in a 1.5-point deduction. For a loss, it would be 2.5 points. This is taken over on the far-right side of the judge’s card and is deducted from that particular cow’s score, not subtracted at the end like a back fence or a loss would be.

All that said, the job of the herd holder is to help the exhibitor, and we’d all rather lose 2.5 points instead of 5 points. The key is to stay in the position of control and if you’re not, don’t be surprised if you see an excessive herd help penalty on your card.

Sad News

Cheri Gladstone Passes Away

Correction To Last Newsletter

B2B Advanced Amateur Placings

Show # 1
Champion Bryan Jaeger
Reserve Champion Jen Harden

Quote of the Month