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Horses cut it with the best in Calgary

A pair of working horses proved they could still cut it at the Calgary Stampede. Dustin Gonnet of Cayley, on top of This Cats Got Style, finished fourth at the Calgary Stampede Mercuria open cutting horse final July 13.

A pair of working horses proved they could still cut it at the Calgary Stampede.

Dustin Gonnet of Cayley, on top of This Cats Got Style, finished fourth at the Calgary Stampede Mercuria open cutting horse final July 13.

Meanwhile, DeWinton’s George Neufeld, who owns and rides Reys From Heaven, was sixth.

Gonnet was the last of the nine finalists to get his turn in the championship go-round at the Agrium Western Event Centre.

It’s not the best position, but a great place to be.

“The cows get used up before I get called,” Gonnet said. “You don’t want to cut one that has already been used, you want what they call fresh cattle that no one has used up. You don’t want to be last, but to be in the finals of the Calgary Stampede is never a bad thing.”

The cutting competition has horse and rider working two or three cattle over two-and-a-half minutes. The cow has been separated from a herd and the horse tries to prevent the animal’s attempt to get back to the pack.

It’s virtually all horse.

The rider drops the reins when the cutting begins.

“My mare worked really well, but I had some trouble with the second cow,” Gonnet said of the 215 score. “It tried to get by me and I had a rough cut. Once I got the cow cut, my mare was as good as she has ever done.”

It may be only two-and-a-half minutes but there are years of practice going into those 150 seconds.

“My mare is seven and I’ve had her since she was a late two-year-old, but someone would have started her as a two-year-old,” Gonnet said of This Cats Got Style, which is owned by Nanton’s Ron Paton. “Usually it takes two years to train them, but that doesn’t mean they will be strong enough to be in an event like this.”

The horse still works on the Gonnet’s ranch near Cayley.

“I don’t sort too much on her because she is so physical,” he said. “But I will rope with her a bit and doctor some yearlings.”

Neufeld was showing Reys From Heaven for the first time this year.

“He worked as hard and accurate as he ever could,” Neufeld said. “The first cow just gave him a real fake and tried to run off to wall. He stopped him, but I got a penalty, but, he took control of the second cow really well.”

Reys From Heaven was given a score of 212.

The stallion has what it takes to be a cutting horse, Neufeld said.

“A tremendous amount of want and heart,” Neufeld said. “A lot of these horses are bred to be great horses. They have a lot of instinct and natural ability.”

Watching a horse cut a cow is like watching famed ballet dancer Baryshnikov, but on four legs.

The horses majestically cut back and forth, sometimes with their heads down to eyeball the cow to keep the bovine in front of them.

Neufeld, did a stint in Texas, where he bought the stallion. He returned to the Foothills and lives near the Okotoks overpass.

“He is super intense,” Neufeld said of the nine-year-old Reys. “When that cow comes to him you can feel his whole body... He’s waiting to read it, to get in a position to stop it.”

Reys From Heaven is used as a stud and performs other duties on the Neufelds’ spread.

“I go check cattle on him, you bet,” he said.

The top eight riders and ties from the qualifying round on July 12 advanced to the finals. This Cats Got Style was first on the qualifying run at 223. Reys From Heaven was tied for eighth with 217.

All the competitors started with a clean slate for the July 13 final.

The winner of the open finals was This Cats Max ridden by Travis Rempel of Fort Langley, B.C. with a 225.

To see the full results of cutting horse competition go to ag.calgarystampede.com

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