Australian Campdrafters Teach American Riders their Unique Sport

Pictured is successful Aussie campdraft horse Shield San Remo. His 2yo half brother Shield Carson is currently for sale on Horsezone. He will undoubtedly follow in the successful hoofprints of his siblings, dam and sire. View Shield Carson's for sale listing (photo: Vicki MIller Photography)

Australians have heartily embraced American disciplines like Reining, Cutting and Western Pleasure, so it's fantastic to see the great Aussie sport of Campdrafting kicking off in the USA! 

Following is an excerpt from an article published on the American Quarter Horse Association website about the first official US Campdraft:

More than two dozen horsemen and women showed up for Day 1 of a campdrafting clinic in Kiowa, Colorado, that kicked off the first-ever official U.S. Campdraft sanctioned by the National Campdraft Council of Australia and Southern Campdrafting Association. Led by campdraft experts Pete Comiskey and Steve Hart, horse people from Colorado, California and Texas – as well as Australia – convened at the Elbert County Fairgrounds for an authentic Aussie experience.

Aboard American Quarter Horses and Australian Stock Horses saddled with a sampling of western saddles and Australian stock saddles, the group spent all day learning the basics of this high-energy event. Sticking to dry work, the clinicians walked attendees through holding the line in the yard – the small pen at one end of the arena where the competitors cut and work a cow for 40 seconds. Each participant practiced guiding their horse to “work” a clinician and horse on the line before learning to ride the cloverleaf pattern around five pegs in the larger arena. Later, the riders added speed and fine-tuned their abilities to control the pace, shape and direction of their pattern while guiding another animal.

Professional bull rider Cord McCoy also attended the clinic and tried his hand at campdrafting. The “Amazing Race” star and six-time Professional Bull Riders World Finals qualifier filmed the day’s events for an upcoming episode of his show “The Ride With Cord McCoy” that airs Monday evenings on RFD-TV. Cord enjoyed the clinic and was intrigued by the Australian sport.

“I really like it because you can definitely tell anyone can do it,” Cord said. “To just go and enjoy it and compete in it, I think you can be at any level and do it. You don’t have to have a professional trainer tuning your horse up to start campdrafting.”

Quick Links

• Read the full story at www.aqha.com
• Read the lead up story 'Campdrafting Heading to the USA'
• View Campdrafting horses for sale on Horsezone