Working Ranch Magazine - Index

Working Ranch Magazine - magazine - Index

as just throwing anybody up on a
horse and telling them what to do, not
if you want to win.
Phil Benadum, NCHA judge, director
and past Pacific Coast Cutting
Horse Association futurity winner,
knows all about the value of a good
turnback horse.
“The best turnback help has to be
mounted on the brokest horses out
there,” he explains. “The horses have
to be good-minded and be able to handle
all the different things that they
encounter in the arena. They are a very
valuable component of our industry.”
So valuable in fact that some state associations
even have an award for
Turnback Horse of the Year.
SETTLE DOWN OUT THERE
The turnback help doesn’t just turn
the cut cow back towards the cutter.
They have another function; to settle
each fresh batch of cattle brought into
the arena.
“Typically, the first person slated to
cut will choose who they want to settle
the herd,” says Benadum. “There
might be a list of ten turnback helpers,
and the cutter selects a person they
feel comfortable with, somebody they
know will do the job right.”
Herds are generally settled for up to
twenty minutes before the action starts.
And when it does, there’ll be five riders
out there; two corner helpers, two turnback
helpers and the cutter.
MEET A TURNBACK HORSE
It only stands to reason that even
though a cutting horse trainer’s sincere
hope is that each individual horse
will someday make it into competition,
that obviously is not the case.
Some are destined for stardom, and
some are called to play a supporting
role, the same as anything else.
Without support from every other
link in the chain, star quality could
never be realized.
Phil Benadum recently retired one of
his good turnback horses at age 18. “I
had been using him as a turnback horse
since he was about seven, and actually
cut on him for a few years before that.
He was pretty darn handy.”
Cutting is a demanding sport on
everyone involved. Most of the turnback
horses that make their way into
competition are older geldings, ones
The next time you find yourself watching
a good cutting, give a tip o’ the hat to the
turnback help. They’ve certainly earned it.
that are considered broke to the max,
able to handle anything and everything
both mentally and physically.
But why use geldings? “Geldings
work well because some competitors
are showing studs, and you don’t want
to be mounted on a mare in the corner
and have some guy’s stud horse start
acting up in the middle of a work.”
Also, you can tie a gelding up to the rail
in amongst others that they may not be
acquainted with, and there won’t be
any of that kicking and squealing commonly
associated with mares.
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008 | WORKING RANCH | 71