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A Cattle Sorting Clinic, in short, is learning how to sort cows on horseback. We offer the Cattle Sorting Clinic for two reasons. It prepares you for real sorting of cattle during a cattle drive and roundup. It also introduces you to a new sport called Ranch Sorting.

Like many rodeo events, Ranch Sorting started out on the ranch as a necessity. Cowboys had to sort off cows for a number of reasons such as branding, weaning, castrating and vaccinating. As time went on and cowboys perfected their techniques they begin competing for bragging rights and a new sport was born. Today, in the sport of Ranch Sorting big bucks are involved.

In the sport of Ranch Sorting you have 12 cows, 10 of them are numbered 0-9 and 2 are not numbered. The event takes place in two 60 ft. round pens with a 12 ft. opening between them. You begin with all of the cows in one pen and the idea is to sort and move the numbered cows into the other pen in numerical order and leave the two unnumbered cows (referred to as dirties) in the original pen.

I know, you are now thinking, "no way can I do this on the back of a horse, heck I can barely ride a horse." This is why it is called a clinic. We are going to teach you how to sort cows. One of the best aspects about Ranch Sorting is that it is as much fun for the beginner rider as it is for the advanced. Ranch Sorting is not about fast riding, it is about making clean, precise and strategic moves.

We learn to sort the cows in teams of two (note: if you are traveling as a single and haven't buddied up, the staff is always ready and willing to jump in and participate.) We begin with ground instruction to learn the psychology of cows and how to approach and communicate with the herd.

One person begins by being the "go-to guy" and goes into the pen to sort out the selected cow and bring it through the opening. The other person is the "gate keeper" and guards the opening to prevent the other cows from going through the gate. Then they alternate and the gate keeper is the go-to guy and goes in after the next numerical cow and the go-to guy becomes the gate keeper. You alternate back and forth until all ten cows are in the opposite pen and the 2 dirties are in the original pen. The challenge is to let the correctly numbered (clean) cow through the gate while turning back all others.

At the end of many practice runs we have a timed event. Each team has 90 seconds to get as many clean cows in the opposite pen. If you let a dirty slip by or get a cow in the opposite pen out of order then it is a no time. Each team gets two 90 second runs and we add the two scores. The team with the most clean cows wins bragging rights!

All of this fun takes place at Lake Koocanusa Arena just north of Eureka. The clinic is taught by Damian Taylor and when we have all worked up a powerful thirst Damian will open up the adjacent saloon, the Watering Hole and you can belly up to the bar!