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Welcome to the
Extreme Cowboy Association
We are excited about 2010 and the many fun filled and
exciting Extreme Cowboy Racing events that are on the
schedule. The formation of
EXCA has been an thrilling and challenging adventure!
Many people have worked tirelessly to create an association
that you will be proud to tell your friends about.
This is the latest issue of your monthly newsletter,
The Brave Horse.
You will receive it each month electronically around the
middle of the month.
The Brave Horse will be full of
interesting stories,
EXCA event results, point standings, human interest
stories about
EXCA members and Tips and Tales from our founder, Craig
Cameron. We encourage you to communicate your
suggestions for stories and ideas that will make The
Brave Horse fun, better and more informative.
The Brave Horse
the best
newsletter in the equine world. Please forward your
ideas and suggestions to Bill Hull at
bhextremecowboy@gmail.com.
DON'T SIDESTEP THE SIDE PASS
By Craig
Cameron
What is a side pass? There is no definition of a side pass
in most common dictionaries. There is a side step, side
track, side swipe, side stroke, side walk, sideward,
sideways and so on, but no side pass. The reason there is
no side pass is because this is a word only used by a select
few humans we know as horse people. So, to you horse
people, a side pass is a lateral move or sideways movement
performed by the horse first crossing his front legs (if
going left, right over left) then crossing his hind legs
right over left which creates lateral or sideways movement
of the horse. In a true side pass the horse goes literally
& only sideways with no forward movement. A side pass is
used almost exclusively in western riding and rarely if ever
used in classical or English style riding. Lateral movement
in English riding or Dressage riding is always done in
conjunction with forward movement which is actually much
more active for the horse. In other words, it is easier for
a horse to move laterally while also moving forward. These
moves are traditionally called leg yields, two tracks of
half passes depending on the position of the horse.
However, the movement is not exclusively used only by
Dressage or English riders. The best Western trainers make
use of all the great lateral movements to control all parts
of their mounts, to create great lead departures, lead
changes and to develop total control of their horses.
A side pass in Western riding is used in many common sense
ways. To open and close a gate, a side pass is a must. If
you want to get up next to an object of person, side passing
many times is the best and most practical procedure. In
other words, move your horse sideways to get straight to
where you want to go. The shortest distance between two
points is always a straight line. Sometimes that line will
be sideways which calls for a side pass when you are
horseback.
There may be many ways to develop a side pass move. First
your horse must know how to give and yield to pressure with
your hands, legs, reins, bit & spurs. You can start on the
ground or in the saddle. One good technique is to put your
horse’s head on the rail of an arena. This way he can not
move forward... For lateral movement to the left, apply
pressure on the right side of the horse. You can first
apply pressure with your spur behind the cinch. When his
hip or hindquarters moves, then apply pressure at the cinch
and with your right rein on his neck. Then his shoulder
will move. Then immediately go back to the first cue with
spur behind the cinch to move the hind quarter and then back
to the second cue to move the front end or shoulder of the
horse. Tip his head slightly to the right to move left, but
remember it is important to not over bend. In time your
horse will begin to understand and respond by moving
smoothly, gently and easily to the side. Remember each time
your horse yields or gives, you must reward him by releasing
the pressure of your cues. This release of pressure is his
incentive to do what you are asking. Side passing is a
beautiful move which will help you in your horsemanship, to
develop a lead departure, lead changes and to position your
horse for many maneuvers and obstacles. For all great
horsemen, lateral movement is a must for position and
control! Don’t forget control is what all great
horsemanship is all about so do not sidestep this very
important maneuver we call a side pass.
Ride
hard and always Ride Smart.
Craig Cameron
GREAT EXCA MEMBERSHIP
By Leah Burke
Greeting EXCA membership,
and welcome to a great organization!
First and foremost I would
like to say thanks to Craig Cameron for being such a great
horseman and for his willingness share his knowledge and to
teach others. I also want to thank him for his idea of the
Extreme Cowboy Race and the formation of the association.
Thanks also go out to his wife Dalene, and to Bill and
Barbara Hull for their countless hours of work to grow and
guide the association to where it is today.
My name is Leah Burke, I
work as a full time dispatcher for Fedex in Tyler, Texas,
where I have been employed for 24 years. I have always been
competitive, playing various sports, with basketball being
my passion in high school. Today, I am involved in my
church, working with young horses and digital photography.
I enjoy entering women’s ranch rodeos, team ropings, and
of course my favorite event, the Cowboy Extreme Races !
My husband, Stoney Burke, and I, form Burke Quarter Horses
and currently raise about 6 colts a year by our AQHA
stallion “Seeking Our Star”. He is a foundation bred
grandson of King Wimp. He is a strong producer of well
minded, strong built, all around performance colts. I
currently compete on one of his sons, “Seeking Fast Draw”
aka Sonnyman. He is a 6yr old, 15.3 hand black gelding,
with a great mind and willing heart. Sonnyman is very
versatile inside the arena as well as out, being used for
cattle and ranch work also.
My first exposure to
Extreme Cowboy Racing sport was in October of 2008 when
Craig hosted the All Girl Extreme Race at his ranch in Bluff
Dale, Texas. Myself and 17 other cowgirls competed in a
tough race, where I placed 4th overall. Sonnyman,
only being a 4yr old at the time, did an outstanding job at
such a young age. Along with a beautiful Circle Y saddle
and prize money, came an invitation to compete in November,
only 3 weeks later, at the Extreme Race National Finals in
Kansas City, Mo. The Saddle and Sirloin Club hosted a great
event on a tough outdoor course. It was an extremely cold
weekend, but everyone including the horses handled it well
and a great time was had by all. This event was prior to the
different divisions being established, so I competed against
the pros, and happily finished in the Top 15. These two
races were such a great experience in so many ways, and so
much fun. I was now hooked on Extreme Racing !!!
With the EXCA going
nationwide in 2009, I returned to Kansas City for the summer
race in June placing 3rd in the Non Pro division.
I finished the year in my home region at the races held in
Amite, La winning the Lone Star Region Non Pro
Championship. The 2009 World Finals were held at Topeka,
Kansas in November on a tough indoor course. I decided that
my goal at the finals was to finish in the top 10 of my
division, knowing the competition would be extremely tough
and it was. It was a great finals with riders from several
states competing there. I was 6th in the average
after the two long go rounds and finished in 8th
overall, my goal was accomplished!
Currently my mother,
Carol Caldwell, EXCA member and judge, and I are working to
promote the EXCA in the East Texas area. I want to thank her
for all the hours of traveling with me to the races over
the last 2 yrs, I am so blessed to have her support in
everything I do.
We both have met so many
great people through the EXCA, and in only a short time
have made several lifelong friendships.
Through involvement in
the EXCA I have improved my horsemanship tremendously. I
encourage everyone to keep entering races and invite a
friend each time you go, and we will continue to see the
association grow. Set goals for yourself and your horse as a
team each time you enter. The more you STEP OUT OF YOUR
COMFORT ZONE, the more you and your horse will bond and
the trust between you will grow just as mine has done.
One of the best things about EXCA, is that while staying
within the association guidelines, no two competitions are
exactly the same, so each race you compete in can be a
brand new challenge!
Ecclesiastes: 3:1 To
everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under
heaven.
God Bless each of you and
see you at the next race!
Leah Burke
EXTREME COWBOY ASSOCIATION
CERTIFIED JUDGES
Extreme Cowboy Association
Certified Judges
As all of you know, EXCA
has been working hard to establish a roster of EXCA
Certified Judges. Every EXCA certified judge has passed the
written exam. Those that have passed the written exam are
certified as a Level 1 judge. Those that have passed the
exam and attended the Judging Clinic, taught by Craig are
certified as Level 3.
We now have certified EXCA
Judges in 14 of the 17 EXCA Regions. The following is a
list of EXCA Regions and how many judges are in each Region
as of this writing (May 12, 2010).
In alphabetical order:
·
Aloha , 1
·
Canada , 3
·
Lone Star, 10
·
Mid-Atlantic , 1
·
Mid-Central, 1
·
Mid-Mountain, 1
·
Mid-West, 7
·
Nor Cal, 6
·
North Central, 1
·
North Eastern , 1
·
South Central, 2
·
South Eastern, 4
·
South Pacific, 3
·
South Western, 1
All of the EXCA Certified
Judges are listed by Region on the EXCA website. There is a
link on the top – center of the front page; click the link
and the list of judges will pop up. There is a “Select”
icon next to each name. Click “select” and the contact
information on that judge will appear.
We strongly encourage each
EXCA Club to use EXCA Certified Judges whenever possible.
Using EXCA Certified Judges is in the best interest of
EXCA. Using EXCA Certified Judges sends a positive message
to EXCA members that we are doing everything we can to
provide high quality and standardized judging at every EXCA
event.
Best Wishes to each of you
for a successful 2010 season!
Bill Hull
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