Brawley Chamber of Commerce
Brawley Cattle Call
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Team Penning
Team Penning is a western equestrian sport that evolved from the
common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring or
transport. Today it is a fast paced event that gives a team of three riders on
horseback 90 seconds to separate 3 speci cally identi ed cattle from a herd of
30 and put them into a pen at the opposite end of the arena. The cattle are
numbered 0 through 9 with three of the same number. Timing starts once the
line judge has dropped the ag as the lead rider's horse crosses the foul line, at
which time the announcer calls out a number. The riders work in harmony to
cut out the correct cattle and drive them to the pen while keeping the rest of
the herd (sometimes called trash or dirty cattle) back. You are allowed no more
than 4 cattle across the foul line or you are disquali ed.
This was yet another idea of turning routine cowboy chores into a
competitive sport where cowboys could showcase both their horsemanship
skills and their horse's cow-bred athleticism. The sport began in the valley
around the late 1970's with the formation of the Imperial Valley Team Penning
Association following soon after. Penners from various areas of southern
California and Arizona, along with Canadians spending their winters in Arizo-
na participate in our local pennings. Team Penning is a sport that allows
young and old, men and women, families and friends from near and far to
ride together. It has become one of the more popular events at the Cattle Call
Rodeo.