Lacey Teigen is dallying a log as part of the ranch trail class during a competition. Dallying is the event that differs in ranch trail and trail classes.
Just two years since its formation, the University of Wyoming Ranch Horse Versatility team has been blazing a trail of victories on individual and team levels. The most recent victories include equine science major Lacey Teigen, who claimed the 2012 Limited Non-Pro Collegiate Champion and sophomore Brian Moore who received the title of 2012 Non-Pro Collegiate Champion at the CoWN-Sh year-end awards.
The UW team won the CoWN-SH (Colorado-Wyoming-Nebraska Stock Horse) Region Five Championship at the end of 2012. This prestigious award was vied for all season by schools in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico..
“Winning the Region Five championship is a big deal because we beat New Mexico, who has one of the best ranch horse teams in the area,” Teigen said. “They go to every competition, train all the time and normally win all of the time. I guess we were just better that day.”
However, Teigen said she was proudest of how she and her horse, Freckles Funny Fox or “Foxy,” did during the season. Teigen has been the sole trainer of her champion horse since they were paired at Laramie County Community College’s training program when Foxy was two-years-old.
“Everyone can win a championship,” Teigen said, “But Foxy is my horse. I broke her myself. It was my own work and not a trainer’s. I was the first one to throw a saddle on her and taught her how to chase a cow.”
The ranch horse team was founded with the goal to keep the tradition of what stock horse type used to be alive. These traditions included performing tasks that would occur while working on the ranch such as riding all day and roping calves.
However, this competition still has a show aspect where both horse and rider are judged on their athleticism and ability to communicate with each other. As Teigen summarized, ranch horse combines rodeo and show aspects in the competitions.
Team members compete in three divisions: Non-Pro, Limited Non-Pro and Novice, depending on their skill level, but the classes are primarily the same. All competitors partake in four classes- reining, ranch pleasure, ranch trail and working cow. The class that varies the most between divisions is working cow which ranges from boxing at one end of the arena in Novice to roping the calf in Non-Pro.
The first Ranch Horse Versatility show that will kick off the 2013 season is fast approaching. This competition will begin at 8 a.m. March 3, at the Colorado State University Equine Center. Students and the community are encouraged to come and support the team or to help with sponsorship.
The team is financed entirely by the students and they are currently seeking sponsors to assist in funding a trip for a competition in Texas.
For more information on the event, the ranch horse team or to become a sponsor, contact Lacey Teigen at lteigen@uwyo.edu.
