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Do you draft?

Host: Legune Station
Written by Belinda Rasheed – Manager, Legune Station.

Even if you’re not a keen horseman, if you are living on or associated with a cattle station, you will most likely attend at least one Campdraft or Rodeo a year. If not to demonstrate an outside score of 90+, you will be there for the rare luxury of a few beers (or cheese and wine by the horse float) and a social catch up.

2.1 copySocial catch ups for all!

You might be surprised by the extended community and generous culture which make country Campdrafts possible during the dry season. You might also be surprised that driving 14 horses on a truck for 900km to attend a campdraft is perfectly normal. This is all because these events are our only or main social escape from the station compound.  

2.2 copyWayne Bean teaching our team a few tricks.

Kununurra Campdraft and Rodeo is our main draft for the year, and as members of the committee we organise and run the four day event. This includes sourcing, trucking, and maintaining 1,200 head of cattle to put through the gate, which were kindly donated this year by our neighbours at Cartlon Hill Station. Everyone pitches in from donating cattle to sponsoring events, judging, helping on the front gates and in the back yards, and of course those that keep the beers cold and the music rolling, we thank you all.

Successful Drafting in Steps:

  1. Ride your horse into a camp* with 6-8 head of cattle
  2. With your keen eye you must pick a beast to separate from the others
  3. Once you have them separated and yours is at the front of the yard yell ‘gate’, or a variation of, like ‘let em’ out boys’ . . .
  4. The boys will open the gates and your beast will run out to the larger arena
  5. CHECK* then follow your beast out
  6. Chase your beast (with whatever skill you have) around the first peg.
  7. CHECK
  8. Bend your beast around the second peg
  9. CHECK
  10. Push him through the final gate for a 90+ score and come home with 1st pace.

Oh, don’t forget you only have 40 seconds . . . sounds tough?

2.3 copyBelinda Rasheed cutting out her beast.

It all boils down to a great sense of community and a genuine want to support other remote men, women, and children. It’s a chance to have a laugh and to show the young ringers you can still bend em’.

*technical drafting lingo:

Camp – small usually rectangular yard where you draft a beast out of a small group.
Check – sit back for a second to gauge the course and beast.

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