Courtin' the horses

MOSES LAKE — When he is not practicing law in the courtroom, Bruce Pinkerton practices his horse-riding techniques in the arena.

Pinkerton, a Moses Lake elder lawyer, is also an accomplished cow-horse competitor.

"With my job of being a lawyer, it's my way of leaving the job at the office," he said.

On Feb. 28 he earned his greatest accomplishment yet, scoring second in the National Reined Cow Horse Association World Championship in Texas for limited non-pro. He earned sixth in the nation for most points in the same category.

The official name of the horse he competed with is CDB Hickory — his family calls him "Dennis," after Dennis the Menace.

"My horse is extraordinarily athletic," Pinkerton said. "He's very quick."

The competition consisted of rein work, where Pinkerton followed specifically established patterns, complete with stops and spins. To the unseasoned, Pinkerton describes the portion of the event as "ice skating on horseback."

When Pinkerton nods to the judges and indicates he is ready, a steer is released into the arena. The job of Pinkerton and Dennis is keeping the steer boxed into a certain area.

Steers used in the competition have never worked with horses before.

"I enjoy the horses because it's a constant learning experience to do the maneuvers correctly and accurately," Pinkerton said. "Then, when you throw the cow in, it can throw everything completely off."

The steers add an unknown factor to the event, which makes it exciting, he said. Some cows respect the horses and do not try to get past them. Others ignore the horse and try to plow through them.

In the finals, Pinkerton had a challenging steer to work with.

"It was very difficult and we were able to control it," he said.

Pinkerton was champion in the Northwest Reined Cow Horse Association regional competition, which qualified him for the world championship. He competed against 28 others from five regions.

To ready himself for competition, Pinkerton rode the horse four days per week through the winter at the Grant County Fairgrounds. Without the opportunity to practice at the fairgrounds, he would not have been ready, he said.

"I was riding in 15-degree weather," Pinkerton added.

Last weekend, Pinkerton participated in a Northwest association show in Lynden, Wash. He advanced in skill to being able to drive a steer alongside a fence, stop it and force it to turn.

"It's fun," Pinkerton said. "It's much more thrilling, but it's also very dangerous."

He anticipates showing horses two to three times per month until October. The events allow him to de-stress from work.

"If there are any issues, then they go away," he said.