Herding event begins Friday

MOSES LAKE — The Northwest Rein Cow Horse Association (NWRCHA) will host the annual Paul Dice Memorial herding competition Friday morning at 8 a.m. at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake.

Competitors from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington are scheduled to participate and NWRCHA show coordinator Bruce Pinkerton said the competition will benefit the Columbia Basin.

“Events like this benefit the community,” he said. “It helps the local (economy). We hope to bring 120 to 130 horses, and 130 horses is a pretty large show for this area.”

The event is named in honor of the Pacific Northwest veterinarian Dr. Dice. Dice and his wife, Loye, raised and showed cow horses and were early supporters of the Northwest Rein Cow Horse Association. Pinkerton said the goal of the NWRCHA is to make the weekend event an annual competition.

“We are hoping to build this into an annual event,” he said.

The event will bring competitors from throughout the northwest and Pinkerton said the NWRCHA is encouraging beginning and local riders to give the competition a chance.

“The goal is to get local people to come out and try it,” he said. “We do have a beginning reiner class and a beginning boxer class. The only rule is that you cannot have won more than $100 in any horse show.”

During the cow-horse herd competitions, participants must separate — or cut — a cow from a herd of 20 to 25 cows and direct and guide the animal throughout the arena.

In the reining competitions, participants must guide their horses threw a predetermined pattern before a cow is released into the arena. The participants must then guide the cow throw the arena.

“The first (competition) is the herd work with the cow,” he said. “The second one is the rein work, which is a dry run without the cow.”

The rodeo arena at the Grant County Fairgrounds is not setup for cow-horse competitions and Pinkerton said local businesses are helping make the event a reality.

“The arena is not setup for this event,” he said. “Big R is sponsoring panels to make this show happen and Luft Trailers of Ellensburg, (Wash.,) is helping sponsor the event.”

The event will begin Friday morning at 8 a.m. with the herd-work competitions and will continue Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with the reining competitions.

The event is free and open to the public, Pinkerton said.

For more information visit the Northwest Rein Cow Horse Association Web site at www.nwrcha.com.