Successful ride at Yaunt-2

Families and teams competed among neighs, snorts and shouts in the Yaunt-2 organization’s first ranch rodeo of the year on June 7 and 8. 

The rodeo, which takes place on the Yaunt-2 organization’s property in the southeastern part of Waseca County, involved skills that people would genuinely use on a ranch. This included four different competition categories that involved controlling cattle movement. 

Despite some startup issues involving microphone problems in the “crow’s nest,” Doug Christopherson, one of the ten organizing members, said everything went pretty well. 

Yaunt-2 has existed since the 1990s and had its first ranch rodeo in 1995. This past weekend’s rodeo involved five hours of competition on both Saturday and Sunday, with teams and families hailing from a wide area including southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. 

While teams named “Pink Pony Club,” “Burning Daylight,” and “Need a Prayer” took turns in the arena selecting cattle, spectators sat on wooden bleachers. 

“Hey Dave, you’re slipping!” one spectator shouted after a round. 

“Who invited the peanut gallery?” one man, apparently Dave, responded. 

Family members from different generations often compete together, lending an inviting and family-like atmosphere to the competition. 

Christopherson said this weekend’s event saw a decrease in the number of teams–one likely reason he named is that some of the families which typically compete now have young children they must care for.

“All in all, we’re a little short, but we're hoping that we just do some advertising, and maybe get some new people trying it this year,” Christopherson said. 

People interested in trying out their skills at the ranch rodeo do not need a background in anything “other than being able to stay on the horse,” according to Christopherson. 

Ranch rodeo tasks originate from another time and other parts of the country, when numerous herds of cattle were let loose together on expansive open parcels of land to graze before needing to be rounded up and separated, Christopherson and other founding member Wayne Jesnen said.

At the competition, there are four different categories that involve controlling cattle movement.

“Sorting” is where teams must separate 10 specific cattle from among a group of 20 labeled cattle, bringing them across a barrier in the arena in numerical order. 

“Trailer loading” is when teams are required to separate out four specific cattle and load them into one section of a two-compartment trailer. Once the cattle are in, a horse must also be loaded into the second compartment. 

In the “sort and pen” segment, teams separate out specific cattle in numerical order and get them into pens built at the end of the arena. 

“Doctoring” is when teams are given two cattle numbers, which they must rope either of the two and get it to the edge of the arena, where they apply shaving cream to the animal in place of administering an antibiotic or some other health-related treatment. 

A maximum time of 90 seconds is allowed for each task, with points awarded for completing in the shortest time frame. Teams are disqualified if a wrongly numbered animal passes the barrier line. 

Christopherson said each event gets paid out, with the top three or four teams earning checks depending on how many teams there are. The winning “buckle” —  as “cowboys get buckles instead of trophies,” according to Christopherson, — doesn’t get awarded until the end of the season near the fall. There are six different competition days in a season, three double header weekends, all of which will be located at the Yaunt-2 location in Waseca County. 

Yaunt-2 is working to be as beginner friendly as it can be, with their members encouraging people to come out and try it to see if they’re interested.

Christopherson said the organization is looking into scheduling some informal Wednesday evening gatherings where people could come out to take lessons if they wish, or maybe try some of the events alongside experienced participants. Interested individuals should watch for more information on the Yaunt-2 Facebook page.