Horse riders from near and far will gather in Upper Horton this weekend to compete in a ranch sorting competition.
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Originating from the USA, ranch sorting has become one of Australia's fastest growing family horse sports.
After winning her title at the Ranch Sorting National Championships Australia (RSNCA) earlier this year, Ella Shephard has shifted her focus to promoting the sport.
She expected around 50 competitors to take part in the inaugural Upper Horton Ranch Sorting this weekend.
"Our furthest competitor is coming all the way from O'Connell just outside of Bathurst. We have others from Merriwa, Greta, Tamworth, Uralla, Narrabri, Inverell and everywhere in between."
Across all events, there will be 200 runs each day starting at 8am at the Upper Horton rodeo grounds.
The two-person, team sport involves 11 head of cattle; 10 of which are numbered.
Two pens are set up in a figure-eight shape.
"You cross into one pen and a judge will tell you when number you're after. The idea is to sort the cattle in numeric order correctly from one pen to the other," Ella explained.
The highest number of head in the shortest amount of time wins. Classes will depend on team ratings. The top 10 fastest times in each class go into a finals run off and generally the top five riders will receive placings.
Ella described the sport as diverse, catering for all levels of riders from any discipline.
"Riders from eight years and up can participate. Mum, Dad and the kids can take part in ranch sorting and it's a great way for competitors to meet new people and form partnerships," she said.
The Upper Horton Ranch Sorting Committee hope to run around three to four different events each year.
Due to the low numbers of cattle needed to run the event, Ranch Sorting has less restrictions than other horse sports.
"If we have 300 runs in a day, we only need around 100 cattle, where as a draft would need four or five hundred.
"It's an advantage for us. In these dry times when campdrafts have wait lists and are being cancelled, we're seeing a shift, more poepl from drafts and rodeo wanting to try out the new sport."
Keep up to date with the event by liking 'Upper Horton Ranch Sorting' on Facebook.
