Two Enumclaw equestrian team riders smashed a district record earlier this month, while other riders took first in various other competitions during the first meet of the season.
Seniors Kelsie Brock and Hailey Robinett, equestrian team captain, took first in the cow sorting (or ranch sorting) event, setting a new District 3 record of 54.9 seconds during the Feb. 10 to 13 meet at the Grace Harbor Fairgrounds in Elma. The previous record, set in 2019, was 55.8 seconds.
“Me and Kelsey, going into this season, we both talked about how we wanted to break a record our senior year,” Robinett said in a later interview. “And so it was really cool to break one together.”
For those not in the know, cow sorting involves two riders whose goal it is to move 10 calves, without any tools, from a full pen to an empty one. The catch? Each calf is labeled, and judges randomly call out which calf the riders must escort to the other pen. While one rider does so, the other is supposed to keep the other calves from leaving their pen; if a calf escapes, or the wrong calf is sorted (Brock said this is known as a “dirty cow”) the team is disqualified. The riders switch roles after a calf is sorted.
According to Robinett, breaking a district record automatically qualifies a rider for state. Both Brock and Robinett have placed in state and PNWIC (the Pacific Northwest Invitational Championship), which where the best riders from state compete against the best riders in Oregon.
Brock has been riding for seven or eight years, she said, while her partner has been around horses since she was 3 years old. Both compete with Quarter Horses, which Robinett said are the preferred horses for the speed events like cow sorting, barrel racing, and pole bending.
The Enumclaw Equestrian Team overall has 27 riders this year from various schools in King and Pierce County. The team is a part of District 3, meaning they compete against teams from Battle Ground, Camas, Kelso, North Thurston and Woodland. Other riders that did well in the last meet include:
• Chance Brock, break-away roping, 2nd place
• Cody Seldal, daubing, 1st place
• Emma LaSueur and Hailey Robinett, barrels, 2nd and 3rd respectively
• Emma LaSueur, Hailey Robinett, and Grace Struchen, individual flags, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively
• Grace Struchen, key, 2nd place with 8.235 second
• Code Seldal, working rancher, 3rd place
• Ryleigh Grieb, trail, 2nd place
• Emma LaSueur, Hailey Robinett, Rodolfo Hernandez, and Charlotte Hernandez, team flags, 3rd place
• Kelie Brock and Hailey Robinett, bi-rangle, 2nd place
• Madisen Chase, Julia Fasoli, Sandra Fischer, Emma Nitsche, Aleah Watterson, Grace Struchen, Lilly Cromwell, Helene Floyd, Brendan Kelly, Jocelyn Lowe, Joy Wagh, Maggie Bosik, Ryleigh Grieb and Charlotte Hernandez, freestule 6+, 1st place
• Aleah Watterson, Jocelyn Lowe, Rodolfo Hernandez, and Charlotte Hernandez, versatility, 3rd place
