Saddle and Sirloin Hosts Ultimate Horsemen’s Challenge

Saddle and Sirloin Hosts Ultimate Horsemen’s Challenge

By Jill Draper

Maybe you should’ve been a cowboy. Maybe your mama didn’t let you. But you can watch kids, teens and adults test their equine skills at a free event on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Saddle & Sirloin.

The country club at 14401 Holmes Rd. is hosting an Ultimate Horsemens Challenge—a judged competition that involves an obstacle course in the field and woods.  The buckaroo division (ages 8 and under) starts at 9 a.m. and other divisions continue throughout the day until 3 or 4.

The course designer is Mark Beeler, who manages the equine program at Saddle & Sirloin. He describes the challenge as a spinoff on extreme cowboy racing but geared more toward amateurs and families. He expects 60 to 70 horses to compete.

“The course is timed, but the fastest horse doesn’t necessarily win,” says Beeler, who lists some of the obstacles as crossing a seesaw bridge, jumping over logs and roping a fake steer. Two courses will be active at the same time.

If you’re interested in attending, enter the club at Gate 1 and bring lawn chairs for seating. A concession stand will sell burgers, hot dogs, snacks and drinks.

The last time that Saddle & Sirloin hosted a similar event was in 2013. “It’s a lot of work to get the courses ready,” Beeler says, “so we only do it every few years. It’s all about getting people involved with their horses and challenging their horsemanship skills.”  For more details see ultimatehca.com/events.