Willcox West Fest

West Fest in an old style ranch rodeo where teams from each ranch compete in every day work based events. They are Trailer Loading, Sorting, Calf Branding and the ever popular Wild Cow Milking.

Trailer Loading

In this event the cowboys sort out and assigned numbed cow from the herd, rope it and place it in the front of the trailer. Then load one horse back into the trailer. Last all four team member run to designated spot to stop the clock.

Getting your horse out of the trailer

Sorting out the calf with your assigned number

In she goes

Finished

Sorting

The team must find and move three cows with their assigned number from the herd and drive them to the other end of the arena. If any of the cut cows get back to the herd there no time. The teams had two approaches to this competition. One was to cut out the cows one at a time and run them to the other end and hold them there, two was cut out all three cows and then run them to the other end of the arena.

This team cut all three cows and then moved them.

Calf Branding

This event requires the team to rope their designated cow, drag it out of the corral and apply a cold branding iron.

Wild Cow Milking

Teams rope a wild cow and hand-milk it into an empty coke bottle. One team member then runs the bottle across the finish line, and pours out a small amount of milk for the judges to prove they accomplished the task. 

The cow is roped by the horns and hind legs to give the cowboy access to the udder. I was unable to get a clear shot of this. 

Coke bottle being delivered to the judge.

Tonights camp  32.679813,-109.77906