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Emmylou Reeves

Emmylou has just recently been announced as one of the School Captains for 2020.  Here she describes her love of horse riding and horse cutting.

My name is Emmylou Reeve and I ride and compete on working cow horses. Growing up on my Grandfather’s farm in Mansfield, horses have always been a part of our lifestyle, and I’ve been riding since before I can remember.

I began competing at the age of 8 at local campdrafts. Most recently I’ve entered the sport ‘cutting’, where my proudest achievement was placing 5th in the senior youth at the 2019 Victorian Futurity. 

Cutting is a phenomenal sport, with the aim being to separate a cow from the herd and, by controlling your horse with only your legs and feet, mirror the cow’s movements as best you can in order to prevent it from returning to the herd. You have two and a half minutes to ‘cut’ and ‘work’ three cows, in order to showcase your horse’s best ability.

Riding such highly talented, trained, skilled and athletic horses gives you an incredible feeling. I love cutting because of the control, trust and understanding between you and the horse and the fact that there is always something new to learn. 

Since boarding in Melbourne makes it impossible to ride every day and keep my horses at a competitive level, I spend most holidays at my horse trainer’s place riding, working and learning to train horses. In the future, after I finish school, I hope to train my own young horses to compete in the NCHA Futurity at Tamworth, Australia’s largest cutting event.

Victorian Futurity Senior Youth

NCHA Pink Cutting for Breast Cancer 

Mansfield Campdraft