Campdrafting

Campdrafting - a uniquely Australian sport

Searing hot sun, pesky flies and clouds of sticky dust go hand in hand with campdrafting. The conditions are just as challenging for those watching as those competing.



Campdrafting developed in the outback over one hundred and twenty years ago, as entertainment for drovers, who competed against one and other, by ‘drafting’ stock ‘camped’ for the night to find the best horseman and horse.

The path to our involvement in this uniquely Australian sport goes back over twenty years.

As a non-horseriding Mum, I supported our younger daughter, Claudia – through the years of 'own your pony' holiday programmes to all that goes with Pony Club - from achieving certificates to showjumping, dressage and cross country events, involving the ownership of several horses and buying the ‘right gear’.

It was a steep learning curve, but such was my commitment, that I could be found standing on an upended bucket, complete with hairspray and styling comb in hand, plaiting her horse’s mane at 4.30am in preparation for an event.

We were living in North West Auckland at the time. Claudia is now in her twenties and has moved to Australia. Her fiancé Gerald is a campdrafting enthusiast and one of our visits coincided with the Beaudesert Australia StockHorse Association campdraft competition taking place at the closing end of the season. (Beaudesert is about 70 kms from Brisbane city).

It sounded different and interesting and we said ‘absolutely yes’ to the invitation to watch Gerald compete in his first campdrafing event on his new sporthorse Rex.

We soon found a link between this and our New Zealand experiences. Without exception, everything to do with horses takes much longer than originally thought and the two-hour estimation, melted into an all-day event, with temperatures around 35C degrees.

It was hot work not only for the competitors but for us as spectators, trying to keep pesky Aussie flies at bay. No wonder the horses, wore flyveils, like mini strip curtains attached to their halters, to keep the flies off their faces. We eventually solved the problem by copying the old hands and spraying ourselves liberally with strong smelling tropical strength ‘Aeroguard’.

The day had a carnival atmosphere, with plenty of support for the riders from family and friends. They came with babies in prams, toddlers and school aged off-spring, plus their Kelpies and Jack Russells. The smell of cooking onions filled the air while conversation was accompanied by country and western banjo music over the loudspeaker. Several tables set out under a mature canopy of Eucalyptus trees, offered homemade cakes and sandwiches for sale along with sausages and hamburger patties sizzling on the BBQ.

As you would imagine, the busiest place, however, was a large barn converted into a bar serving life-saving bottles of chilled local beer along with generous quantities of even more welcomed shade and protection from solid heat and thunderstorm threatening skies.

The competitors around us stood out, in their riding gear of boots with spurs, jeans or strong cotton trousers with a long sleeved shirts with collars and Akubra hats made of felt in brown, black, cream or fawn bands of woven leather or plaited horse hair (in Victoria a helmet is compulsory).

Gerald confirmed that this is required clothing and as he was drawn to start later in the event, had time to explain the other rules as we watched the first contestants performing.

Campdrafting takes place in a set of yards attached to an arena and is scored out of a possible 100.

The competing rider enters the ‘camp’ or yard, containing six to eight fresh head of cattle and must ‘cut out’ one of the beasts and bring it to the front of the camp, blocking and turning that beast at least two or three times to prove to the judge he/she has it under control, before calling for the gates to be opened. This is worth a total of 26 points. If the beast runs back to the cattle group twice or the rider’s horse starts bucking, this is deemed to have lost control, there is no score and the competitor is out of the contest.

The judge indicates this here, and at other stages, with the sharp crack of his whip against the ground.

If successful, the rider follows the beast out into the arena where he or she must guide the beast around a course of right and left hand turns before manoeuvring it though two further pegs (a clover leaf pattern). The judge stipulates if a course is left or right hand before the competition starts.

Four points are given for completing the course movements with the remaining 70 for horse work in the arena, based on horsemanship and time, usually around 45 to 50 seconds.

We could see that campdrafting requires skill, the right horse, a cooperative steer, lots of patience waiting for your number to come up and then some good luck.

Gerald agreed. “As far as the choosing the right horse and steer is concerned, competitors usually buy their horses at auction from a stockhorse breeder after ‘asking around’ and a beast with low head carriage not with its head in the air and wild eyes, will be easier to control”.

The Australian stockbreeders assoc (Ash), say campdrafting is a sport for the whole family. Those under 13 compete in the junior event, with possible sections for novice, maiden, open and ladies draft completing the options. The biggest competition is held each year in Warwick along with Rodeo events. Several hundred participate for thousands of dollars in prize money as well as The Warwick Gold Cup valued at $3160.00 along with prizes, like saddles.


Now although campdrafting may not yet be a sport here, New Zealand horses are used by top competing riders.

What’s more, Claudia is also on her way to holding up the Kiwi end. She now has her own campdrafting horse and in a local 2008 and 2009 events, completed a full round to reach a well-earned place in the final of the event.

©2009 Linda Donald
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