When you think of cattle penning, you might imagine a group of seasoned rough-riders lazily rounding up cattle as part of their day-to-day routine.
What you might not see in your mind’s eye are a few young cowgirls deftly manoeuvering their horses to pick out one cow from a herd of 30 and guiding it into a separate pen, all as fast as possible, as crowds of fans watch from rodeo stands.
Quesnel’s Danielle Gamache, 14, and Gabby Fouty, 13, have been doing just that, winning buckles and cash all summer long with the help of their teammate Graham Armstrong from (coincidentally) Armstrong, B.C.
Good things come in threes
Team cattle penning is a sport derived from a cowboy chore, and was organized for competition in the late 1940s. Since then, it’s become a big-money rodeo sport.
Just ask Gamache and Fouty, who each won a share of the $39,926 cheque handed to them as first prize in the 10-class cattle penning competition at the 2017 Calgary Stampede.
“We won the money, and we got a buckle,” says Fouty, who is wearing hers: a flash of silver is visible below her bubble-gum-pink riding shirt.
Gamache’s mother Sue Norquay explains: “The money is split between the three of them, but it mostly goes back into penning. It’s about $200 per person to enter a competition, and then you have fuel and travel costs.”
“It’s an expensive event,” agrees her daughter.
In Calgary, the girls competed with Armstrong in the 10-class.
“You’re rated on how good you are. The highest you can be is a seven in Canada. Gabby is a one and I’m a three, so that’s four; and Graham is a six, so that equals 10. So that’s all fair in the 10-class. You can compete with anyone as long as your ratings equal 10,” explains Gamache.
Gamache rode first position on her horse Callie, meaning she was the first teammate to go in and get a cow from the herd. Fouty rode second on Minnie. She was responsible for finding the second cow. Armstrong was the hold back rider, who must make sure only the cows with the correct numbers get across the line.
“The cows are numbered from zero to nine, and there’s three of each number. The announcer calls a number and you have to bring the right number, and only that number can go across the line or else you’re disqualified. You have to look really fast,” says Gamache.
But Norquay says this winning team combination almost didn’t get together.
“Graham picked the team. They had a couple practices before the Stampede and that did not go well… so we didn’t know if it would work.
“But Graham went in on the first day and decided to switch up the positions. He usually rides first [position], but he changed it up and it really worked.”
Looking ahead
With their successful Stampede performance, both Fouty and Gamache have been eager to enter more competitions this fall.
Most recently, the girls competed in the Home Alexis Memorial Penning in Falkland, B.C. on Aug. 11-13. The results list from that show reads like a Who’s Who of Quesnel competitors: Fouty, Gamache and Norquay all feature high in the rankings for many of the events, as well as Gamache’s father and brother.
Gamache explains that cattle penners will ride as part of more than one team in each event, to increase their chances of winning.
“Most classes, you can have up to five teams in a class. I had five teams in the 10-class [at the Stampede]. The more teams you have, the more chance you have of winning.”
So the combination of Fouty, Gamache and Armstrong is not the only time the girls will ride in upcoming shows – but it’s a team that has proven strong in competition. In Falkland, the threesome won the open class (for which teams of any ranking can compete) with a time of 101.94 seconds, bagging $608 each.
Their next show is the B.C. Team Cattle Penning Association (BCTCPA) Finals in Chilliwack on Sept. 16-17.
Fouty, who’s only in her second year of cattle penning competitively, is a hot commodity on the circuit, says Norquay.
“Gabby is doing really well. Everybody wants her for their team.”
She’ll be busy then, in Chilliwack?
“I have 23 teams just in the B.C. Finals,” says Fouty.
She only got into the sport after trying it with Gamache, who she’s known since their days competing in gymkhana.
“Without Sue and Danielle, I wouldn’t even know what cattle penning was,” she says with a laugh. It’s a good thing she met Gamache, then. The girls are a solid team in the arena.
After B.C. Finals, the girls will move on to the Canadian Team Cattle Penning Association (CTCPA) National Finals on Oct. 6-9 in Alberta. The event has a total of $476,751 in cash and prizes up for grabs.
They’re planning to enter the 10-class again with Armstrong, and likely will enter as part of other teams in that and other classes.
With all that cash coming in, do the girls spend any of it on themselves, or does it all go back into the sport?
Gamache shakes her head, and says the money she wins pays for her entries.
But Gabby was able to spend some of her earnings after the Stampede: “I bought my horse Minnie,” she says, smiling.
Passion for penning
Both girls are invested in cattle penning for the long-haul. While they both also compete in barrel racing and other rodeo events, team cattle penning is the clear favourite.
“I’ve been doing it my whole life,” says Gamache.
“My dad and my brother do it. My brother won at the Stampede in 2015. I’ve been doing it competitively for about six years.”
While it’s only Fouty’s second year, she’s been riding horses her whole life.
“It’s more fun than other events because it’s a team sport. It’s fun to do as a group.”
Gamache agrees. “I like the horses, the speed, the teamwork.”
Although it’s fun, Gamache admits it can also be a lot of pressure: “When we’re competing, I’m thinking about not messing up the team! One mistake from you can cost the whole team.”
It’s something to consider as they head into BCTCPA and CTCPA finals, but the girls say they feel ready. Next week, a coach will come up from Wisconsin to go over final strategies and techniques.
“We’re bringing [the coach] here to ride before B.C. Finals. We’ll ride Sept. 13-14 at home and then travel to Chilliwack together on Friday,” says Norquay.
The girls practise with cattle on the Gamache farm, but they make sure not to use them too often.
“If you overdo it with the cows they know what they’re supposed to do, so it sucks the practice right out of it,” says Gamache.
Norquay says because they’ve done so well this year, the girls’ rankings are sure to go up, so they’ll compete at a higher level next year. If the Gamache-Fouty-Armstrong team stays together, they’ll likely have to compete in the 12-class or higher.
But the girls seem excited. And after a winter off, Minnie and Callie will be primed for another season in the arena, helping their owners bring home enough riches to fund ever more competition.
