Submitted by:
Michelle Buck

The Blue Sky Arena Team Penning Club in Benito, MB, is hosting one of two annual team cattle penning jackpots on Sunday, June 22, 2014.

Registration: 10 am
Competition: 12 noon
Manitoba Time

The canteen opens at 10 am, and spectators are always welcome!

The arena is an outdoor venue located ¼ mile west of the junctions of highways 83 & 49 on the south side of the highway.

So what is team penning? Team penning is a cattle event in which a team of three riders on horseback must pull three like numbered cows from a herd and place them in a pen at the opposite end of the arena before the clock runs out. The team doesn’t know what number they are looking for until the run is started, and then they have to beat the clock – as little as 60 seconds – as well as the other teams. Each team runs twice during the day, and the fastest combined time wins. It’s a fast paced event where all levels of rider have a chance to win, because 50% of a winning run is luck of the draw. A true family event, this is one of the few sports out there where even at the professional level, a parent and child can compete together on the same team.

The Benito club runs practices each weekend for club members and drop ins to hone their skills. New members are always welcome!

Information on practice dates and times can be found on our facebook page, www.facebook.com/BlueSkyArena, or by calling:
Stan and Sharon Foster at 204-539-2345, or
Michelle Buck at 204-525-4304.