Four Corners

Turnback riders do more than sit in the middle of the arena or with their horse’s tails against the wall. Knowing who to select for your team can make or break your run.

Many may not think of cutting as a team sport, but if a turnback rider has saved (or spoiled) a run, a competitor might beg to differ. In fact, the whole purpose of the four turnback riders is to help the horse and rider show to the best of their abilities.

Lipan, Texas, cutting trainer Kory Pounds explains that four riders are positioned in each corner of the cutting pen. They’re usually selected before the class by the person who is going to show or by that person’s trainer.

The two riders closest to the herd are called the herd help or herd holders. Their job is to hold the herd in the center of the pen and keep track of cattle.

“The guys in the corner have watched cows, and they’re going to help you locate the cows you’re looking for [to cut],” explains Pounds.

“Turnback” is a general term, but it also describes the specific position of the two riders on the far side of the pen closest to the judges’ box.

“The guys out front may not sit and watch cows with you, but they’re supposed to know the cows and keep them moving and [help you] present the best picture for the judges,” Pounds says.

Ben Baldus of Bowie, Texas, specializes in ranch versatility, reining and reined cow horse events, and says working as a turnback rider is a responsibility taken seriously. The job is needed not only at traditional cuttings, but also in ranch cutting.

He says it’s the responsibility of the rider to hire help before the show starts, and makes his selection based on three criteria. The turnback help:

1 Supports the needs of the rider

“If possible, get turnback or herd help who are encouraging to you and are helpful — someone who knows you and your horse,” Baldus says. “If they know you, they know where your strengths and weaknesses are. If you have a tendency to lean into the left turn, guys by the herd can tell you to sit up straight. They can be a great asset coaching you through your run.

“If you show better without people talking, tell them, ‘I don’t want you to coach me, I just need to show my horse.’ But I’ll tell my buddies, ‘Talk to me while I’m cutting, okay?'”

Pounds points out that “sometimes helping too much can be a hindrance,” so riders need to make it clear if they want coaching or not.

2 Understands the position

Pounds stresses that to be effective in any of the four positions, riders must be familiar with the job, so select experienced help.

“Even at home, the last thing I want to do is throw new help into that fire, because it’s a little bit like a horse. They need to have a pretty well-rounded knowledge of cutting before asking them to turn back,” he says. “If not, you’re going to be putting them in a jam.”

The day before a major event, Baldus walks around the show grounds to find available help.

“I always try to get help that has more experience than I do,” he says. “I look for someone who has seen me ride before, seen my horse and knows how to coach me.”

3 Plays offense

A skilled horse is a valuable asset, says Pounds, and he suggests finding a rider who has a horse whose sole job is turning back.

“With a turnback horse, everything is fair game,” he says, explaining that a horse needs to be flexible and willing to temporarily abandon correct training practices.

“If you need to run past a cow four lengths and turn it doing a barrel [horse] turn, then catch it at the judges’ stand, they have to be able to do that,” Pounds says. “You probably don’t want to do that on a horse in training.

“The horse has to be able to read and react to a cow similar to the way a cutting horse would, but they can’t just lock in [on the cow]. If you need to go around or behind a cow, they can’t block you out.”

For that reason, Baldus says he’ll often use an older horse that can tell the difference between cutting and riding in turnback mode.

“Sometimes you have to put your horse in what would be a bad position [in cutting], a position where if you were to show, you wouldn’t want him there. That’s why many will have horses that do nothing but turn back,” he says. “It’s why I won’t use a young horse, because I want them to think about defense and being correct.”

He adds he will use a roping, reining or ranch riding horse, for example, because it can help that horse mentally.

“If my horse is anxious about the show pen, or busy minded with lots of energy, I’ll use it as a turnback horse because it’s going to have to be in the arena for two to three hours,” Baldus says. “I’ll sit and pet the horse [between runs], which gives it a positive experience in the show pen.”

“It’s each horse and rider and their turnback team against the cow,” Baldus adds. “If I’m turning back for [someone], I want nothing more than for him to go win. My job as help is to help him get his horse shown. It takes all four of us to get that horse to the winners’ circle.”

Story and photography by Katie Frank.

This article was originally published in the March 2018 issue of Western Horseman.

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