"Teamwork"- based on the horse event Team Penning

“TEAMWORK”

Teamwork is a Limited Edition print of 350 that is hand carved and hand printed from linoleum. I was able to draw from my personal experience and passion for this event. Although she looks nothing like me, the rider in the middle is me riding Harley. That is the beauty of art; you can make it what you want it.

To see this print and order it, please visit http://www.moderndaycowgirl.com

 

I was introduced to the game of team penning about 4 years ago when a friend of mine Larry Q took my new horse Harley to a practice ride up at Double Rock Farm here in Maryland. I knew after the first night I just went and watched that I was going to love the sport. Lucky for me, my horse Harley does too! J

I have had the privilege of taking many photographs of some talented riders penning and even more so to practice penning with them. It is not as easy as you might think, but boy will you have fun trying.

 

SO WHAT IS TEAM PENNING?

There is more to this game than meets the eye, but the general gist of the game is like this:

In team penning, the idea is to separate three cows with the number called out by the announcer from the rest of the herd and then move them into a pen at the other end of the arena. This is timed event.

 

THINGS YOU MIGHT NEED

Spurs

Jeans

Long-sleeved Shirt or T-Shirt

Western Saddle

Bridle

Saddle Pads

Riding Boots

If you are a novice I recommend a riding helmet

 

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1--Get a team together. You'll need three riders riding three horses.

STEP 2--Ride a well-trained horse.

STEP 3--Count 30 head of cattle in a herd. Each cow is numbered 0 to 9 on its back. There are three cows of each number.

STEP 4--Start at one end of the arena (usually by the pen area) and ride towards the herd of cows.

STEP 5—All riders must pass the start line (middle of the arena) and the announcer/judge will call out a number, 0 to 9.

STEP 6-- Get all three cows with that number out from the herd and bring them back to the pen within 2 1/2 minutes.

STEP 7--Don't let more than five cows of other numbers cross the start line or your team will be disqualified (unwanted cows are called TRASH cows).

STEP 8-- Realize that if you get any cows in the pen other than those with the called number, you'll have to remove them and send them back to the other side of the start line before time stops.

STEP 9--Receive a time for penning only two cows, but any team penning three cows, even with a slower time, will be ahead of you.

STEP 10--Understand that if your team pens no cows in the allotted time, you'll receive no score.

 

TIPS

·      Teamwork is imperative for a successful run.

·      Riders should communicate with each other while riding.

·      Watching an event is very helpful for new riders. But the best way to learn the sport is to attend a clinic for Novice riders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leiann Klein: The Modern Day Cowgirl Intro

Leiann Klein: The Modern Day Cowgirl Intro

The Modern Day Cowgirl Intro

Where did it come from?

Since releasing my newest body of work "The Modern Day Cowgirl" in April of 2009 that seems to be the question of the hour. Especially after people ask me where I come from and I say New York City. So how did I come to this body of work? 

Welp, it all started with a horse (no pun intended).

Its true. I got my first real horse 4 years ago- Harley (my version of a Fat Boy) and it all started to happen. 

I got into riding western again,competing in schooling western shows and then met a gentleman who helped me get into a game called team penning. WHAT A THRILL! I started photographing some horse shows and events locally here in Maryland hoping to make money to keep team penning. About 2,000 photographs later I saw that I had an incredible and energetic grouping of images. 

So now what?

Choosing to do this was an interesting path because in looking at what is out there in terms of western art, the concentration weighs more on the side of cowboy art, not cowgirl art. Therefore, I felt compelled to create artworks that were more cowgirl oriented.

The second part was how to infuse my contemporary stylization into the drawings. Then finally how I wanted to execute the work. Originally I had started to use paint. Since that is the medium I use most I felt is was the natural course of action. Then once day I found a linoleum block in the studio and it was like love at first sight. One of the things that I love about western riding is the hand tooling quality and craftsmanship that goes into creating tack(saddles and bridles). This is an admirable task to me. So I thought that carving linoleum was the way I could be true to the subject matter and yet bring a modern flair to it.

So it is with great pleasure to introduce to you all "The Modern Day Cowgirl." 

So there you have it. Thats how it all began. With a horse!

I hope you check back to see the evolution and hop on and enjoy the ride!

Leiann Klein