The sinewy athlete lunged from right to left, matching his opponent's moves and blocking his advance. The crowd cheered as time was called, and the dust settled.

Dust? That's right. This game of one-on-one is the contest between a cutting horse and a heifer, where the court is a dusty arena. With the sharpness of any NBA pro, the cutting horse knows his objective: to separate a single cow from the herd and to prevent it from returning. It's a game between the herd and the highly trained horse, led by a cowboy at the reins.

But this "cowboy" is not one of the 15,000 Americans who compete in the sport of cutting, but a participant in Leon Harrel's Old West Adventure in Kerrville, Texas. For a few special days, adults from around the country enjoy an opportunity to learn horsemanship and cowboy skills in an experience that's part rodeo, part cattle drive, and all challenge.

"This is structured for the person who wants to cowboy up one time in their life," explains Leon Harrel, a world championship cowboy with over 40 years experience. "We want people to get a feel for horses. Being on horseback is the most natural thing you'll do after you have the basics."

Leon Harrel, a tall, lanky man with the skills of a professional but the patience to encourage beginners, is considered a leader in the cutting horse profession.

Raised in Oklahoma, the National Cutting Horse Association two-time Futurity Champion holds a long list of championship titles plus a place in the NCHA Hall of Fame. After years of competitions and cutting horse clinics taught around the world, Harrel decided to focus on his long-term goal: teaching the general public about horsemanship and western living at his Hill Country ranch.

With the help of wife Myrna, daughters Hollie and LaDonna, and son Lance, Leon designed Old West Adventures to meet the needs of vacationers, with and without horsemanship experience, who were looking for a taste of the western life. The five day course includes basic horsemanship instruction, cattle cutting and working, roping, team penning and cattle sorting.

Guests begin their vacation at the welcome party held at the ranch where the Harrels have lived and trained cutting horses since 1983. Located a short drive from town, the ranch includes a large arena, corrals, stables, and now a chuckwagon area where meals are prepared and served in the shade of tall live oaks. The menu varies daily, but includes local favorites such as fajita salad, steak, and cowboy stew.

Following a morning spent shopping for western gear, the group returns to the ranch for an exhibition in the art of cutting from the master. Sitting in what Harrel calls "the cutter's slump," he exhibits the skills of cutting and sorting for guests seated on bleachers of hay bales.

When cutting, the rider has two and a half minutes to cut a heifer from the herd and keep it from returning. The cow's instinct is to stay with the herd, so the cutting horse and rider must work to separate a single individual and then to control its movements.

"Cutting horses have a special inquisitive sense about the cattle," explains Harrel. "Cutting horses have been specially bred. They're more agile, quicker to learn, and they're a better athlete." Cutting horses sell for anywhere from $3500 to over $1 million each, often priced in the $30,000-40,000 range.

Along with the use of top quality horses at the ranch, guests also use professional equipment. Specially designed cutting saddles enable the rider to floats back and forth. Professional cowboys provide instruction in the fine art of cutting, from tips on putting a slight pressure in the stirrups to holding the index finger between the reins. "A lot of people go to places and ride but they don't have any contact with professionals," says Harrel, pointing to ranch employees assisting riders, including son Lance, who has won over a quarter million dollars on the rodeo circuit. "Any people you run into here at the ranch can teach you."

While advanced riders begin cutting instruction, beginners start at a more basic level. Horsemanship skills, including how to bridle the horse, saddle, mount, and rein, are first taught. Instructors match riders and horses based on experience then watch as they guide the horse through walking, trotting, and loping in a corral.

The skills learned in the corral are soon practiced on a trail ride in the hills above Kerrville. Guests ride single file and learn to maneuver up and down hills, skirting tree branches and crossing dry creekbeds in the process.

The trail ride is a practice for one of the most pleasurable events at Old West Adventures: the cattle roundup. A herd of about 80 heifers roams the 1,900 acres behind the stables. It is the job of the guests, divided into groups of five or six, to track down the cattle and bring them back to the pens.

"This is the real McCoy," shouts Harrel over the sound of horses, cattle, and guests whooping like cattle drivers as they maneuver a portion of the herd through a wide pasture. Only days before, members of the group worked as architects, travel agents, or insurance salesmen, but, for now, they were cowboys bringing in the herd.

That sense of western adventure is what Harrel strives for, even more than horsemanship and cattle working skills. "We want to show people that our western heritage is still alive," he says. "If they can see it and live it, they can go home and know it's still out there."

Once the cattle are driven back to the pens, they're numbered and readied for use in cutting, sorting and team penning competitions between the guests. While cutting involves taking any individual from the herd, sorting is done with 10 numbered cattle. The team has a two minute time limit. The primary rider is given a number from zero to nine, and separates the cow wearing that number. He drives it to the back of the arena where his teammates prevent the cow from returning to the herd. The horseman returns and tries to bring out the next number in sequence before time is called.

Team penning is the world's fastest growing cattle working sport. In penning, three riders cut cattle from a herd of thirty. Again, cattle are numbered zero to nine, with three cattle wearing each number. Riders are given a number and quickly move to separate the three heifers wearing the designated number, run them the length of the arena, and put them in a pen.

After a day spent in the saddle, the action stops at 6 p.m. and guests head down to the chuckwagon area for supper, an evening campfire, and entertainment that may range from cowboy poets to fiddle playing to country and western guitar tunes. Many sit on logs around the campfire and recount their adventures of the day, laughing about their shared experiences and newfound muscles. Some are amazed to think back that they spent the day on horseback, riding across an open ranch and gathering cattle.

"When they leave here they will go away feeling good about themselves. People have a habit of setting limitations for themselves, but coming to a place like this forces people to go on through those limitations," says Harrel, looking out over a group singing along to "Faded Love" around the campfire. "I think a person leaves an adventure like this tired, but it's a good tired."

For More Information: visit www.cuttingclinics.com/

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