This year’s Yulgilbar Futurity Preworks were held May 6-8 in The Farm yards at Yulgilbar Station. The Station weans their commercial herd in the autumn where the Manager is happy to supply hundreds of weaners for cutting preworks to educate the cattle before they are moved to the larger paddocks. Brett Elms, the cattle manager says ” the cattle here at Yulgilbar are better to handle after the preworks and the Ranch Cutting”. Brett and the Yulgilbar team also enjoy joining in at the preworks by herd holding and turning back.
This year Phil Dawson, Todd Graham and Rob Hodgeman brought their futurity horses to Yulgilbar along with Lori Mackay, Jackie Graham and Sidney Myer who enjoyed working their futurity and derby entrants. In total there were about 30 horses worked on 200-300 head mustered into the yards each day. Yulgilbar built a new set of yards at “The Farm”, a section of the Station located near the Washpool Creek, but retained the older large holding yard that has a sand surface just perfect for cutting. The Farm is in a valley surrounded by mountains and the yards were built on a low hill overlooking the irrigation paddocks. If you were looking for “Cutters Heaven” then The Farm is it. Certainly, with perfect weather, at least 10 fresh head of cattle per horse, a great surface and no dust or flies this years preworks met the criteria.
Rob Hodgeman brought along some of his dogs entered in the NCHA Futurity show dog trials. We all loved watching him school his dogs as well as his horses. Sid Myer was given coaching on his Non Pro Futurity and Non Pro Derby mares. Living and working in Melbourne, Sid doesn’t get a chance to ride the two black half sisters as often as he would like so he took ever opportunity to ride them during the preworks. Yulgilbar Hi Kitty (Hydrive Cat x Yulgilbar Well Played Oak), entered in the Open and Non Pro Derby, is familiar with Sid as the pair were the reserve champion at the VIC Futurity last year, but his Non Pro Futurity entrant, Yulgilbar Ima Black Cat (Ima Smooth Blue Cat x Yulgilbar Well Played Oak) took a bit more time to get used to Sid. After a few good coaching sessions with Todd Graham, Sid and Blackie started to become a team.
All are better for the three days at Yulgilbar and hope that luck is with them at this years Futurity.