TRAINING Streaming campdraft training videos on demand.
We learn best when we are inspired and with CTO you will learn from the very best in the performance horse industry. Inside our exclusive members’ area, you will find a library of short training videos from leading competitors across the country who will demonstrate the various training techniques and competition strategies that have led to their successes. A minimum of four new videos will be added to the library each month.
Team CTO offers training for all ages and all skill levels. Our educational videos are carefully constructed to be easily and quickly digested so you can immediately apply them in the real world. Our videos, available on demand, cover an extensive range of topics including: Fundamentals; Cattle Picking; Yard Work; Horse Work; Other Training Aids; Problem Horses; Judging; and other Specialty Content.
Becoming part of Team CTO will enable you to stream competition tips and tricks, and training strategies to all your devices on demand. Simple, easy to understand packages offering high quality content that is regularly updated offering exceptional value for money.
NEW VIDEOS
This section contains all the videos uploaded in the last two months to save you looking for new content.
Fundamentals
Okay so establishing the fundamentals in your training program might be a tad boring but they're essential. This section will help you understand more about some of the dry work techniques people use and specifically how it helps to improve your performance.
Cattle Picking
Cattle picking can appear to be somewhat of a dark art however most that are good at it are looking for specific attributes, behaviours, and mannerisms in the cattle they pick. Identifying these characteristics can help you identify effective strategies to work them in the yard and how to chase them outside.
Yard Work
Although there are only 26 points up for grabs in the yard it is critical to achieve a decent yard score to remain in contention. Many drafts are won by very close margins. Increasing your average yard score by a point or two could make a huge difference to your overall performance. Leading competitors have strategies they use, and leading trainers put a strong foundation in their horses to enable them to consistently outperform others.
Horse Work
The percentage of outside scores and full courses can be significantly less than 20% and 10% respectively. Split second decisions are made in competition which can be the difference between success and failure. If you're able to improve your decision making and the responsiveness of your horse it will improve your campdraft performance. And if your horse understands the objective they may even prevent you from making costly mistakes. There are numerous techniques used by competitors to maximise their horse work points while minimising the risk of cutting a peg or missing the gate. Effective trainers take the horse through exercises that will help it complete difficult manoeuvres at pace while remaining calm in a high pressure environment.
Other Training Aids
While there is no substitute to fresh cattle for training campdraft horses, it is not always an easy task for most to achieve. Other training aids are frequently used as a substitute for cattle, including bison, mechanical cows (or flags) and quads. These training aids don't go stale like cattle and can be ready to roll in a short period of time. BEWARE: there are traps with training aids. This section will help you to avoid 'the traps' and identify what types of training aids will assist you and your horse to improve performance.
Judging
What's that got to do with you as a competitor. A lot! If you can appreciate what judges are looking for it can direct you in how you approach your run. Judges have the unenviable task of trying to score an immense amount of runs. You can differentiate yourself by quickly interpreting the judge’s instructions and understanding what the judge (or judges as a whole) are looking for. Find out from leading judges what they are looking for in a run.
Problem Horses
If you haven't encountered a problem in your horse’s campdrafting then you haven't been at it for long. The reason you rarely see elite competitors encounter similar issues is because they have specific ways to avoid common problems in their horses and if necessary how to fix them. In this category, we will investigate commonly experienced problems and you will benefit from specific advice on how to either avoid, fix or manage these issues.
Point of View Run Reviews
Team CTO is going to launch with what we believe is a first for campdraft training, Point of View Run Reviews. By providing a visual view of the rider in actual competition we can provide our members with unique insights into how competitors go about picking cattle, setting up their runs and how they navigate horse and beast around the course, helping you get a competitive advantage.
Specialty Content
There's a lot to the sport of campdrafting and an art to getting into a competition mindset. We hope you find something interesting and informative in this section to get your 'campdraft fix' while waiting for the next event to start.
Kobe Creations