Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity – Seneca
Not exactly a whim, as Kathy Laskye has been learning and preparing for this moment for the last eight years.
Kathy was born a “horse girl” and grew up on a dairy farm in northwest Illinois. She started with a Shetland pony, then spent her school years competing at local county fairs in Western Pleasure and Horsemanship. When she headed off to college, her “horse bug” was put on hold for many years.
In 2011 Kathy decided she “wasn’t getting any younger” and bought a Paint gelding to start riding again. Her initial intentions were to simply reconnect with her horse roots and trail ride until she stumbled upon Evergreen Ranch Sorting Association (ERSA). Kathy had never worked cattle before, but thought it looked like fun, not to mention the people at ERSA were welcoming and easy going, creating an ideal learning environment – Kathy was hooked!
Kathy explains, “the beautiful thing about ranch sorting is all you need is a horse that is interested in cattle. Again, I started on a Paint gelding who wasn’t ‘cow bred’ but he was a willing participant and we learned together. A year after I joined ERSA and became a true addict, I decided to give the competitive arena a whirl and in 2013 I won the Colorado State Championship with RSNC (Ranch Sorting National Championship) Beginner Division.”
RSNC is the National Association based out of Wellington, CO which promotes ranch sorting all across the country. RSNC was started with the intent to preserve the heritage and integrity of the ranching lifestyle while providing a family oriented, competitive riding experience at the grassroots level. Created for all levels of ranch sorting enthusiasts, RSNC has divisions available for beginners all the way to professionals. Everyone can compete at their comfort level and gain confidence along the way.
Through the support and encouragement of her friends, Kathy took her first try at the Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas in 2016. Kathy reports, “I didn’t place nor even make any cuts, but what an experience it was to watch what a true cow horse and rider can do! That 1st World Finals experience sealed the deal and I was all in!”
As she continued on with ERSA and RSNC competitions, Kathy’s new desire to really hone her skills and knowledge led her to further her horsemanship and reading cattle skills by working with Cole Piotrowski (Evergreen trainer and multi-World Finals winner) as well as Wolfe Cowhorse trainers, Jessie & Logan Wolfe. Kathy also found Honey, a ‘cow bred’ mare who she could partner with to compete at the higher levels, adding Kat to her string this past April.
After several more years of competing regionally with RSNC Kathy and Honey won the 2017 Colorado State Finals in the Rookie Division and attended several more World Finals down in Ft. Worth. Each year learning something new to take back home and work on.
At the beginning of 2019, Kathy thought she might take a break, still ranch sort, but not as much and maybe even skip the CINCH RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth this year that she had attended the last 4 years. Fast forward to June. Kathy explains, “of course, peer pressure played into my decision and away I went! I’ve met so many wonderful people over the years that I wanted to see again in Fort Worth and there was a great crew headed down from Colorado/Wyoming.”
The CINCH RSNC World Finals is a 7-day show with numerous classes and divisions running all week long. Classes can range from 100 – 600+ teams. The week kicks off with the Western Heritage division. Western Heritage classes are designed for the team to work the cattle in a quiet, more authentic ranch sorting style. There are no loud noises to scare them away from the gate; there is no loping into the pen to move the cow quickly.
Kathy rode in the Western Heritage class with another competitor from Parker, CO, Tanner Sperle. Tanner and Kathy have competed together as a team for several years and know each other’s style and strengths. After making the final cut to the Top 10, they were in the finals! Luckily, they were called out to sort in the #10 spot, giving them the advantage of knowing exactly what cow they were to cut 1st and exactly how many cattle we needed to be World Champions and they DID IT! Kathy also rode another class of Western Heritage with a dear friend from South Carolina, Beth Lindler, where they finished 5th in the World. The combination of both of those class finishes put her in the High Point position at the end of the day to win the World Championship saddle!
The courage to act on that whim and head back to Fort Worth brought all of Kathy’s preparation and learning together, giving her the opportunity to run into that “luck”, accomplishing a long time goal – Congratulations Kathy and Kat! For more information: RSNC https://www.rsnc.us/ and find ERSA on Facebook under Evergreen Ranch Sorting Association. Heather McWilliams (c) 2019
