While cutting horses are naturally athletic and “cowy,” sorting demands new skills: moving through multiple cattle, following rider cues first, and mastering the sorting gate pattern. Open ranch sorter and Ride TV coach Kody Ward follows three steps to make the transition smoother.
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1. Reintroduce Forward Movement Through the Herd
Even horses that have spent years in the cutting pen need to relearn how to move confidently through groups of cattle.
“The number one thing that I start out with is loping through the cattle: figure-eighting the herd and getting comfortable moving forward through the cows,” Ward says, explaining the drills he uses to start a new sorting horse.
These exercises help shift the horse’s mindset from focusing on a single cow to navigating multiple cows calmly and confidently.
2. Teach the Horse to Listen to the Rider Before the Cow
Cutting horses are innately reactive: they are bred to chase or hook onto the first cow that moves. However, in ranch sorting, the horse must prioritize the rider’s commands above the actions of the cows.
Without this discipline, the horse may try to chase the wrong cow, creating mistakes in the sorting pen. Using drills with exercises that involve drawing back, turning, and moving forward—sometimes even pulling the horse away from a cow and reconnecting—reinforces that the rider controls the action.
3. Introduce the Sorting Gate Pattern Step-by-Step
Even highly experienced horses must learn the pattern and mechanics of holding the gate before adding speed.
“We’ll dry-work it and make sure they know the pattern,” Ward explains. “Then we add a cow, work the cow for a second, pull them away and repeat this process.”
Once the horse is confident with the pattern at a slow pace, multiple cows and realistic sorting scenarios are introduced.
Ending each session positively is also key. Ward stresses that the horse should leave the pen wanting more, rather than frustrated, which preserves their willingness to learn.