Thirteen-Year-Old Team Penner Dominates at Days of '47

Cali Saggione, 13-year-old girl from New Boston, Texas, wins more in the team penning showcase than the women of professional rodeo. Cali pulls off back-to-back wins under the lights of the Days of '47 Rodeo.

Niki Saggione Facebook

The Days of '47 Rodeo hosted the United States Team Penning Assocation (USTPA) during its performances.

Team Penning consists of 30 cattle in an arena. The 30 cattle are numbered 0-9 for a total of three cows per number. The team consists of three riders. The three riders cross a foul line, and the announcer calls out a number. The three riders must take three cows of their designated number to a pen at the other end of the arena where they then call for time.

The main two parameters of the sport consist of a time limit (60 seconds) and "trash rule." The trash rule means that no other cow besides that team's designated number can cross the foul line. If a trash cow crosses the line, the result is a no time.

The first night of team penning action on Friday, July 12, started off rather rough. Due to fresh cattle in an unfamiliar settling, the first night of team penning action saw no times in the All Pro class (invitational only).

Louie Saggione, Robb Hanshaw, and Samantha Smith won the Open Team Penning on Saturday for a total of $3,315. A few days later, Louie Saggione's oldest daughter, Cali, stole the show on Monday night.

The young superstar made three of the four teams for the #16 Elite class finals. Cali finished first, second, and fourth. Her share of the winnings totaled $3,908. To put into perspective, the winner of each performance in the barrel racing wins $2,000. The stellar cowgirl also brought home a new saddle for her stand-out performance.

Cali's winning team from the #16 Elite class earned her a seed in the team penning cup. Along with her teammates, Ryan Smith and Michael McLean, they qualified through the bracket system for another opportunity to compete in front of the crowd at the Days of '47.

They executed once more, pulling off back-to-back wins! Seeing that Salt Lake City deems itself the "World's Only Gold Medal Rodeo," Cali and her teammates received trophy medal cups for winning the finale.

The Texas cowgirl rode Frosted Hash "Ruby," owned by Bob and Kate Jamison, and HF Chewy "Chewy" for her rides throughout the week. A decade separates Ruby, a four-year-old mare by Hashtags, and the "go-to, old faithful" Chewy, a fourteen-year old gelding.

Cali credits teammate, Ryan Smith, with helping her to handle nerves. Cali says that Ryan reminded her that "It's just another run."

With the exception of the Denver Stock Show, team penning typically lacks spectators. The Days of '47 gives members of USTPA a unique opportunity to compete in front of a large crowd. Cali says that the amount of people "adds to the intensity and adrenaline" that already comes from competing.

Cali fits the bill of being the oldest sibling. By far, she is the most soft-spoken Saggione kid and leads by example. She excels far beyond the team penning arena. While maintaining her grades, she also helps to care/ride horses at her parent's business LS Performance Horses, and even makes time to dominate on the basketball court.

Cali leaves Salt Lake City to compete in West Monroe, La., at the USTPA Elite Team Penning Finals. Competition kicks off Friday, July 26, and the now richer cowgirl is primed to continue her winning ways.