A Rodeo for Kids

Our local rodeo has a 4-day run--the first day is Family Night, a free event sponsored by a local bank branch.  Events are available for children aged 2-16 years. This year, 138 children participated.  Winners of the various events earn a beautiful buckle; this year, a 5-year-old girl won two buckles, both in events on horseback.  It's an extremely popular evening. The animals involved include goats, sheep, cows, and horses.

This little one would like to hold the rope which has a goat on the other end.

One heat of the popular stick horse race; watching the parents is half the fun.

Rodeo royalty always have the job of handling the reluctant goats.

This little boy just had his 2nd birthday; he really didn't understand the object of the "race" was to untie the ribbon tied around the goat's tail.  I LOVE the look he is giving his dad while others are trying to help him do what he came for! 

Mom explains what to do by showing him a video; he runs so happily...and he pets the goat!

This 10-year-old rode her horse from the end of the arena, jumped off, grabbed the goat's tether and wrestled it to the ground.  Then she "hog-tied" the goat's 4 legs so it couldn't kick free in 10 seconds. (She won a buckle!)

"Dummy roping" --the goal is to throw a loop over the dummy steer's horns or head. 

"Mutton busting" involves trying to ride a sheep with only a rope to hang onto. She yelled the entire ride.

As he came out of the chute, he slipped to the side; the outcome became obvious in the next few steps.

This 5-year-old participated in the stake race.

I call this "Grandpa fail" because the grandson hit the dirt when the pony's saddle came off!

Later evening events included the barrel race...riding a horse in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels in a timed event.  It was decided that the horses didn't like the white barrels!

This 5 year old rode a horse to win the age group in pole bending and barrels.