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MAGAZINE COMMITTEE OFFICER IN CHARGE Pam Springer CHAIRMAN Gina Steere VICE CHAIRMEN Copy Editor Samantha Fewox Assignments Editor Ken Scott EDITORIAL BOARD Katie Lyons Melissa Manning Kenneth C. Moursund Jr. Tracy L. Ruffeno Marshall R. Smith III Kristi Van Aken Todd Zucker 2010 RODEOHOUSTONTM Entertainers ... 10 PHOTOGRAPHERS Debbie Porter Lisa Van Etta REPORTERS Sonya Aston Stephanie Earthman Baird Bill R. Bludworth Scott Bumgardner Time In a Saddle is Brandy Divin Never Wasted ... 2 Trail Ride Denise Doyle Education ... 4 Kate Gunn Therapeutic horseback Terrie James riding gives riders new Trail rides preserve Western Sarah Langlois sense of mobility. heritage and increase Show Brad Levy awareness. Lawrence S Levy Becky Lowicki Reading With Elizabeth Martin Expression ... 6 Meet the New Texas Gigi Mayorga-Wark FFA President, Allison Nan McCreary RITE encourages Crystal McKeon students to enjoy reading. Grainger ... 8 Rochelle McNutt Scholarship recipient Grainger Lisa Norwood promotes FFA around Texas. Marian Perez Boudousquié Sandra Hollingsworth Smith The Hideout ... 12 Jodi Sohl From Scholarship Clarissa Webb Enjoy great entertainment Emily Wilkinson in the Hideout. Winner to Committee Chairman ... 14 HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW Former scholarship recipient AND RODEO MAGAZINE COORDINATION Erika Eriksson continues involvement with the Show. MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION Making a Mark on MANAGING DIRECTOR, Business Bootcamp COMMUNICATIONS the World — Fred Turns Veterans Into McClure ... 16 Clint Saunders Entrepreneurs ... 17 COORDINATOR, COMMUNICATIONS Former scholarship Educational program gives veterans the Lauren Rouse winner makes mark in chance to develop their business ideas. DESIGN / LAYOUT public service. Amy Noorian STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Francis M. Martin, D.V. M. Dave Clements Committee Spotlights TheT Cover .... Participants Feed Store ... 19 ofo the Top Hands Information Services ... 19 HorseH Show Spring, Volume XVIII, No. 1, Junior Commercial Steer Feeding haveh often is published quarterly by the beenb described Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. and Management Contest ... 20 Copyright © 2010 Reliant Stadium Committeemen’s Club ... 20 asa the special Letters and comments should be sent to: OlympiansO of the Marketing & Public Relations Division Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo equestriane world. P. O. Box 20070 Rodeo Roundup ... 21 Houston, Texas 77225-0070 832.667.1000 www.rodeohouston.com • www.hlsr.com SHOW OFFICIALS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Charles R. “Butch” Robinson PRESIDENT / C.E.O. Skip Wagner Let’s Rodeo! It’s that time CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER once again. Part of the Leroy Shafer preparation includes issuing badges and credentials to VICE PRESIDENTS C.A. “Bubba” Beasley our volunteers and other David Boothe Show supporters. Recently, Curtis Brenner Show President Skip Brandon Bridwell George A. Buschardt Wagner and I presented Rudy Cano former President George Tom Davis H. W. Bush with his 2010 Andrew Dow James C. “Jim” Epps III badge and annual Show Warner D. Ervin jacket. We are honored to Rey Gonzales have the former president as Tom Lippincott part of the Show family as Ken McGuyer Yance Montalbano an ex-offi cio board member. John Morton ODEO OUSTONTM Steve Roe The full R H Darryl Schroeder lineup, included in this Pam Springer issue, features superstars from nearly all genres of music. There is something for the whole family at the Houston Livestock GENERAL MANAGER Show and Rodeo, from Disney stars to classic country, including fan-favorite Brooks & Dunn. Joe Bruce Hancock No strangers to the rotating stage, Brooks & Dunn will perform for their 19th and fi nal time at EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RODEOHOUSTON as part of The Last Rodeo Tour. Joseph T. Ainsworth, M.D. Jim Bloodworth This issue of “Bowlegged H” Magazine features an article about the Top Hands Horse Show; in Tilman J. Fertitta which you’ll read about how its participants showcase their skills and techniques in competition, Wayne Hollis as well as the benefi ts that hippotherapy, or therapeutic riding, have brought to their lives. Don D. Jordan Stuart Lang We also highlight an entrepreneurship bootcamp, designed to help our country’s post Sept. 11 Jack A. Lyons disabled veterans realize their entrepreneurial dreams. Ed McMahon Louis M. Pearce Jr. Lastly, I hope you enjoy reading about current and former scholarship winners Allison Grainger Charles R. “Butch” Robinson and Erika Eriksson. Grainger settles into her role as the newest Texas State FFA president, while John O. Smith Erkisson continues her dedication to the Show as a second-year chairman of Corral Club — The Paul G. Somerville Keith A. Steffek Hideout Committee. R.H. “Steve” Stevens Join me in saluting our 22,000-plus volunteers who work to make each Show bigger and P. Michael Wells better than the previous year, never forgetting the ultimate goals of benefi ting youth and LIFETIME MEMBERS OF THE education, supporting agriculture, preserving Western heritage, and providing affordable family EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE entertainment. Don A. Buckalew John Causey I look forward to seeing you at Reliant Park for the 2010 Houston Livestock Show and RodeoTM. J.M. “Jim” Clepper Bring your friends, family and co-workers for a great time and an experience like no other. John T. Cook James M. Windham Let’s RODEOHOUSTON! AGRICULTURE ★ Sincerely, EDUCATION ★ ENTERTAINMENT Butch Robinson ★ WESTERN HERITAGE 1 By Gigi Wark orseback riding can be an enjoyable and relaxing The benefi ts of horseback riding are as numerous as the experience for almost anyone who sits in a saddle. types of disabilities and conditions it can help treat. Research HFor those living with physical, emotional, cognitive shows that people who participate in therapeutic riding or social disabilites, learning to ride a horse can be an can experience physical, emotional and mental rewards. enormously liberating experience — as well as a lot of fun. Horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner similar to a human gait; thus, riders with Astride this large and powerful animal, a rider with physical disabilities often show improvement in fl exibility, disabilities experiences a new sense of mobility — the horse balance and muscle strength. is a vehicle of transport and control. This experience not only raises self-esteem but also teaches essential skills such The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ Top Hands Horse as improving balance and creating trust between rider and Show is the brainchild of Sharon Oliver, former chairman horse. of the Special Children’s Committee. Oliver learned about therapeutic riding and witnessed the equestrians at work. She wanted to add that sense of personal pride and competition to the Show. Celebrating its 13th year in 2010, the Top Hands Horse Show started out as a one-day event with 40 riders and a handful of volunteers. Today, more than 200 contestants compete in the event, which now takes place over three days. Riders of all ages and skill levels from therapeutic riding facilities from Houston and the surrounding areas are offered the opportunity to participate in this competitive horse show. It consists of six classes: showmanship at halter, English equitation, Western equitation, trail-obstacle, pole bending and barrel racing. The competition includes divisions based on the assistance needed by the rider, enabiling a variety of riders with different levels of disabilities to participate. Therapeutic riding is for individuals of all ages with a range of physical, emotional, cognitive and social disabilities. Horses are used as a tool for physical therapy, emotional growth and learning. The idea of using a horse as a therapeutic tool was made popular after Liz Hartel, who was diagnosed with polio, won a silver medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Her accomplishment in equestrian sports showed the world how riding helped her recovery from polio. Many riders experience a connection to the horse that few sports can replicate. The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, formed in 1969, trains professionals to support and facilitate equine therapy. It also educates the public and sets national standards for the use of equine therapy, and provides certifi cation to these professionals and to the centers providing the opportunity for this type of exercise and treatment. 2 Jimm Williams, executive director of SIRE, a local therapeutic riding center that participates in the Top Hands Horse Show, shared a story about a child who uses a wheelchair due to severe cerebral palsy and has symptoms of mild autism. She trained on a regular basis for the Top Hands Horse Show, learning to take her horse through an obstacle course — stepping over logs, crossing a bridge, weaving through cones and coming to a stop at a marked spot. Her balance and posture have benefi tted from improvement in muscle tone, and her motor, verbal and cognitive skills have progressed. She was driven to strengthen these areas so she could achieve her goal of pulling the reins and “talking” to her horse. “Accomplishments like these are showcased at Top Hands in a competitive setting,” Williams said. “I think that these athletes take the word ‘dis’ away from ’disabled‘ — they are ‘able’.” The potential of therapeutic riding is unlimited. It has even been used as a rehabilitative tool for wounded U.S. veterans. SIRE began working with wounded veterans two years ago. European countries have long used the power of the horse to help not only people with disabilities but also victims of trauma. Anthony Lipshitz, a third-generation horseman who visited the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, operates a therapeutic riding facility in Judea, Israel. He believes that horses possess an almost mystical effect when interacting with people, especially those with disabilities or those who have suffered some type of trauma. The comprehensive program he developed provides physical, psychological and recreational therapy. During his visit to the Show, he shared a story about a victim of terrorist activity. A woman had lost her husband in an attack against terrorist forces, leaving her alone to raise three young children.

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