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irst and foremost, I Thank you to the U.S. Army Fwould like to express our for their assistance and sincerest thoughts and prayers support of this event. The true to the families, friends and American Heroes that walk, colleagues dealing with the work and live among us in our devastation left behind by community from Fort Benning Hurricane Florence. Let us were not only vital to the all please continue to keep success of this event, but are everyone affected by this vital part of the Russell County storm in our prayers as they community. I urge you to join begin to recover and rebuild. me in supporting our military in their constant and needed We hope this years Stampede role of insuring the protection Rodeo will be a great of all Americans and our way experience for you and your of life here and abroad. Our family. Not only is it our local soldiers are the best in desire to entertain you but the world and I am honored also delight you in knowing to know, work and live with that your presence benefits us them. HOOAH!!! in several ways. The Sheriff’s office part of the proceeds I would like to extend a will be rotated each year very special thanks and between local charities in appreciation to the companies Russell County and Employee and individuals who have Appreciation Week at the donated money, time and Russell County Sheriffs Office. resources to make this a successful rodeo for everyone, The deputies and staff within and please remember to the Russell County Sheriffs patronize our advertisers Department are profoundly within the pages of this committed to our citizen’s program guide whenever safety and well being. We possible. Your patronage will are a full service community help keep their businesses in oriented office that stands and around Russell County ready at all times to be of thriving and continually assistance to YOU. Growing Stronger! I’d like to thank my staff of deputies and co-workers Everyone worked very hard, for everything they did but none of this would have above their normal duties been possible without the and commitments to help Cowboys & the Cowgirls me to get this Rodeo event participating in this event. underway. I am ever thankful My BIGGEST Thanks To The and very proud of my entire Contestants!! department. Thank ya’ll sincerely! Sheriff Heath Taylor Sheriff Heath Taylor
Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor and the men and women of the Russell County Sheriff’s Office are proud to host the Special Needs Rodeo Event.
I would first like to thank the many people and business sponsors that are crucial to the success of the Special Needs Rodeo. Our volunteers look forward to this event each year and are very proud to be apart of it. This year, they have gone out of their way to donate their time and resources so that we can provide our citizens with special needs; a fun and unique Stampede Rodeo of their own.
Our special needs people are the most precious asset within our community and to our society. They are some of the most deserving people in our community and with the help of our sponsors, the folks at the Stampede Rodeo are able to treat them to their very own rodeo along with games, face painting and lunches. All events are modified and take place so everyone can be involved and there are no boundaries of what our special needs citizens can achieve, as long as we help them believe. Their abilities are endless when we give them the opportunity.
It has taken a lot of work and determination to get it going, but this day isn’t about work or the energy expended to accomplish such a feat, it’s the reward they give back to us in their laughter and their smiles. The energy of their excitement beams through each heartfelt hug that they give us during the rodeo event, at every chance they get. The real truth is; we enjoy being with them and experiencing the gratitude of life on a level like you just cannot imagine. They fill our hearts with every good emotion and feeling that comes from being with our very special, special needs citizens.
I entered into law enforcement to make a difference and to help people. One of the most thankful moments in my career is the ability to offer such a fun and exciting sense of accomplishment in the Special Needs Stampede Rodeo event for such amazing people. Being around these special folks have enabled me and my staff to realize that all of us may be a little different and come from different backgrounds, but kindness and happiness is not just desired by everyone; It is essential in all of our lives.
The shear joy and happiness that we can offer during this event for these outstanding citizens,. if only for a brief moment of time; is completely worth all the hard work and planning that we pull together to make this invaluable special needs rodeo event; a roaring success for our special needs citizens.
Thank you all for all you have given in this Special Needs Rodeo event, Sheriff Heath Taylor Sheriff Heath Taylor
This event has an interesting history. It originated by a black cowboy named Bill Pickett. One day while riding hard, he became so exasperated trying to cut a wandering steer back to the bunch of cattle that he jumped from his horse’s back onto the steer, grabbed both horns and wrestled him to the ground.
Pickett found this rather dangerous sport fun and continued to practice it at every opportunity. Later, after he began putting on exhibitions of this “bulldogging” at early rodeos, other cowboys began catching on to it. Through the years, the contest has become a popular event in pro rodeo.
The cowboys who compete in steer wrestling generally prefer to ride Quarter Horses because of the breed’s quick starts, intelligence, stamina, agility and natural “cow sense” A bulldogging horse is highly trained put the cowboy into position for him to jump onto a running steer.
In this event another cowboy assists the contestant doing the actual steer wrestling. Called the “hazer”, the second cowboy leaves the starting box with the steer and rides alongside the steer in the arena to keep the animal from turning away from the steer wrestler’s horse. As in the calf roping and team roping events, the steer that gets a head start on the cowboy, gives the animal the advantage and makes it tougher for the cowboy who competes in professional rodeo.
Although the cowboy’s main objective is to stay on the bronc until the eight-second whistle sounds, bareback bronc riding also tests the rider’s ability and skill at spurring the bucking horse during the ride. The ride is scored by two judges, one on each side. The bareback rider is scored by each judge from one to twenty-five points on how well he rides and the horse is scored on the same point scale on how well he bucks. The tougher the bronc bucks, the higher the cowboy scores.
As the horse explodes out of the chute, the cowboy is required by rodeo rules to have his heels over the animals shoulders for the first jump.This action, called “Marking the horse out”, is very important. If the contestant fails to do this, he is automatically disqualified and receives no score. Actually, this position on the horse is natural to the cowboy, who would normally have his feet down at the bronc’s side so he could hold on tighter. But in rodeo, the animal gets the advantage!
Other things which may disqualify the rider is being bucked off before the eight second limit and touching himself an the bronc with his free hand.
Contrary to what many people may believe, most bucking horses are usually not vicious outlaws motivated to buck by their hatred of humans, In fact, many are very friendly to people when they are out in the pasture or in corrals, and are rather gentle,..so long as you are not on their backs! Candace is a lifelong cowgirl; she started in the 2018 AQHA world show. showing horses and running barrels at the age of nine and hasn't stopped since. As Candace owns and operates M-Y Horses a youth competitor she won many rodeos where she breeds and shows American and shows, including winning regional 4-H Quarter Horses. This year she showed high point and placing in the state 4-H locally with the State Line Horseman’s competition. Candace also competed in Association. If you have an interest in high school rodeo, and went on to become horses, Candace encourages you to get a member of the Sam Houston State in touch with your local riding club, she University Rodeo Team. welcomes anyone with a passion for horses to get out and experience it for yourself! After hanging up her competitive spurs She is also a member of the Russell County for a while, obtaining a graduate degree, Cattleman’s Association and enjoys sharing and getting married; Candace reemerged the experiences of farm, and rural life with as a competitive mounted shooter. She others. currently competes in Cowboy Mounted Shooting with both the Cowboy Mounted In her free time, Candace enjoys traveling, Shooting Association, and American reading, and volunteering with Quarter Horse Association. In 2015 she The Bullpen Weigh Station and Sanctuary, a finished in the top 25 at the AQHA world large breed dog rescue. championships and has qualified compete 2018 Stampede Rodeo Queen; Candace
Bailey Tart is and 18 year old graduate from has supported her dreams; and she can’t Smiths Station. She’s been around horses thank him enough for that. Bailey is also a since she was young old and started riding very proud younger sister to her brother, at three years old. Bailey said that when Grandin Tart, who is currently serving in she wasn’t in school she spent her time in our U.S. Navy. Though they are apart they the saddle. She even has started working still have a strong connection and she with her own foal. Bailey participates in misses him greatly. Family is a big part of rodeos on her horse Beauty; they compete Bailey’s life and she’s proud of that. She in barrel racing and pole bending. While enjoys the endless love and laughter they participating in rodeos and going to school, offer. In the future, Bailey hopes to own a farm Bailey also works at Country’s Barbeque as where she can teach young riders how to a server. Bailey is also a proud member of ride and gain confidence with their horses. the Russell County Cattlemen’s Association. She also hopes to offer horse training, Bailey explained that her Pawpaw is the selling, and boarding. Equine Vet is the skill reason she fell in love with horse. They set Bailey hopes to progress in while she both share a strong passion for the horses. is attending college. With an Equine Vet He taught her that with strength and degree, Bailey hopes to be able to care and passion any challenge or obstacle she met provide for her own herd of horses and her could be changed for the better. Bailey’s customer’s. Bailey is excited to see what Pawpaw has always been there for her and the future holds for her. 2018 Jr. Miss. Stampede Rodeo Queen; Bailey
In this event, Cowgirl Breakaway Calf Roping is a variation of tie-down calf roping. It is also an extremely popular womens event. In the rodeo arena, a breakaway roper teams up with a highly trained horse for uncompromising team work. One misstep by horse or rider can waste valuable fractions of a second, which is often all that separates the winners from the losers.
The calf is given a head start and must trip a barrier string before the rider may give chase. If the rider leaves the roping box before the barrier string is broken, she is assessed a ten second penalty, which can mean the difference between winning and losing. Once in the arena, the rider must chase and rope the calf, but instead of dismounting her horse, she reins it to a sop as the calf continues to run out the slack in the calf rope. The “Breakaway” calf rope is attached to the saddle horn by a thin string. As the running calf places tension on the rope, the string breaks. At that moment, the flag drops and time is called and recorded.
The cowgirl’s time begins when she crosses the starting line in the arenas, where she may run to eater the right or the left barrel first. Time ends when the contestant has completed the cloverleaf pattern and raced back to the finish line. If she knocks a barrel down, a five second penalty is added to her time. To protect her legs against bruises from tipped barrels, many barrel racers wear protective padding and knee guards.
Top barrel horses are usually Quarter horses, bred for their athletic ability, agility, quickness and speed at short distances. Some girls prefer a Quarter Horse with thoroughbred blood mixed in for extra speed and more explosive disposition. Still others can be seen chasing on Paints, Appaloosas or non- registered horses. Whatever the breed, barrel horses are extensively trained and only the very best animals can turn in winning times consistently. This equine athlete must run flat out, check itself at full speed and make a 180 degree turn around a barrel, then run hard again to the next barrel. The timing is so exact in this event that it requires an exceptional athlete, as winners are often decided by a mere thousandth of a second. The cost of a proven barrel horse may run well into the five figure range.
Barrel racing is often referred to as the “Glamor event” of rodeo because it combines beautifully dressed cowgirls, powerful good-looking horses, and fast exciting action. Rodeo surveys have shown that this is constantly one of the favorite events of the rodeo crowds throughout the country.
The skill of the two cowboys working as a team to immobilize a steer weighing up to 1000 pounds has been an age-old practice on working cattle ranches. By roping both the head and the heels of an animal, the cowboys should safely handle the animal for branding or doctoring without endangering either the rider or steer. Team ropers do not tie their saddle horns as do calf ropers. Instead, after they rope the fleeing steer they wrap, or “dally”, the end of the rope around the saddle horn to hold the steer.
The clock starts when the steer and the ropers leave the box, allowing the steer a head start. If the heeler leaves too soon and “breaks the barrier”, a ten second penalty is added to their time. When both ropers have made the catch and stopped their horses, holding the steer, the clock stops.
The steer is not thrown in team roping, another difference from calf roping. One cowboy, known as the “header”, ropes the steer’s horns, dallies his rope around his saddle horn, then turns the steer away from his partner who must rope his heels. The “heeler” must throw his loop with precision timing to catch both the steer’s legs. If the heeler only catches one leg, a five second penalty is added to their time. Since timing is much more important than raw strength in this event, many women have become involved in the sport and are taking their place at the pay window along side the cowboys.
Paid for by Tom Whatley for Senate, P.O Box 841, Auburn, AL. 36831
The Sports Writers of America voted Bull Riding “The Most Dangerous Sport in America!” A few years ago, This rodeo event poses more outright danger to the contestant than any other sport in the nation. It is also a popular cowboy event and draws more entries than any other single event at many rodeos each year.
Even if the cowboy makes his ride to the eight-second whistle, he’s not out of the woods yet. Because of the tightly-drawn rope, often wrapped around his hand, he my find himself “hung-up” and should he be thrown off the animals back, and his weight pulling against the rope may prevent it from coming loose. Then the clown dashes in to run alongside the bucking bull in an effort to free the bull rider. Even if the cowboy has a clean dismount and jumps off, he may still have problems, especially if he stumbles or falls, since most bulls will charge a man on the ground. Once again, the rodeo clown moves in to distract the animal so the rider can run for the fence. Sometimes, however, the bull gets the cowboy first!
As in other rough events, two judges score the ride on the rider’s style and the bull’s bucking ability.
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