Let's Go to the Rodeo!
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© 2014 Universal Uclick Lasso Up Some Fun from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Let’s Go to the Rodeo! Is going to a rodeo on your list of summer plans this year? Rodeos are Bull rider Tate Stratton comes lots of fun for kids and adults. out of the chute at the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. This week, The Mini Page goes to Every bull has a different the rodeo to find out more about this bucking pattern. Cowboys and entertaining sport. rodeo clowns study the animals to get an idea of how they buck. Rodeo history Some may spin more than An ancestor of the horses we know others, dart to the left or right, or today (Equus) lived on our continent jump straight up in the air. millions of years ago. But at some Bulls weigh around 2,000 point, those early horses crossed a pounds, so bull riding is a dangerous and exciting event. land bridge into Asia and Europe. For many years, there were no horses at all in North America. About 500 years ago, Spanish explorers brought photo by Tom Donoghue, courtesy PRCA horses back to the Rodeo livestock steal the show Americas. They also Horses compete in Bulls are the brought cattle. North nearly every rodeo event. biggest of the American cowboys The most popular type rodeo animals. used horses to round of horse for rodeo is the They are used image courtesy University of Houston Libraries up the wild cattle. An early American quarter horse. only in bull- (“Rodeo” means round- cowboy Rodeo horses require riding events. up in Spanish.) a lot of care. Their exercise includes Steers, or male cattle that have American and Spanish cowboys, or trotting up and down hills to build been neutered, are used for timed vaqueros (vah-CAIR-ohs), learned to their stamina. They must be fed steer wrestling, steer roping and team rope and tie the cattle as they were healthy food and have plenty of water. roping events. herding them. They had to break, or Some horses are bred especially for Calves, or young cattle, are used for tame, wild horses to use them for work. their events. For example, breeders the tie-down roping event. This timed Soon they began competing against raise and train some horses to be event originated with cowboys catching each other in contests of cowboy skills. bucking broncos for bronc riding events. cattle to give them medicine. ® from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Spurs, Meet a Rodeo Clown or metal attachments to cowboys’ Justin Rumford is a rodeo clown. Rodeo boots, must He works from January through clown be dull. November, traveling around the Justin Rumford country to entertain crowds and entertains photo © Lincolnrogers | Dreamstime.com protect cowboys in the ring. He spoke fans at a with The Mini Page about his work. rodeo in What about the animals? MP: What does a rodeo clown do? Colorado in Some people protest that rodeos JR: The rodeo clown helps the 2013. are cruel to animals. announcer entertain the crowd and According to the Professional make sure they have a great time. Rodeo Cowboys Association, it and During the bull riding, the clown photo by Brian Gauck, courtesy PRCA other rodeo organizations work has a serious role. He is called a MP: How did you start clowning? together with breeders and trainers barrelman, and he works inside a JR: I have been involved in rodeo to make sure that rodeo animals are barrel that he can move around. my whole life. I went to college on a cared for humanely. A veterinarian, The barrels we use are made of rodeo scholarship. I started clowning or animal doctor, must be at every aircraft aluminum. They are padded four years ago to try something new. rodeo event to examine animals inside and out and are almost I’ve always been a joker! before their events and to treat any impossible to get hurt in. I have only MP: What should kids know about injured animals. had minor injuries competing, and rodeo? Cowboys are not allowed to be none clowning. JR: I want kids to know about the overly rough with animals during At each rodeo there is only one livestock. Some people say you have to their events. They will be disqualified clown. There are two bullfighters hurt animals to make them buck, but if they break this rule. who take the role of cowboy that is not true at all. Horses and bulls Steers’ horns are wrapped with protection. The bullfighters distract have been bred to buck for the last 75 a protective covering during their the bull (after the rider has fallen off) years. These animals are great athletes events. Straps for bulls and bucking until the cowboy can get to safety. that their owners take great pride in! broncos must be soft. from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick TM Rodeo Ready Resources Y O B W O C L J W K V L Q N R The Mini Page provides ideas for Z D S P U R S K C A B E R A B Basset C B B U L L D O G G E R O E H websites, books or other resources that will help Brown’s you learn more about this week’s topics. S C T R E E T S N N B R P S Q On the Web: Try E L D D A S M W C I U A I R O • prorodeokids.com V A Q U E R O A P G C B N O E • nlbra.com ’n’ N R X V J L L A F G K M G H D • pbskids.org/buster/videos/tx_houston_vid.html Find S P I N C F S L R I G W O C O At the library: B L N A I R A N I R E T E V R Words that remind us of a rodeo are hidden in the block above. Some words • “Rodeo” by Robin Johnson are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if • “Rodeo Clown: Laughs and Danger in the Ring” by you can find: BAREBACK, BARREL, BUCK, BULLDOGGER, CALF, CLOWN, Keith Elliot Greenberg COWBOY, COWGIRL, FALL, HORSE, LIVESTOCK, RIGGING, RODEO, ROPING, SADDLE, SPIN, SPURS, STEER, VAQUERO, VETERINARIAN. ® TM Mini Spy TM Rookie Cookie’s Recipe Mini Spy and Basset Brown are going to a rodeo Roasted Red Pepper Dip competition. See if you can find: You’ll need: q olive q snake q tooth • 1 cup chopped roasted red peppers q safety pin q bell q word MINI • 4 ounces light vegetable cream cheese, softened q q q • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil rolling pin bird question mark • salt and freshly ground black pepper q shark What to do: 1. In a food processor or blender, combine peppers, cream cheese and basil. Puree until smooth. 2. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 3. Serve with jicama or carrot sticks, or other cut-up vegetables. You will need an adult’s help with this recipe. Adapted from “The Robin Takes 5 Cookbook for Busy Families” with permission from Andrews McMeel Publishing (andrewsmcmeel.com). from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick Meet Ella Linnea Wahlestedt Ella Linnea Wahlestedt stars as Emma in the movie “Earth to Echo.” She has acted in several movies, TV shows and commercials. Ella, 15, was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and moved to the United States when she was 6. When she was 10, she became a skilled gymnast. One day, her gymnastics photo by Peter Iovino, © 2013 Relativity Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved coach didn’t show up, so she went to an acting class instead. She was excited by the idea of acting and entered a performing arts middle school. She also enjoys singing, hiking, writing and photography. Ella speaks Swedish, Spanish and English. She supports charities that work to provide safe drinking water for people. from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick TM TM Mighty Doris Chen Funny’s Mini Jokes Goldie The University of Southern California fields one of the best All the following jokes have something in common. Can you Goodsport’s teams in women’s collegiate golf, and junior Doris Chen has Supersport played a large role in the Trojans’ recent success on the golf guess the common theme or category? course. But Chen, a three-time All-America selection, had something other than golf on her mind recently. Honor: What kind of horse does a Last year, Doris’ mother, Yuh-Guey (YU-gway) Lin, was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. She would undergo surgery ghost like to ride? and chemotherapy in an effort to fight the disease. Doris found Harry: Nightmares! it hard to concentrate on birdies and pars while her mom was fighting for her life. But Lin did fight back — and she was declared cancer-free. Hubert: Why is it hard to identify horses The relief for Chen was evident in her play. At the NCAA from the back? Height: 5-6 Women’s Golf Championships in May, Chen helped her team to Birthdate: Hilda: Because they keep switching their tails! 3-3-93 a second-place finish in the team competition and captured the Hometown: individual national title with a 6-under-par score over four days.