Kids can lace up their boots and saddle their horses this weekend, and maybe catch a few goats while they’re at it.
Smoke Rise Ranch and Resort in Glouster will host an installation of their Family Rodeo Series Saturday. The series, which is held on weekends throughout the year, offers young riders a chance to experience rodeo firsthand.
“We take an opportunity to actually teach some of our younger people ... their proper horsemanship and how to contest,” Pete Winner, a wrangler at the ranch, said.
Shae Charlie, who has attended the Family Rodeo “too many times to remember”, said the series provides a true to life experience.
“It lets them know what the rodeo is like,” she said.
The ranch hosts more than rodeos — cabins and campground areas are available as well as individual horseback riding lessons. Horse rentals are available for the family rodeo, but Winner encouraged those that own horses to bring them.
“We give them an opportunity to really build a relationship with their horse, but they also have fun at the same time,” he said.
Winner emphasized that fun plays a crucial part in the experience.
“It’s fun for the kids and they have a great time, and we get a chance to teach them some of the experiences that we’ve learned over time working with horses,” he said.
A prime example of the significance the ranch staff places on fun are some of the different events available. While the rodeo features traditional events, such as pole bending and barrel racing, other events are often kid-favorites.
Charlie said the kids enjoy goat tying, which involves riding to the end of the arena, catching a tethered goat and tying three of its legs together. Goat tying serves to teach young riders the basic techniques of classic steer roping.
Winner said a personal favorite of his is the aptly named egg and spoon, where riders must keep an egg balanced on a spoon. At the end, the kids and ranch workers have an egg fight.
“We have to tell the kids to make sure that they crack their eggs on the horn of their saddle first, because they’re like a big rock,” Winner said. “We don’t want to get hit with a rock.”
Winner said although the Family Rodeo Series is an amusing and pleasant event, it genuinely prepares young people to compete in rodeos as adults.
“This gives them the opportunity to … get to be like the big guys, like all those cowboys running around here, wearing belt buckles and winnings ribbons and trophies,” he said. “It gives them an opportunity to be part of that lifestyle.”
