Off icialKidsMag.com • MAY & JUNE 2018 • 17
He's not the only one. Kids from around
the region have been training for their
events too.
"As soon as we open up for registration
we will get a flood of entries," he said.
"We've already had calls. The kids take
it very seriously. They are all dressed
up with chaps and boots and hats. The
parents will tell you, the kids practice."
Rodeo of the Ozarks is one of the
largest outdoor rodeos in the country.
Each year the Springdale event attracts
between 30 and 35 thousand competitors
and attendees from around the country.
Rick believes that rodeo fever sets in at
an early age.
"Every kid wants to be a cowboy," he
said. "You run around in your shorts and
cowboy boots and cowboy hat. I think
every kid, boys and girls, go through that.
Sometimes it just sticks."
Each night at Rodeo of the Ozarks
dozens of kids gather at 6 o'clock to
compete in events designed
especially for them.
"We have mutton busting and goat
dressing and a calf scramble," Rick
explained. "Mutton busting is for the
four, five and six-year olds. Goat dressing
is for the seven, eight and nine-year olds.
The calf scramble is a lot of fun too."
Rick said the kid competitions draw a
lot of folks out for the unique events.
For those not familiar with the exciting
events of kid rodeo, Rick outlined the
competitions.
Mutton busting
"Instead of a horse or bull, the kids
ride a sheep," he explained. "The sheep
and kids come out of a chute. They have
a rope on the sheep and the kids climb
on and hold on to the rope. The kids get
judged on who has the best and longest
ride. They get judged and get a big
trophy."
Goat dressing
"Kids have a shirt and a pair of shorts,"
Rick said. "The kids go out as a team
and catch the goat, dress it in the shorts
and shirt and drag it back to a spot in
the arena. It's judged and timed. The first
ones back across the line with the goat
still in pants and a shirt are the winners."
Calf scramble
"In the calf scramble, a ribbon is tied to
a calf's tail," he said. "There are 10 to 15
calves. You have kids on one end of the
arena and the calves on the other end.
You let calves go and the kids chase them
and try to get the ribbon off the tails to
win money."
While bull riding, barrel racing and
bronco busting are long-loved rodeo
favorites, the kid events are a draw too.
"We have people who just want to
come watch the kids," Rick said. "It
is a draw and people love it. We will
bring back the nightly winners to the big
Saturday night show and they get to ride
in front of everybody."
Go to rodeooftheozarks.org for a complete
event schedule, registration information and to
learn more about the event's history.
facebook.com/RodeooftheOzarks
twitter.com/RodeooftheOzarks
2018 SCHEDULE
OF EVENTS
June 23rd • Street Dance
June 23rd
BBQ Western Days
June 27th • Rodeo Parade
June 27th-30th
74th Annual Rodeo of the
Ozarks
June 27th-30th
Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks
Pageant
June 30th • Rodeo Parade
Photos Courtesy
Rodeo of the Ozarks
& NWA
Democrat-Gazette
