CALF_News_August_September_2020

28 CALF News • August | September 2020 • www.calfnews.net with EC Cattle Co., of Santo, Texas. Second place was Burns Ranch of Hen- rietta, Texas. Third place was Tongue River Ranch out of Paducah, Texas. The Top Hand was Colten Mayo of Burns Ranch. The Top Horse was SR Surprise Party ridden by Robert Frost. In conjunction, Range Riders con- ducted an open rodeo. McCloy Rodeo of Morse, Texas, provided stock for both rodeos.“Most people had never seen an open rodeo and ranch rodeo combined – and it worked,” Rich says. The open competition included a 30-head bronc riding spectacle on opening night. In between runs were special events, including a first responder calf tying.“This was one of the best parts of the weekend,” says Morrison, a past International Rodeo Cowboys Association champion team roper. “We had 12 local firefighters and law enforcement officers competing. Most had never tried to rope or tie a calf. They all had a great time. With the many things happening to first responders, it was our way of showing them how much we respect them and the things they do to keep us safe.” Each rodeo performance featured the traditional grand entry and the Range Riders Lady Drill Team. Opening ceremonies were highlighted by a salute to veterans. Representatives of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy gathered in the arena. The veterans included Admiral Ronny Jackson, USN, Retired, former White House doctor for President Donald Trump and the Republican nominee for Texas Congressional District 13. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Rich says.“Nothing was more important than recognizing veterans in attendance, thanking them, other veterans and active duty personnel every- where for the service they provide to our country.” Colt Starting Challenge To expand the Western Heritage theme, Ranger Riders added a Colt Starting Challenge to the festivities. The Colt Challenge is similar to the Road to the Horse program that identifies top horses and horsemen and women. In just a few hours, contestants gentle the horse, start and ride unbroken horses.“Contestants can quickly tame, and then ride an un-broke horse using Natural Horsemanship tech- niques,” according to the Range Riders rodeo program. The six fillies donated for the challenge were from the JA Ranch, JM Birdwell, Mikael Nixon, David Williams and Rockin’ JM Performance Horses. Contestants were Chance Gainer, Dusty Burson, Clint Gregory, Obbie Schlom, Gatlin Duncan and Taylor Coon. Judges were Joe Wolter, Jeff Williams and Buster McLaury. After the competition, the horses were auctioned off, with the average price for each approaching $4,000. Proceeds from the auction went the WRCA Foundation and Will Rogers Range Riders Foundation. “The Colt challenge attracted more people than we had hoped for,” Morrison says.“Our indoor bleachers were packed for nearly all sessions. We wanted to provide families with many ranch-related activities. The Colt Challenge provided that and will be part of upcoming Range Riders rodeos.” Sponsors, volunteers step up Rich had experience in recruiting volunteers to make a rodeo happen. He was among those who secured major sponsors to get the WRCA Championship Rodeo started 25 years ago. He and many of his Range Rider friends got the Amarillo area interested in getting the “real deal” championship rodeo off the ground. They wanted to acknowledge true working cowboys and their way of life. He and the new team pulled similar strings for the 2020 event.“Amarillo area businesses and organizations are known for helping support events that promote our area,” Rich explains.“They did just that for Range Riders.” Major sponsors included Budweiser, Cavender’s, Coolhorse, KC Graphics, Kimrad Transport, Street Toyota and Volk- swagen, Tyson, United Supermarkets and WRCA. Dozens of other sponsors helped make the rodeo a success. To add more flair, Rich and the team built an outdoor dance floor with a custom roof – free of charge. All design, engineer- ing, lumber and other materials, electrical, insulation, concrete and roofing were donated, not to mention nearly all labor. “Fellow Range Rider Guy Bell and I talked about wanting a dance hall years ago,” Rich says.“We reached out to various local companies. They provided goods and services to build this new dance hall. Numerous businesses, individuals and Range Riders members supported this project.”  LEFT: Old Glory shines brightly during the Grand Entry. RIGHT: This anti-COVID-19 masked wrangler makes a rough ride to the buzzer. RANGE RIDERS RODEO Continued from page 26