Mutton Bustin'

    This week Cooper got to experience something new and exciting. He participated in the Mutton Bustin' at a local rodeo. We saw the ad for the competition in the paper and thought it would be fun for him, so we mentioned it to him and he said he wanted to do it.
     A week passed and we didn't talk about it again and then when Cooper overheard Dalton and I mentioning it to each other he spoke up and said "I want to ride a bucking sheep!" He was pretty set on the idea so we thought we'd give it a go. The tryouts for the rodeo were this Tuesday, so we practiced at home and at GG and Papa's to get ready. He would get onto Dalton and Garrett's back and hold on like a little monkey while they ran as fast as they could on their hands and knees around the room. It was very very entertaining!

     Tuesday dawned and we asked Cooper one more time if he wanted to ride the 'bucking sheep.' He said yes and so that evening we all loaded up and headed to Jacksboro, picking up Mere Mere and Popsey on the way. Jett was kind enough to lend Cooper his spurs for the big event and Cooper made sure to wear his belt and cowboy hat.

The cowboys waiting on the fence.

     We pulled in and signed him up. The tryouts were for anyone 6 years and under, with the top 15 coming back to the rodeo, top 5 Saturday, next 5 Friday, lowest 5 Thursday. We went in with the assumption that we wouldn't be coming back to the rodeo. He is only 3 after all.

Getting some tips from Daddy

     After he got signed up we waited and watched the others go. There only wound up being about 20 kids, but we were towards the end. Cooper watched intently with Dalton and Popsey as the other kids rode and Ace laughed and laughed each time a sheep ran by.

 Finally it was his turn. He put the vest and helmet on and Dalton helped him get on the sheep in the chute. I was a little nervous, hoping he'd do good and enjoy the ride. Camera ready I waited for him to come out of the chute.

Watching one last one go

     He did and rode the sheep a little ways before crashing down and doing a little sort of flip. He seemed a little stunned when he got up and wouldn't say much, but he also seemed happy. We gave him a big thumbs up and high 5 and headed back towards Mere Mere and Ace. He had a victory juice box while we waited to see if we were coming back.

 Go, go go!!

That was hard work!

     When the announcer started calling names we were surprised to hear "Cooper P" for Friday night! Woo hoo! That meant he made it into the top 10. His time was 2.7 seconds.

     We celebrated with some Mexican food and then headed home and waited for Friday to arrive, hoping that he didn't change his mind about wanting to ride another bucking sheep in the real rodeo.

      

      On Friday evening we loaded up and headed to Jacksboro. We were a little confused because the people told us to be there at 7:30 but the paper said the rodeo didn't start until 8. We figured that we just needed to be there early, but in reality the mutton busting was at 7:30. We got a hamburger in Graham and took our time getting to the rodeo grounds. We pulled in about 7:15 and were walking to the entry when we heard "Mutton Busters come to the chutes please." What?? We split up and Dalton and Cooper quickly headed to the front while Ace and I used the restroom and found our seats, with Popsey, Mere Mere and Nana.

     I barely got my camera out before they were suiting them up in vests and helmets, getting ready to ride. They called Cooper's name over the loudspeaker and it was so neat! Dalton got him fitted and he went second….not much time to prepare at all!

Suiting up for the big ride

     Unfortunately his sheep took a hard left out of the chute, making it really hard for him to hang on, so  he only lasted 2.1 seconds this time. (In his defense it was a bad draw ; ) He was a little shook up from not having time to prepare and the quick, wild ride, but he was fine once he got to Dalton.

"Alright, good job buddy!"

     We waved him over and he strutted up the stairs with his spurs a jangling on the metal bleachers. He was proud of his accomplishment but glad it was over I think. When we got to looking at him we found that he had some of the sheep wool in his spur! This was a hit with the guys….Cooper spurred that sheep all the way down.

  Shortly after, Cooper's friends showed up and so we had some more people to enjoy the rodeo with. It was a pretty good rodeo…Cooper's favorite event was still the bucking horses. Ace liked looking through the holes in the bleachers that he could fall through.

      About mid-way through came the calf scramble so Cooper and his friend went out to participate. When all the kids took off Cooper just stood there, confused. Finally he got the hang of it and ran around with the others. It was good practice for the Teague Rodeo July 4th.

Cooper's just now figuring out what to do

      Shortly after it was time to move the boys. They were getting restless and loud, so we walked down  the arena a bit and stood by the fence, letting the boys run around in the grass. I also found a frog and pointed him out to them, and that kept them busy for a while.

Watching the team roping

Frog in the hat!!   

     We finally left with only a couple of bulls still to buck. We loaded up our bucking sheep rider and his trusty sidekick and headed home, happy with the fun and new experience we got to have as a family. Now I'm, I mean Cooper's, looking forward to September when Cooper can ride again!

"For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Peter 2:25