Some of the areas newest cowboys and cowgirls took to the arena Friday morning at the CenturyLink Center for the Rough-N-Ready Rodeo.
The event gave 70 special needs kids a chance to experience what it's like to rope a calf, ride a horse, and stay on a bull for eight seconds.
Each child is paired with a professional cowboy or cowgirl who helps them make the rounds to different events in different parts of the arena. Events included horseback riding, stick horse barrel racing, simulated bull riding, and calf roping.
Five-year-old Evan Baatz got some one-on-one instruction in calf roping while his grandmother Janet Baatz took pictures.
“It's a great thing for the kids to experience all this fun stuff,” said Janet Baatz. “They have tons of volunteers who are just showing everybody where to go and what to do. I mean this is a big deal for these kids. They don't get to do stuff like this.”
Theo Robinson brought her daughter, Chelsea.
“We are having a blast,” said Robinson. “This is so much fun. We haven't done it before. And we have just had a great time with all the different events and stuff. She loves horseback riding, so this is right up her alley.”
The Rough-N-Ready Rodeo is part of the River City Rodeo and Stock Show.
