Grab your cowboy boots and hat for the first, and maybe best, rodeo in the area. The Neal Hermanson Ranch Horse Competition and Memorial Ranch Rodeo and Calcutta will be held Saturday, June 11, at the Richland County Fairgrounds.
Tickets are only $5 with children 5 and under admitted free.
The rodeo has been held each year since 2009 in memory of Neal Hermanson who died in a tragic accident in 2008.
The day starts at 8 a.m. with the Ranch Horse competition. The top winner of the Jr. horse division for horses 5 and younger, and the Sr. horse division for horses 6 and older will earn a handmade saddle by Trent Taylor.
The Novice division features Jr. Youth 13 and under and Sr. Youth for riders 14 to 18. Winners in each division will receive a buckle.
The Neal Hermanson Memorial Ranch Rodeo and Calcutta begins at 2 p.m. The five team events; team branding, team trailering, wild cow milking. team doctoring and bronc riding, promise great action and fun as the cowboys show off their skills. The calcutta for the teams will take place before the rodeo, with the calcutta for the bronc riders taking place just before that event. The winning team qualifies for the NILE in Billings.
Kids can start showing off their rodeo skills early during the mutton bustin’ and ribbon pulling competitions, sponsored by the MonDak Stockgrowers.
Proceeds from the day’s events go to the Empty Saddle Memorial Foundation which was started in 2009 in loving memory of Neal Hermanson and Levi Wisness who were both tragically lost in 2008.
The Empty Saddle Memorial Foundation seeks to honor and memorialize lost loved ones whose lives have been shaped by the bond between horse and rider, and whose character and spirit were thus shaped by their time spent in the lives of their horses. The ESMF motto is “Mend them, Teach them”. The goal and purpose is to help our young folks. This has been and will be carried out through financial aid for medical expenses and educational support through scholarships to recipients. To date the foundation has been able to give out $40,000.
Plan to spend Saturday enjoying the ranch horse competition and ranch rodeo, knowing that your contribution goes towards helping young people in our area.
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