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The Outside Circle: Ranch rodeos, ranch roping, bronc rides & county fairs

Jan Swan Wood

It’s finally looking like summer. The verdant green of the early summer has started to turn gold as the grass cures. We’ve sure had a good year here. No complaints.

A friend sent some pictures of him raking hay with a team of horses and a dump rake. Not much fuel being consumed by that kind of horsepower! He feeds with them in the winter, too, plus uses them for fencing and anything else that he can. Pretty efficient way to operate if you like working horses. Kind of nice to see someone’s horses working for him instead of the other way around!

I want to extend my condolences to the family of Marge Linklater, long-time Hulett, WY rancher. She and her husband Art ranch on Sourdough Creek northwest of Hulett, and are wonderful stewards of their land and cattle. Marge could do anything on the ranch, from ride to repairing machinery. They raised their four daughters to be good hands, too. Good neighbors, good friends and she will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Marge.



There will be a ranch rodeo and pitchfork fondue at Edgemont, SD on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 5-7 p.m. There will be two arenas going at the same time, so the action will be great. Edgemont is a beautiful place to go, with great facilities, so this should be a good time for all. Call Tim Allen for details at 605-786-2975. He may not be the contact person, officially, but he’s the announcer, so I’m sure he can help you out.

The PBR will be in Billings, MT, for the 16th year for the NILE PBR Invitational. It will be at the Metrapark, Aug. 5-7. Tickets are only $10 and you can get yours online at http://www.metrapark.com or call 406-256-2422.



The Faith Stock Show will be having a Match Bronc Ride on Wednesday, Aug. 10. It will feature 25-30 of the top WNFR and local bronc riders matched against WNFR broncs. There are lots of other great events happening during the Faith Stock Show and Rodeo that week/weekend, so head to the Prairie Oasis and have a great time.

On Aug. 11 at 7 p.m., there will be the Professional Rough Stock Rodeo Series at the Roundup Grounds, Belle Fourche, SD. It’s the Bull and Bronc Classic and will feature top rough stock riders and stock.

A fire destroyed the equine lab at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, this past week. No one was hurt and the horses were all safely relocated without injury. The facility is a complete loss. An investigation is underway to determine the cause.

At the Ogden Pioneer Days, Ogden, UT, Nikki Steffes, Vale, SD was third in the barrels. At Wahoo, NE, Kyle Whitaker, Chambers, NE, took the all-around with money won in steer wrestling, saddle broncs, and tie-down roping (must not have a barrel horse), plus he won the steer wrestling.

The all-around was won at Steamboat Springs, CO, by Kyle Callaway, Gillette, WY, with checks pulled in steer wrestling and team roping.

At Spanish Forks, UT, Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, SD, won the saddle broncs. The steer wrestling average was won by Todd Suhn, Hermosa, SD, while his little cousin, Jake Rinehart, Highmore, SD, tied for second. Jake then won the average in steer wrestling up the road at the Days of ’47 at Salt Lake City, UT. He also was first in round one and second in round two with a 7.4 on two steers. Also at SLC, UT, Steven Dent, Mullen, NE, won the all-around and tied for first in the barebacks.

Congratulations to all the region’s high school rodeo contestants at the National High School Finals in Gillette, WY. Over 1,500 contestants competed there, so placing was quite an accomplishment. More results are elsewhere in the paper.

The NHSRA Finals will be moving over to the opposite corner of Wyoming for 2012 when Rock Springs hosts it. They picked up the host job when Springfield, IL, had to back out due to financial difficulties. I assume it will be in Rock Springs for the next three years.

There will be a Ranch Roping at Brannaman Arena, Sheridan, WY on Sept. 24-25. Enter at 8 a.m., rope at 11 a.m. on Saturday, 10 a.m. on Sunday. There are Open, Intermediate, and Youth Divisions. You can camp there, but bring your own weed-free hay. You go 10 miles south of Sheridan on I-90 and turn at Exit 33 on Meade Creek Road, then go east about two miles. Watch for an indoor arena and a big green hay shed and a sign. What a pretty place for a ranch roping. It would sure be worth the trip to go rope or even just to watch.

Belle Jackpot will be held Aug. 3, 10 and 17. Exhibitions at 5 p.m., with events starting at 6 p.m. There’s barrels, poles, goat tying, goat tail untying, tie-down roping and team roping. There’s even the occasional impromptu bronc ride, so come on over to Belle Fourche and spend the evening at the Roundup Grounds.

Lots of county fairs going on around the country. That’s true family entertainment! Go and watch all the livestock shows and look at the exhibits. It’s a nice way to have a taste of the good old days while supporting a great tradition.

My circle was a little shorter this week, but we still saw a lot of country. Be sure and send me anything you want mentioned and the results of your events. I’m always glad to hear from you and help you promote an event.