YOUR AD HERE »

Events across the region

Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns
For the May 30, 2009 edition of Tri-State Livestock News.

Summer’s here again! We’ve had high 90’s temps already, and by the time you read this your calendar will say “June.” That means Tri-State Country is bursting with horse activities – sales, shows, rodeos, trail rides, you name it. This is the time to enjoy Ol’ Dobbin and all the things you can do together before the snow flies again… and remember, as long as you’re on your horse in the wide open spaces, you’re not dealing with highway construction.

My cowboy and I enjoyed helping gather and trail some 950 head of cows to summer pasture with one of our daywork clients yesterday. I’ve never had the privilege of working with that many cattle and it was a neat experience. It provided a tiny window into what the early cowboys on the big trail drives might’ve seen and done for weeks on end as they covered hundreds of miles. Seeing the grass so green and growing after seven or eight years of severe drought on that historic ranch at the headwaters of the Cheyenne River was rewarding as well. I hope your pastures are flourishing in the same way.

Speakin’ of great events across the region, be sure and take in the “Rose Bowl of College Rodeo” – the exciting College National Finals at Casper, WY, June 14-20. The top cowboys and cowgirls from the Big Sky, Central Plains, Grand Canyon, Great Plains, Northwest, Ozark, Rocky Mountain, Southern, Southwest and West Coast regions of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) will be there to vie for National Championships and school titles. Full information and tickets are available at http://www.cnfr.com/.



If you are a college rodeo alum, you’re invited to take in the 18th Annual Reunion of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumni being held in Casper’s Parkway Plaza Hotel June 19th and 20th. They’ll also have a booth at the CNFR, and are raffling a hand tooled saddle to raise funds for the team scholarships they award annually. For more information, call (602)268-5874or go to http://www.collegerodeoalumni.com.

You barrel racers won’t want to miss the Summer Blast Barrel Bash to be held at the historic Round-Up Grounds in Belle Fourche, SD June 13th and 14th. Details can be obtained at (605)639-9461.



As the rodeo season picks up we think of those who have had life-changing injuries in the arena… now fighting their own private battles mostly out of the spotlight, struggling to regain some sense of normalcy in their lives. One of those quiet heroes is Billie Sutton of Burke, SD and I was delighted to find a great story about him and his recovery in the latest ProRodeo Sports News. Billie’s injury happened when a bronc flipped backward in the chute with him at the ’07 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, ND, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.

He immediately set the goal of walking again, and in the long months since his injury he hasn’t cut himself any slack in the constant pursuit of that goal. That’s consistent with his mental and physical attitude about everything he ever accomplished, a willingness to practice as long and hard as it took to achieve perfection. Billie’s mother Renee Sutton says he doesn’t even consider giving up some of his therapy, declaring “There’s no quit in me.” Billie not only returned to college at the University of Wyoming within three months after his injury; he also extended the offer to help the UW rodeo coach and became an assistant coach for roughstock events. He said, “I’ve always liked helping… We’ve got a lot of young guys who needed some direction as far as the basics go…”

Through therapy programs at Craig Rehabilitation center and therapy in Texas, a personal therapist in Laramie and a couple sessions with the group “Project Walk,” Billie is now able to pedal a momentum bike both forward and backward, and even to start it on his own. This is building muscles and coordination that will help him reach his next goal of standing up. Billie’s wonderful attitude, dedication and toughness are a beacon to others who have experienced similar injuries. We tip our ol’ Tri-State Stetson to you, Billie, continuing prayers for more and more progress until your goals are reached; and we thank you for the hope you’re offering fellow rodeo hands who’ve experienced life-changing injuries.

We try to keep you posted on health issues that can affect your equines… it’s a scary world where viruses are evolving at unheard of rates; and rabies is one that’s doing strange things right now. The Flagstaff, AZ region is under the medical telescope at the moment as specialists believe strains of rabies are mutating from bats to different forms within the species of skunk and fox. Specialists are saying “the strain appears to have mutated so that foxes and skunks are now able to pass the virus on through simple socializing… as humans do the flu virus.” That’s definitely scary! Virologists report this is the fastest adaptation to a new species they’ve ever experienced with rabies, and the state of Arizona is concerned enough to even consider wildlife vaccinations.

Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) has recently been in the spotlight for horses, and continues to be an issue. Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) is another ‘bug’ of great concern because it can affect horses in both respiratory and reproductive areas. Fortunately, EVA cases in this part of the world have declined – enough so that Montana’s State Veterinarian has repealed the 2007 ruling that each stallion or vial of semen had to be tested for EVA before entering the state. Current regulations require notification of the State Vet before any known EVA-carrying or shedding stallion can be imported into Montana. Details are available from Montana Department of Livestock at (406) 444-2043.

Uh-oh, here comes the end of our ol’ lariat rope…

Summer’s here again! We’ve had high 90’s temps already, and by the time you read this your calendar will say “June.” That means Tri-State Country is bursting with horse activities – sales, shows, rodeos, trail rides, you name it. This is the time to enjoy Ol’ Dobbin and all the things you can do together before the snow flies again… and remember, as long as you’re on your horse in the wide open spaces, you’re not dealing with highway construction.

My cowboy and I enjoyed helping gather and trail some 950 head of cows to summer pasture with one of our daywork clients yesterday. I’ve never had the privilege of working with that many cattle and it was a neat experience. It provided a tiny window into what the early cowboys on the big trail drives might’ve seen and done for weeks on end as they covered hundreds of miles. Seeing the grass so green and growing after seven or eight years of severe drought on that historic ranch at the headwaters of the Cheyenne River was rewarding as well. I hope your pastures are flourishing in the same way.

Speakin’ of great events across the region, be sure and take in the “Rose Bowl of College Rodeo” – the exciting College National Finals at Casper, WY, June 14-20. The top cowboys and cowgirls from the Big Sky, Central Plains, Grand Canyon, Great Plains, Northwest, Ozark, Rocky Mountain, Southern, Southwest and West Coast regions of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) will be there to vie for National Championships and school titles. Full information and tickets are available at http://www.cnfr.com/.

If you are a college rodeo alum, you’re invited to take in the 18th Annual Reunion of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumni being held in Casper’s Parkway Plaza Hotel June 19th and 20th. They’ll also have a booth at the CNFR, and are raffling a hand tooled saddle to raise funds for the team scholarships they award annually. For more information, call (602)268-5874or go to http://www.collegerodeoalumni.com.

You barrel racers won’t want to miss the Summer Blast Barrel Bash to be held at the historic Round-Up Grounds in Belle Fourche, SD June 13th and 14th. Details can be obtained at (605)639-9461.

As the rodeo season picks up we think of those who have had life-changing injuries in the arena… now fighting their own private battles mostly out of the spotlight, struggling to regain some sense of normalcy in their lives. One of those quiet heroes is Billie Sutton of Burke, SD and I was delighted to find a great story about him and his recovery in the latest ProRodeo Sports News. Billie’s injury happened when a bronc flipped backward in the chute with him at the ’07 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, ND, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.

He immediately set the goal of walking again, and in the long months since his injury he hasn’t cut himself any slack in the constant pursuit of that goal. That’s consistent with his mental and physical attitude about everything he ever accomplished, a willingness to practice as long and hard as it took to achieve perfection. Billie’s mother Renee Sutton says he doesn’t even consider giving up some of his therapy, declaring “There’s no quit in me.” Billie not only returned to college at the University of Wyoming within three months after his injury; he also extended the offer to help the UW rodeo coach and became an assistant coach for roughstock events. He said, “I’ve always liked helping… We’ve got a lot of young guys who needed some direction as far as the basics go…”

Through therapy programs at Craig Rehabilitation center and therapy in Texas, a personal therapist in Laramie and a couple sessions with the group “Project Walk,” Billie is now able to pedal a momentum bike both forward and backward, and even to start it on his own. This is building muscles and coordination that will help him reach his next goal of standing up. Billie’s wonderful attitude, dedication and toughness are a beacon to others who have experienced similar injuries. We tip our ol’ Tri-State Stetson to you, Billie, continuing prayers for more and more progress until your goals are reached; and we thank you for the hope you’re offering fellow rodeo hands who’ve experienced life-changing injuries.

We try to keep you posted on health issues that can affect your equines… it’s a scary world where viruses are evolving at unheard of rates; and rabies is one that’s doing strange things right now. The Flagstaff, AZ region is under the medical telescope at the moment as specialists believe strains of rabies are mutating from bats to different forms within the species of skunk and fox. Specialists are saying “the strain appears to have mutated so that foxes and skunks are now able to pass the virus on through simple socializing… as humans do the flu virus.” That’s definitely scary! Virologists report this is the fastest adaptation to a new species they’ve ever experienced with rabies, and the state of Arizona is concerned enough to even consider wildlife vaccinations.

Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) has recently been in the spotlight for horses, and continues to be an issue. Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) is another ‘bug’ of great concern because it can affect horses in both respiratory and reproductive areas. Fortunately, EVA cases in this part of the world have declined – enough so that Montana’s State Veterinarian has repealed the 2007 ruling that each stallion or vial of semen had to be tested for EVA before entering the state. Current regulations require notification of the State Vet before any known EVA-carrying or shedding stallion can be imported into Montana. Details are available from Montana Department of Livestock at (406) 444-2043.

Uh-oh, here comes the end of our ol’ lariat rope…