Rodeo counts on Kingston teen for Mutton Bustin' sheep

SPRINGDALE -- When it comes to the Rodeo of the Ozarks, Spencer Cline is sheepish. It's his job. Actually, it's his career.

Cline, 17, who will start his senior year at Kingston High School in the fall, owns, raises and rents out the sheep for the Mutton Bustin' event at the annual rodeo. The event continues tonight through Saturday at Parsons Stadium in Springdale. Cline provides sheep for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos at Huntsville and Harrison and a roping event in Lamar, Mo. Cline said he thinks he has the only herd of Mutton Bustin' sheep around.

Rodeo of the Ozarks

When: 7:30 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday

Where: Parsons Stadium, 1423 E. Emma Ave., Springdale

Tickets: Adult, start at $15; children, start at $7

Information: (877) 927-6336, rodeooftheozarks.org

Rodeo of the Ozarks

Pre-Rodeo Events

Mutton Bustin’ for 4- to 6-year-olds.

Goat Dressing for 7- to 9-year-olds.

Calf Scramble for 10- to 12-year-olds.

Events start at 6:30 p.m

Register to ride: (877) 927-6336, rodeooftheozarks.org

Before the 2014 rodeo, the man who owned the sheep used in Mutton Bustin' asked Cline if he wanted to buy them. Cline did, using money from his part of his family's cattle and horse business, which he plans to make his life's work.

Just recently, he bought more sheep, bringing his herd to about 60.

"Some of them just weren't big enough, and some of them didn't run like they were supposed to. So I sold them and got some more," he said.

Cline recently released his rams with the sheep to be prepared for next year's Easter lamb market, counting on the sheep for two incomes. And he just returned from an auction school in Iowa, hoping to add auctioneering to his resume. His mother, Kathy Cline, noted he sells the rabbits and chickens at the sale barn the family owns in Marble.

"I want to be a top stock man," Cline said.

Cline is a good businessman, said Tex Holt, a member of the Rodeo of the Ozarks board.

"He's going to do well," Holt said.

The rodeo asks for sheep big enough to carry the weight of children who participate in Mutton Bustin', said Joe Rollins, another member of the rodeo board.

"Some of those 6-year-olds, now, they're as big as a sheep," Holt added.

"And we want the sheep to have enough experience to run straight to the other end (of the arena)," Rollins continued. "We want an animal that's not intimidating, but puts energy and excitement into the ride."

Cline brings 35 sheep for the Mutton Bustin' event, Holt said.

Sheep not drawn for rides are held mid-arena by working border collies, giving the Mutton Bustin' sheep, with kids on their backs, a target toward which to run.

Cline got his start with sheep by raising them to show in county fairs. He developed his expertise in Mutton Bustin' by winning the Springdale rodeo's event each year he was eligible, from age 4 to 6.

"When he was a kid, he rode everything he got close to," said Kathy Cline, laughing at the memory. "He'd climb on a fence and ride that."

Rodeo fans might recognize Spencer Cline by his longhorn steer, Jersey, ridden by Cline in the rodeo's grand entries for many years. A 10-year-old Cline broke the steer to ride.

"And he's broke better than most horses," Cline noted. "I still get him to the rodeo one day. I can still catch and ride him."

One of Cline's sheep who's not a runner followed Cline around a field Friday, demanding attention. A former fair competitor, she will walk on a leash.

"She's just like a pet," Cline said.

Cline said he checks his sheep every day. He provides prevention against worms just twice a year, and the sheep are sheared once a year -- which this year happened a week ago. Only about 1/8 inch of wool remains, but the kids hang tight to a rope, not the sheep, in Mutton Bustin', Cline said.

"It's a lot easier than raising goats," Cline said, standing in his Kingston sheep pasture Friday. "You don't need as much fence to hold them, and they are a lot more parasite resistant."

In addition, the field is home to donkeys and llamas to keep coyotes and dogs away.

"To make a good living at it, you have to like it," Kathy Cline said. "If you don't like it, you'll have to go somewhere else to eat."

NW News on 07/02/2015

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