Super cowboys, cowgirls experience rodeo at special event

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Sydnie Parsons (right) and Lora Husong, both Rodeo of the Ozarks Rounders, walk Claudia Mobbs, 9, on top of Buck, a quarter horse, during the event at Parsons Stadium in Springdale.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Sydnie Parsons (right) and Lora Husong, both Rodeo of the Ozarks Rounders, walk Claudia Mobbs, 9, on top of Buck, a quarter horse, during the event at Parsons Stadium in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- Ashley Soto was all smiles as she sat astride a chestnut horse meandering in the field beside Parsons Stadium. Secured in the arms of her big sister, who sat behind her, Ashley was free to wave to her mother standing just a short distance away.

"I wanted it to go faster," the 8-year-old said after dismounting the horse.

Fun Facts

Strengthening Families

The Family Support Program, which serves children from birth until 18 years old, also provides training and information resources for parents who have children with disabilities. Through the Community Parent Resource Center, the organization works with families, schools and juvenile justice systems to increase educational opportunities for disabled children.

Source: Arkansas Support Network

Though Ashley has attended the Super Cowboy, Super Cowgirl Rodeo since she was 3 years old, riding the horses is still her favorite part.

"My little girl enjoys it so much, and it's like therapy for her," said Ashley's mother, Alma Soto. "I hope more families can bring their children to the event because it helps them so much."

The annual Super Cowboy, Super Cowgirl Rodeo allowed nearly 30 children and teens with disabilities to ride horses and interact with members of the rodeo, said John Gladden, a Rodeo of the Ozarks board member who organizes the event with help from the Family Support Program.

"We just try to make it a special day for them," he said. "We want to give them something they might not otherwise be able to experience."

A rodeo clown, Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks, trick riders from this year's specialty act, Cowgirl Sweethearts, and drill team members from the Rodeo of the Ozark Rounders were available to sign autographs and take photos.

"You can see it on their faces," said Candia Nicholas, director of the Family Support Program, which provides financial assistance and support that enables families to provide care for children with disabilities at home. "They're so excited to get to come to this, and they talk about it all the time. One child who uses a communication device has been pushing the horse button for quite a while."

In addition to riding horses, participants can ride in a stagecoach or try their hand at roping a stationary steer's head, Gladden said.

"One thing that sticks out in my mind from last year is a little guy who just tried and tried and tried to do the roping, and he would not give up," Nicholas said.

With a little encouragement from the rodeo clown who let the boy wear his cowboy hat, he finally hooked his lasso around the steer's horns.

"Clowns don't usually give up their hat because it's part of their outfit, but that made that little guy's day," Nicholas said. "He thought he was really important with that hat on."

More than 20 volunteers, who completed a 30-minute training class before to the event, led the horses around the yard while securing riders with a hand on the knee to make sure they stayed in the center of the saddle.

"It's so much fun to put a smile on a kid's face and give them a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Rachel Lee, a first-time volunteer with the Rounders. "It brings a lot of joy, and I think it's great that the rodeo is reaching out to the community."

All horses used for the event have been trained to work with children and are desensitized to loud noises, Lee said.

At the end of the event, participants had a pizza party in the bucking chute where athletes participating in the rodeo enter the arena for their competitions.

"We put on a great rodeo with great stock and great cowboys, but this is probably the best thing we do," Gladden said.

NW News on 07/03/2015

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