EMBARRASS- Think of bull riding, but with kids just about old enough for kindergarten. Oh, and sheep instead of bulls. No saddles, no special equipment except for a full-coverage helmet, plus at least a few hopefully cooperative sheep. It’s called mutton busting, and it was one of the new events at the Embarrass Region Fair this year.
Sixteen brave young rodeo fans signed up for the event. The only requirement was that they weighed less than 60 pounds. Riders were matched with sheep that ranged in size from medium to large.
While the kids mostly followed instructions, that was not the case with the sheep, which came from a local farm near Tower. While no one got bit, the sheep didn’t always cooperate. While most rodeo fans are used to seeing bulls explode from their pens when the door swings open, the sheep were a bit more, well… sheepish. That is until organizers tried herding the sheep back into their pens— that’s when things got a little wild at times.
The event was organized by several families active in the Northwoods Saddle Club, and some of the families involved had tried out the “sport” at other rodeos or the St. Louis County Fair. Getting the event to run smoothly was a bit trickier than the organizers had expected but, in the end, everything went smoothly, the kids all had fun, and the event did attract a lot of spectators.
Lydia Grass had never ridden a sheep before, but she had plenty of farm experience on her grandparents’ farm in Cherry. A 4-H Cloverbud member, she showed a lamb at the county fair and won the “cute award,” as she called the showmanship award. Her strategy, she said, was just to hold on really tight with her arms and legs, though when it was her turn out in the arena, she was holding on tight but ended up on a sheep who wanted to shake her off as soon as possible.
There were eight sheep, and each got to test out two young riders. The trickiest part was getting the rider situated, either facing forward or facing backwards, on the sheep, and then hoping the sheep would start running once the fence was opened. Jordan Nelson, who had two young children, Tuuli and Taavi, competing, was the wrangler, getting kids firmly situated before other volunteers opened the gate. Teenager Maija Peterson was the rodeo clown, running alongside the sheep and making sure that once a child fell off, the sheep wouldn’t hurt the child, a job she handled with flair. None of the riders was hurt during the competition, though most did get pretty dusty.
While those who chose to hang on backwards had longer rides, most of the children opted to face forward, which seemed less scary. There were no tears from those brave enough to mount the sheep, though one youngster, who seemed reluctant to start with, marched into the arena and then promptly changed his mind. Luckily there were more young rodeo riders on a waiting list, so all who wanted to participate got a chance.
Hollace Fenske, 6, of Ely, was the top rider; Daniel Radtke, 9, of Hoyt Lakes, was second; and Annukka Palo, 6, of Elk River, was third. All three had times close to 8 seconds. All the participants received a gift bag, and the top three riders, those who held on the longest, won cash prizes. Entrants each paid $10 for their spot.