Equine
Building the Future
By Krista Lucas
The Rising Stars and Future Stars calf ropings are premier youth tie-down roping and breakaway roping events that give the next generation of ropers a truly professional feel in and out of the arena. Young cowboys and cowgirls travel from all across the country to these events to compete against tough competitors.
The youth ropings were the creation of Chris Neal, who has produced the events for the past 16 years. The Oklahoma cowboy not only contributes to furthering the youth of rodeo today, but he is also accomplished in the arena himself.
Neal grew up around the sport and has always known that being involved in rodeo and roping is what he wanted to do. Over several decades, he has won many accolades. Starting as a young teenager, he worked his way up through youth, amateur and professional ranks.
“I won a lot throughout youth rodeos and junior calf ropings growing up,” Neal said. “I also started going to the amateur rodeos here in Oklahoma when I was 14 years old. Then in 1995, I won the World Champion Junior Calf Roping at Smith Brothers in Denton.
“I bought my International Professional Rodeo Association card when I was a senior in high school and made the IPRA finals for the first time. I went on to make the IPRA finals six or seven times and won the average at the International Finals Rodeo in 2001.” He has also experienced success in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, in not one but two different circuits.
“
I bought my PRCA card in 1996 and made the Prairie Circuit Finals five times, and then later on switched my circuit to the Great Lakes circuit and made those finals five times,” Neal said.
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Equine
The Cowboy Culture
By Phillip Kitts
The mystique and imagined glory of the rodeo road call many young people’s names. As they grow up, they watch the greats of the sport run from rodeo to rodeo and occasionally land on the television giving the perception of the rockstar lifestyle.
No, the glory of the rodeo road is not as grand as, say, the National Football League or the National Basketball Association, but being an athlete competing in front of the yellow chutes of Vegas is just as big a deal, and in every way, can be compared to competing in a Super Bowl.
However, things sure are different in the rodeo world. Let us take a minute and talk about what seem to be simple things in life that impact rodeo and rodeo athletes that in no way would make a difference to the big-money sports.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Equine
The Danger of Lower Limb Wounds of Horses
By Garrett Metcalf, DVM
It is common for horse owners to have a horse with a wound or laceration at some point in their life. Sometimes small lacerations can be perceived as benign, inconsequential problems that do not need immediate veterinary attention and are managed by the owners or trainers initially. Unfortunately, these simple-looking wounds can involve very important anatomical structures that can lead to serious infections that can be life-threatening or, at best career-limiting, for the horse.
Large wounds tend to get all the attention from owners or trainers because when they occur they are so obvious and visually appalling that medical attention is sought almost immediately. Those types of large wounds can be devastating, but they often involve the upper body regions of the horse, which heal better and often don’t involve structures such as joints or tendons.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Equine
A Rodeo Photographer’s Journey
By Phillip Kitts
Have you ever wondered what the rodeo looks like for contract personnel in the winter?
This month we will look at what the winter months look like from the rodeo photographer’s perspective.
To understand the time and demands that go into a career as a rodeo photographer, let’s start at when the season gets busy. Not all rodeo photographers work the same. There are many varieties in their career field. They can vary from the few weekends here and there to the full-timer who travels more than 30 weekends a year.
The full-timer that spends most of their year working usually hits the road in late winter. Yes, the winter months are slower but the photographer who has cemented themselves into the field usually books a few during late winter.
Rolling into the spring it begins to get busy. Depending on the photographer, spring can start with an every other weekend type schedule all the way to every weekend through the summer. In 2023 there were photographers that had 20-plus weeks straight going from rodeo to rodeo.
When late fall rolls in things begin to slow down, even for the go-getter who books everything they can.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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