The Rural Voice, 1989-09, Page 42RIDE 'EM COWBOY
The rodeo comes to Port Elgin
by Cathy Laird
•^_213
Calf roping and junior steer riding were among the events at the Port Elgin rodeo,
which also featured trick roper Harvey Earl and trick rider Heather MacBride.
40 THE RURAL VOICE
The crowd was dressed in T-
shirts, shorts, and running
shoes. The cowboys wore
their hats, western shirts, jeans, and
high -heeled boots. Clouds of dust
were sent up in the temporary arena
inside the ring of bleachers. A north-
east wind and a bright blue sky made
it a perfect day.
No, the scene was not in Calgary,
but in Bruce County's Port Elgin
district. Competitors came from as far
away as British Columbia, New York,
Virginia, and Quebec. It was the
Ontario Rodeo Association's Great
Western Weekend Rodeo at the farm
of Liz Ritchie last month.
There were big smiles, flying hats,
and kicking heels. Master of cere-
monies Bob Baker, from Indian River,
Ontario, bantered with the clowns and
entertained the crowd with jokes.
More than 200 competitors signed up
for seven events: saddle bronc riding,
bull riding, calf roping, steer wrest-
ling, ladies' barrel racing, junior steer
riding, and team roping.
There are very specific rules for
each event in the rodeo, dictating the
position of horse and rider, hand
holds, foot positions, and precise
timing. In saddle bronc riding, the
cowboy must have his feet over the
break of the horse's shoulders when
the horse's front feet hit the ground
on the first jump out of the chute.
In calf roping, a legal tie around
the roped calf's legs must include one
or more wraps and a half hitch. In
steer wrestling, the steer must be
caught from the horse and thrown
down -- the fairness of the catch and
throw are up to the judges.
Bull riding must be done with one
hand and a loose rope free of any
knots so that it falls off the bull at the
same time as the rider. There must be
a bell on the rope under the belly of
the bull.
The clowns of the rodeo are by far
the bravest participants of all. Quick
reflexes and agility in front of twist-
ing, hurling bulls is a must. There
were paramedics at ringside: Emer-
Tech of Hanover. But the most ser-
ious calamities that day were rope
burn and injured pride. One contest-
ant did leave an animal's back in such
a hurry that the breath was knocked
out of him.