The Greatest Show On Dirt

They ride, they rope and they race, but you’d better tip your Stetson to these rodeo stars, podner, because they’re ladies. Yee-haw!

Wednesday - February 22, 2006
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Archive | RSS |

Del.icio.us

Stacie Nakashima and Zip practice
pole bending

rewards. Forget diamonds, gift certificates or expensive perfume. If you’re a horsewoman, you want different toys.

The joke among the ladies is that if you are a rider, the No. 1 thing to do is “marry money.”

But it’s serious business once one is mounted on a trusted horse and ready to compete. There are open (professional) and novice (amateur) divisions to accommodate various experience and skill levels.

HWRA president Jessica Keawe-Reuter says she loves “the speed and competition” of a rodeo. She has been a competitor since age 5 and is one of the top performers in the state. She has nine championship buckles to prove it.

Faborito says spectators love watching the adult action and the amazing ability of youngsters who show unbridled agility and skill. It’s an ohana-oriented sport, with rodeo traditions passed on through the generations. At HWRA events, there are fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, aunties and cousins threatening to “smoke out” competitors.

Riders from 3 to 60 years old will be in the arena Saturday at Kualoa Ranch. Expect to see Brandi Joseph and her teenage daughter Britney among the individual competitors. Lisa Marie Adkins and her 11-year-old daughter will be there too. Kali’s been riding since age 2.

You’ll also see John Teixeira in action, the first male elected to the HWRA board of directors. The father of nine foster children, Teixeira boasts about the merits of horsemanship and rodeo skills as a way to nurture responsible, caring kids.

But mostly, a rodeo breeds fun. For the uninitiated, here’s a wikiwiki guide to rodeo-watching:

Barrel Racing: Speed and coordination of the horse are all important. With a running start into the arena, contestants ride a 160-yard cloverleaf pattern around three 55-gallon drums, circling each drum on the way. For the sake of speed, riders make as tight a turn as possible around each barrel without knocking it over. Knocking over a barrel costs a five-second penalty. Then they surge their horses even faster on the exit. Timing is done electronically, and races are often won by hundredths of a second.

Pole Bending: The equine equivalent of slalom skiing, this requires a horse with speed and agility and a rider who can hang on. Six poles are set up in a straight line, approximately 20 feet apart. Horse starts at one end and runs parallel to the poles to the opposite end, then turns around, weaving in and out of the poles back to the starting line. Rider and horse with the fastest time wins.

Goat Tying: Rider races from a dead run toward a goat tied in the arena, leaps out of the saddle, knocks the goat down and ties its legs. The difficulty is in throwing herself off of a galloping horse to get to the goat.

So why would refined ladies (and gents) want to get involved in a dusty, daring and dangerous sport like this in the first place?

For top competitors on the national rodeo circuit, it’s big business with big bucks to be won. The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world, has more than 3,000 members. In 2004, WPRA members competed for nearly $5 million in total prize money at rodeos in the United States and Canada.

Rodeo stars such as barrel racing queen Sharon Camarillo and WPRA world champion Charmayne James are inspirations for local competitors.

Stacie and Zip hit the brakes
Stacie and Zip hit the
brakes

HWRA secretary Lisa Adkins has attended Camarillo’s workshops and calls her techniques “awesome.“Adkins will put some of that knowledge to the test at Saturday’s event.

Faborito puts the sport’s appeal on a personal level. “It’s being in synch with an animal,” she says of the bond between rider and horse. “These riders know their horses so well, they are almost one in the saddle. A lot of girls can ride fast and hard, but if they’re not in synch with the animal, it affects their performance.”

Keawe-Reuter agrees. “It’s a 50-50 proposition,” she says. “Riders spend hours to get experience on how to seat themselves and steer the horse. I had to teach my horse how to run. Horses don’t know how to run in races or move in circles naturally.”

She adds, “Our competition ain’t just competition. It’s my horse Rollin’s job, and a trained horse with all-round skills in a rodeo is very special.” Besides a good horse, which can be as expensive as a luxury sports car, one must be devoted to caring, grooming, training and loving the animal. There must be unconditional trust and regular communication.

Hmmm, sounds like a formula for marriage.

Rodeo riding is a passionate avocation for most ladies here. Keawe-Reuter is closest to being a full-time cowgirl. The North Shore resident works on a ranch.

Faborito is comptroller at a construction firm. Adkins is a police radio dispatcher. Joseph is a real estate agent.

But they all share a love of horses, riding, and competing in the rodeo arena. They say their horses teach them a lot about life, like “love those who love you back, especially if they have something good to eat.” And there’s the all-important “heads up, heels down.”

So come out Saturday to the wahine rodeo to see the gals prance their stuff. It’s the greatest show on dirt.

May the horse be with you.