Farm & Ranch
Special Kids’ Rodeo a major success
STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State University’s Equine Assisted Therapy (TREAT) hosted its bi-annual rodeo for children with special needs recently at the Tarleton Equine Center.
The event was a huge success for ‘contestants’ and volunteers.
Schools from around the area came to participate. Between 300 and 400 children experienced horseback riding, mock rodeo events, a farm animal petting zoo and free concessions. Participants were also able to paint pumpkins and received one-on-one instruction from members of Tarleton’s national champion rodeo team and its coach, Mark Eakin.
Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio and Chancellor Mike McKinney of the Texas A&M; University System also stopped by to experience the rodeo and its events.
TREAT is a therapeutic riding program that allows people with special needs to challenge themselves both physically and emotionally. The program also provides training and volunteer opportunities for Tarleton students.
“Those who get to see what therapeutic riding does for those with special needs leave with a completely new outlook on life,” said Dr. David Snyder, TREAT director.
Children and volunteers received a free T-shirt provided by sponsors.
Corporate sponsors include: Texas Bank, Erath County United Way, Dodge Rodeo and Bruner Motors, Inc., Wal-Mart Super Center and Summer Sky Chemical Abuse Center.
Gold sponsors are Stephenville Lions Club, Stephenville Optimist Club, United Cooperative Services, Knights of Columbus, U.S. Team Roping Championship and Morris and Beverly Gifford.
Silver sponsors include: Kurt and Vicki Averhoff, Rebecca Chaisson, Hard Eight BBQ, Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Hughes, FMC Technologies, Animal Health and Medical Center, Jim and Brenda Gartrell, Erath County Farm Bureau, American Legion Auxiliary, Brazos Valley Equine Hospital, Kincannon State Farm Insurance, Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Howard, Coopers Country Store and Cactus Ropes.
Food and Drink donations came from Dublin Dr. Pepper, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Mr. Jim’s Pizza, Taco Casa, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Tri-County Agribusiness and Erath County 4-H Horse Club.
For more information about TREAT, contact Snyder at (254) 968-9656, or via e-mail at snyder@tarleton.edu or tarletontreat@gmail.com.
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Planned grazing course with Kirk Gadzia this April in Fort Worth
FORT WORTH — Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers and Holistic Management Texas team up to offer a new “Planned Grazing” course at the Will Rogers Memorial Center April 21-25.
The emphasis for this five-day course will be on grazing planning, but instructor Kirk Gadzia will cover rangeland monitoring, financial planning and land planning as well. The content will be relevant to both managerial and operational level employees, with varying levels of formal education. There will be a lands-on Learning aspect if weather permits. Class runs from 8am to 4:15pm each day. -
One more for the tourists
Moira and Clive, British tourists, had taken in the Arkansas attractions of Eureka Springs, the Chuck Wagon races in Clinton, the sale barn in Green Forest, and now found themselves in Fort Smith for the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association Trail Drive.
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Cowboy ingenuity
Cowboys are nothing if not ingenious. It takes that sort of out-of-the-box mentality to allow them to solve the myriad of problems that arise when you combine horse, cow and rope!
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Local wins at San Antonio Stock Show
SAN ANTONIO — The Junior Market AOB Steer Show was held Feb. 19, at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
Taylor Cody won the honor of Breed Champion AOB with her 1334 pound steer. -
Olympic distraction
You know the inmates have taken over the asylum when you’re turning to PETA as the voice of reason! These are the animal rights extremists who compared eating chicken to the Holocaust, compared the murdering cannibal Jeffery Daumer to butchering hogs, and once proclaimed that it would be great if Foot and Mouth Disease infected animals in the U.S.
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Scholarships awarded to Parker County youth
SAN ANTONIO — Cade Hansma and Alannah Chalmers of Weatherford, and Jens Rudibaugh of Poolville, were the recipients of scholarships from the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo at this year’s horse and llama shows.
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Jake working overtime
In an effort to make managing the 20 section ranch more efficient, the boss bought Jake a Ranger, a four-wheel drive muscle car ATV.
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Local student wins at Fort Worth Stock Show
FORT WORTH — Dylan Mask, a 4-H member from Weatherford, exhibited a First Place Medium Weight Hampshire Barrow in the Junior Barrow Show at the 2010 legendary Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Feb. 4. J
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Local youth wins Calf Scramble at Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo
FORT WORTH — Jacob Sheffield of Weatherford, Texas, a Perrin FFA member, was among the winners in the Calf Scramble event during the Feb. 4 evening performance of the Rodeo at the 114th edition of the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show.
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Harry and the hog
Many of us took a meats course in college or have dressed wild game and have a basic understanding of how it gets from the pasture to the plate. Harry is not one of us, in that regard.
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Planned grazing course with Kirk Gadzia this April in Fort Worth
