The time finally came, my very first home state rodeo as Miss Rodeo Arkansas! A short three and a half hour drive brought me and my family to the beautiful town of Forrest City! Dark clouds and overcast skies could not dampen my mood! I was ecstatic to be there!
After pulling in and showing my coggins papers, I headed to the arena where I found Miss Tonya of Universal Rodeo Company. I was given my duties for the weekend and then I headed to the stalls. After unloading my horse "Dotty" and making sure she had plenty of feed (sometimes I think I own a hippo instead of a horse) we all headed back to the hotel to get ready for that nights performance of the rodeo!
By rodeo time the sky had cleared and the bleachers were full. Along with Teen Miss Rodeo Arkansas Amber Schaffer we did grand entry, introduction runs, and carried sponsor flags. During the steer wrestling and tie down roping we helped along side the dodge pick-up men. We cleared cattle from the arena and kept the show running smoothly. We also fulfilled the job of cheering for our Arkansas cowboys. They represent us well.
I have always heard such amazing things about Wild Thing, but seeing him for myself was fantastic! He put on one amazing specialty act that night. Three little monkeys with chaps, vests, and there own saddles mounted on top border collies came out and stole the show! The crowd went crazy for them, clapping and cheering. The rodeo went by quickly and as it came to an end, I rode the final lap around the arena with the flag of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. What a perfect way to top off the night!
Saturday morning came and all the flash flood warnings from the night before came true. Rivers of water ran down the roads and puddles formed where ever they could. I could only imagine what the arena would have in store for us that night. The entire day was filled with buckets of rain and when rodeo time came it showed no signs of letting up. Cowboys, dodge pick-up men, and us queens all huddled in the small row of stalls with the horses. Dry spots were hard to come by that night. The arena looked like mud soup. The cowboys joked with us about being too pretty to get dirty, but they hadn't seen rodeo queens quiet like us before! We cowgirl'd up, saddled up and headed for the arena!!
As I entered the arena that night I felt my horse sink into the gooey mud. In some parts of the arena there was no bottom, just lakes of water that had formed. We helped worked out cattle once again, but the mud was no match for our horses. As they pushed their way through it effortlessly, the splashes of mud covered us. . . . . tack, chaps, hats, and all.
I have come to find that being horseback in the arena is really the best seat in the house. I was especially excited to be out there on this night. Former Miss Rodeo Tennessee and close friend Holly Scott Kurck and her husband were up in the performance that night. Steer wrestling in the mud may not be as fun as it looks. After each run the cowboys stood up looking like the Boggy Creek monster! It was quiet a site! On nights like that I see how much love there is for the sport of rodeo. Cowboys and cowgirls willing to work in the worst of conditions. Fans willing to stick it out to cheer for their favorite events. This is why I love being a rodeo queen!
After pulling in and showing my coggins papers, I headed to the arena where I found Miss Tonya of Universal Rodeo Company. I was given my duties for the weekend and then I headed to the stalls. After unloading my horse "Dotty" and making sure she had plenty of feed (sometimes I think I own a hippo instead of a horse) we all headed back to the hotel to get ready for that nights performance of the rodeo!
By rodeo time the sky had cleared and the bleachers were full. Along with Teen Miss Rodeo Arkansas Amber Schaffer we did grand entry, introduction runs, and carried sponsor flags. During the steer wrestling and tie down roping we helped along side the dodge pick-up men. We cleared cattle from the arena and kept the show running smoothly. We also fulfilled the job of cheering for our Arkansas cowboys. They represent us well.
I have always heard such amazing things about Wild Thing, but seeing him for myself was fantastic! He put on one amazing specialty act that night. Three little monkeys with chaps, vests, and there own saddles mounted on top border collies came out and stole the show! The crowd went crazy for them, clapping and cheering. The rodeo went by quickly and as it came to an end, I rode the final lap around the arena with the flag of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. What a perfect way to top off the night!
Saturday morning came and all the flash flood warnings from the night before came true. Rivers of water ran down the roads and puddles formed where ever they could. I could only imagine what the arena would have in store for us that night. The entire day was filled with buckets of rain and when rodeo time came it showed no signs of letting up. Cowboys, dodge pick-up men, and us queens all huddled in the small row of stalls with the horses. Dry spots were hard to come by that night. The arena looked like mud soup. The cowboys joked with us about being too pretty to get dirty, but they hadn't seen rodeo queens quiet like us before! We cowgirl'd up, saddled up and headed for the arena!!
As I entered the arena that night I felt my horse sink into the gooey mud. In some parts of the arena there was no bottom, just lakes of water that had formed. We helped worked out cattle once again, but the mud was no match for our horses. As they pushed their way through it effortlessly, the splashes of mud covered us. . . . . tack, chaps, hats, and all.
I have come to find that being horseback in the arena is really the best seat in the house. I was especially excited to be out there on this night. Former Miss Rodeo Tennessee and close friend Holly Scott Kurck and her husband were up in the performance that night. Steer wrestling in the mud may not be as fun as it looks. After each run the cowboys stood up looking like the Boggy Creek monster! It was quiet a site! On nights like that I see how much love there is for the sport of rodeo. Cowboys and cowgirls willing to work in the worst of conditions. Fans willing to stick it out to cheer for their favorite events. This is why I love being a rodeo queen!
Saturday night Wild Thing ended the rodeo with another delightful show. He invited all the kids to come out and compete in a dance competition. . . ...... in the mud! The first volunteer was my eleven year old little sister! I couldn't believe it! Five children made their way into the sticky arena that night. Each one danced their little hearts out. My sister even danced right our of her boots :-) One of her boots was lost in the deep mud and never recovered. . . but being awarded with a belt buckle made up for it. Wild Thing gave each of the children a PRCA National Finals Rodeo belt buckle for their participation.
I would like to stay thank you to Tonya & Mark of Universal Rodeo Company for letting us take part in the Forrest City Rodeo. A special thanks to Bobby Huckaby for getting us set up with all the information and a huge thank you to all the fans who stuck it out that weekend. You help make rodeo an amazing sport!
"It's the little things that make the biggest difference."
Micki Musick
Miss Rodeo Arkansas
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