Members of the Millarville Mutts and Mustangs 4-H Club had a hoot during a recent rodeo in Calgary.
The Calgary Stampede 4-H Rodeo took place on Sept. 24 and 25 at the Nutrien Western Event Centre at Stampede Park.
It was a new experience for senior club member Joy Den Haan.
"This was my first time really trying rodeo stuff. I did barrels, and polls, and steer daubing,” Den Haan said.
The Millarville Mutts and Mustangs 4-H Club is a multi-club that has horsemanship, canine, archery and sewing projects, but not a lot of rodeo.
Clinics on the rodeo’s first day gave youth the chance to learn about events they would be competing in the following day.
“They have a bunch of people who actually compete in the sport and know a lot about it,” Den Haan said. “Professionals came and taught, so it was really cool.”
Den Haan has spent eight years in 4-H, half of them with horse projects. She wasn’t sure about registering for the rodeo, but friends talked her into it.
“I don't regret it at all. It's a great opportunity and a lot of fun,” she said.
Tammy Mazubert, general leader of the Mutts and Mustangs 4-H Club, said the club had eight kids registered in the 4-H rodeo.
“Our club is relatively new to it,” she said. “I don’t think we’ve ever really sent members except for the last couple of years.”
Now the club is thinking about incorporating rodeo into its projects.
“We started looking at possibly having a rodeo project this year. And if not this year, then looking at what it would look like for the future,” she said.
Fifteen-year-old Haliey Mazubert said it was her second time attending the 4-H rodeo.
“It's a great learning experience, especially when you go to the clinics the day before and you get to learn how to do this stuff,” Hailey said.
With a background in show horses and casual riding, she said that taking part in rodeo gave her an interesting look into other aspects of the horse world, and she looks forward to the possibility of introducing a rodeo aspect to the Mutts and Mustangs
“I think doing more cow riding would be really fun,” she said.
Den Haan also likes the possibility of getting more rodeo practice.
“Our club’s thinking about starting up a rodeo project so we can actually get more practice before we head into things like these,” she said.
While it was exciting to watch them work on skills they learned during the clinics, Tammy said the highlight was seeing 4-H members bond over the weekend.
“It’s a lot of good camaraderie,” she added.
With 66 4-H'ers registered this year, it’s probably a record-breaking year for the club, she said.
