Beginning at 5 on Saturday night, those lucky enough to be at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds will have an opportunity to watch teams of ranchers get down and dirty during this year’s Ranch Rodeo.
Always a fan-favorite event, this year’s Ranch Rodeo will feature four- and five-member teams racing to complete tasks that replicate calf branding, calf sorting, penning, trailer loading and wild cow milking.
Prior to the event, fans will have an opportunity to participate in a Calcutta auction during which teams will be auctioned to individual bidders. Bidders that purchase top teams will be entitled to a share of the auction money collected.
Unlike traditional Western rodeos that feature bull riding, bronc riding and mutton busting, ranch rodeos allow ranchers to showcase their ability to perform practical tasks they perform on ranches on a daily basis.
The community atmosphere that has come to be associated with ranching and the Western way of life will be on display, and ranchers of all ages and hailing from all Four Corners states will be in attendance doing what they love.
“For me and my family, we’re fifth generation right here in the county,” Hardy Tozer said after he competed in last year’s event. “Ranching is what I do and who I am. It’s not a 9 to 5 job. It’s your life. (The Ranch Rodeo) provides a good opportunity to come here and show your horse and show off what you do.”
While this year’s Ranch Rodeo figures to highlight the festivities at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds this weekend, fans that are so inclined will also have an opportunity to witness the Ranch Wives Barrel Race, which will begin at 1 p.m.
Kids aged 8 and under who weigh less than 55 pounds can sign up for a mutton busting event, and a stick horse race will be open to children between the ages 4 and 8. A Ribbon Extravaganza Goat Chase will be available to children between the ages of 9 and 12.
Admission to this year’s Ranch Rodeo will be $10 for children 12 and older. Children younger than 12 get in free.
“The events that we do in ranch rodeo are things that we do on a working ranch,” explained Cortez Rancher Wyatt Wallace after he competed in the 2013 event. “Stuff like branding calves, roping calves, this is the stuff that we do every day. Events like this are exciting for cowboys and exciting for the crowd.”