Lonely Mountain Wranglers Wrap Up the Rusham Rodeo

[Kiralynn]

The rain let up as the crowd’s gathered at the Harrow Road Farm in Rusham for the start of the 2013 Rusham Stampede Rodeo. The farms of the Shire are normally quaint and peaceful, but the atmosphere on Saturday afternoon was quite festive. There was an amazing assortment of country clothes. Most of the men in attendance sported fancy leather boots and stylish wrangler hats.



Die Meisterbarden von Bree played classic country music to the delight of the crowd. A group of hobbits in matching dresses launched coordinated volleys of fireworks which looked even more spectacular as the sun went down. As Kiralynn made introductions to the crowd to kick off the rodeo, a dozen wranglers warmed up their horses and prepared for the upcoming events.



Rodeo clowns Byrcha and Burrell opened with a comedy show. The audience had a good laugh at their equestrian-themed jokes and humorous antics. Wearing safety orange, three volunteers walked onto the field to serve as barrels for the first competition. Craicwyth started the barrel racing with a clean run and a time of 16.14 seconds. Godwineson spurred his war steed into motion next and crossed the finish line with a time of 18.36 sec. Bandoras and a spunky little pony make their turns around the barrels in 18.64 sec. Lhinnthel had difficulty making tight turns around the barrels on her muscular war steed, taking 20.01 seconds to complete the cloverleaf pattern. Newcomer Ninang picked the pace back up with a 18.54 second run. Finally, Floradine and her stocky war pony completed the circuit in 21.17 seconds. Craicwyth, Godwineson and Ninang proved to have the most skill at this challenging sport.



Hobbits in animal masks formed a “herd” on the field as Kiralynn announced the start of the team penning competition. There were numerous “chickens”, “pigs”, “sheep” and “donkeys” in the mix but the team was told that two “cows” should be herded to the pen. Godwineson and Craicwyth rushed the herd, sending it scattering across the field like billiard balls in a break shot. The pair had some difficulty picking up the cows as their excited steeds overran the spooked “livestock”. Just before time ran out, they managed to drive both animals into the pen.



Next up, the audience cheered for the contestants of the “Best Wranger” mounted fashion competition. Calycanthus, Craicwyth, Cynbure, Finnson, Godwineson, Lhinnthel, Ninang, and Rigvald rode past an enthusiastic audience to show off their wrangler gear. Click here to see each of their outfits. After each rider had their turn to show off, the audience cast their votes. Lhinnthel received an honorable mention for her outfit. Finnson won third place for his two-fisted drinking and dwarvish charm.



Craicwyth’s classic outfit of jeans, western shirt, leather vest and matching gloves on a steed of the Dusk-watch earned him second place. By popular vote, Godwineson won first prize with a leather vest over a green shirt, jeans, and a red bandana on an Eglain horse. Godwineson is a veteran of mounted fashion contests and Craicwyth trained for several weeks prior to the rodeo, so it came as no surprise when they won a wagon-load of prizes.



Finally, the rodeo ended with the Best Rodeo Clown talent show. Rodeo clowns are a traditional part of any rodeo. Their job is to protect riders thrown from bulls and bucking broncos. This dangerous task requires incredible stamina, footwork, and years of experience with livestock. A clumsy clown can be trampled and severely wounded. The less dangerous part of a rodeo clown’s job is to provide comic relief. Bandoras took the stage and thoroughly entertained the crowd. This charismatic hobbit dominated the show and no others were brave enough to compete against such a famous performer.

Thanks to our wonderful band and fireworks crew, special thanks to all of our hobbit volunteers, many thanks to our sponsor at the Lonely Mountain Free Press, and sincere gratitude to everyone who donated a prize from Rohan!

Happy adventuring and we'll see you at the races in August!

[Kiralynn]

Feel free to re-post this. Please link to the Windy Acres web site article if possible:
http://windyacres.mymiddleearth.com/?p=3836
Thanks!

[Harperella]

It looks like the event came off really well! Great job, Kiralynn!

--Harper