Miss Rodeo America 2008 Pageant

Floyd... Top Horse at the 2008 MRA Horsemanship Competition

It might not be much of a name; but Floyd is a pretty darn good horse.   Of the 14 horses selected for the horsemanship competition, "horse" judges Gary Rempel and Jason Bottoms agreed that it was a pretty even pen, and that there were "four or five of them" that could have been the top horse. 

However, it was the #4 horse, "FLOYD" that took the honors.  A smaller sorrel with a star, Floyd was ridden by Miss Rodeo Mississippi, Miss Rodeo Alabama, Miss Rodeo Wyoming, and Miss Rodeo Arizona.

So what were the horse judges looking for?  According to Gary and Jason, it was a combination of how well the horse handled, how consistent he was from ride to ride, and the horse's talent.  Of all of the horses, they said, "Floyd" was the most honest with all of his riders and very consistent.   

Floyd is owned by Bob Barnes... and besides Bob probably no one was happier than Bronc Rumford, who just happened to sell that horse to Bob.    As the owner of the top horse, Mr. Barnes received a plaque and a check from Absorbine, presented by Tara Rowe at the PRCA Luncheon.

Behind the Horsemanship Scenes

Have you ever wondered how the horses are selected for the horsemanship competition and where they come from?

Prior to Monday’s horsemanship competition, Bronc and Kate Rumford, along with Jeana Allen, go to the barns at the Thomas and Mack and look over all of the horses that the stock contractors bring for WNFR grand entry horses.  Because the AQHA is our sponsor, they make sure that all of the horses are registered American Quarter Horses.  They ride the horses a few times and make their initial selection.  Bronc Rumford also meets with each stock contractor to make sure they are all right with the horses being used at a different facility (all of the horses are hauled to the South Point’s Equestrian Center).  This year, 16 horses were selected, including a few that had been used in previous years in the horsemanship competition.

Monday morning at 4:30AM, the horsemanship committee leaves the Orleans to go to the barns and get the horses.  The horses were all saddled at the barns and then loaded onto trailers and hauled to the South Point.  Two of the horses chosen were for Ashley Andrews to choose from.  That left 14 horses left for the draw.  The committee then rides each of them at least once, to see how they are behaving that way and acquaint them with the surroundings.  After that, each horse is ridden one at a time in a simulated pattern.  Jeana Allen and Bronc Rumford watch each horse go and give final approval on each horse.

After warming up the horses and selecting them, committee members add the horses' draw numbers to their hips, groom them and make sure they are all ready to go.  Amanda Jenkins, Miss Rodeo America 2006, applies Absorbine products to the manes and tails to each horse to finish the grooming process.

The saddles used are all identical court’s saddles, and all of the saddle pads are the same.  This year, since they only have 12 saddles but had 14 horses, there was also a lot of tack-switching going on in between.  The horses’ bridles are their own; however, the reins are changed so that all of the reins are identical.

Once the competition is over, all of the horses are loaded back onto trailers and go back to the Thomas & Mack; they are unsaddled, brushed, put away in their stalls and fed.  We thank all of the contractors who supplied horses for the competition, and a big thank you to the entire horsemanship committee for the great job in finding a quality group of horses for the girls to ride and putting on a great competition!