Always enduring, never one to give up, it's the way of the west. Despite the downpour of rain on Saturday, Aug. 30, Stoughton's Rough 'N Ready Roughstock Rodeo event presented by the New Hope Horse Club was a great success.
DeeAnna Lyke, one of the organizers, explained the event brought in between 200 and 250 people. With umbrellas and raincoats many people stood in the rain or huddled under the big tent where the cabaret would be held following the rodeo.
"A lot of people liked the tent and it was nice to have the cabaret in the same place as the rodeo," Lyke said. "No one was moving around and people could enjoy an evening out with their kids right there."
Though the rain looked like it would settle in for the evening it let up and finally stopped.
"Everything went off really good," Lyke stated. "The rain quit by the wild horse races and although there was still mud it was good."
Lyke went on to say that feedback from many people in attendance included the statement that it was New Hope's best rodeo yet. This was despite the rain and included how organizers were able to problem solve in order to go on with the show despite a little rain.
Prime Time Rodeos of Kennedy were once again the stock contractors for the event. They provided quality rodeo horses and bulls.
"We'd like to thank our stock contractor for some of the best animals," Lyke stated. "We were told this was some of the best bull riding in southeast Saskatchewan this year. There was a lot of good riding."
Laughing Lyke added, "I think the mud kept the riders on."
The rodeo began at 6 p.m. with Taylor Ksenych and Ciera Romanow opened the rodeo by carrying the Canadian and Saskatchewan flags as Jacquie Walbaum sang O' Canada.
Bareback riders were the first to take to the corral. Being let out of the chute they faced rain and mud as they attempted to hang on to their mounts. In the end Clayton Strutt won the event with a score of 78.
The saddle bronc event also saw the rodeo horses perform, keeping the winner, Ross Krueger, to a score of 78 as well.
A usual crowd favourite - bull riding - saw a lot of action and successful rides as the crowd cheered. In the end Flint Vayro took first place with a score of 86.
In addition to the roughstock events, there were two other main events and a fun event for youth to partake in.
The youth event of mutton busting was thoroughly enjoyed by both youth and the crowd as they held on tight.
The other main events included a jackpot wild horse race where a group of three had to lasso, saddle, and ride a wild horse. The difficult task was completed by the Fuller Team.
Finally, this year saw a new event added to the line-up with an open jackpot barrel racing event held. Vicki Ripplinger took first place.
The rodeo was followed by a cabaret under the big tent with Rob McLean & Against the Grain performing. Open to all ages, the after party was enjoyed by all.
"The cabaret went well too," Lyke stated. "We had a mechanical bull which was quite entertaining throughout the night."
Overall the event was a great success and Lyke was thankful to the support from Stoughton and the surrounding communities.
"We'd like to thank our sponsors from every community, we had them from about an hour away from us and I hope they were happy to support us," Lyke said.
The event was held as a fundraiser for the Stoughton Swimming Pool, however, a dollar amount was not known at the time of Lyke's interview.
Already planning for next year's rodeo, the New Hope Horse Club will be meeting on Oct. 8 to discuss different ideas and discuss what made this year's successful. Lyke welcomes the public to call her, (306)698-7170, or any other club member to provide their ideas or feedback to so it can be brought forth at the meeting.
