Star Spangled Shenandoah Pro Rodeo

July 3rd and 4th 2009

World Famous Pemberton Family to appear at Star Spangled Shenandoah Pro Rodeo

Galena area audiences attending the Star Spangled Shenandoah Pro Rodeo on July 3 and 4 at the Shenandoah Riding Center will be privlidged to be the only Midwestern audiences to see the Pemberton family Perform in 2009.  SL and Lorettta Pemberton have been bringing the highest quality western family entertainment to every venue they perform at for nearly 25 years.

SL began his performance career at age 10, roman riding on a team of ponies.  His career took off and soon he was trick riding, roman riding, and trick roping at major events through out the United  States. Loretta began her career as a trick rider also at the age of 10 and performed at local rodeos and bull ridings while her family members competed.  

Her brother Kenny is a former world Champion Bareback Rider. As her trick riding reputation grew so did the demand for her to perform from Canada to Oklahoma and everywhere is between.  In 1996 they met and soon married and two solo acts became one major hit act.  The Pemertons have been the featured act at the International Finals Rodeo six times, they have been selected to perform at major rodeos like Fort Worth Stock Show and have appeared on NBA halftime shows.  The Pemberton family headlines Dolly Parton's "Dixie Stampede" venues in Branson, MO; Pigeon Forge TN and Myrtle Beach SC.  They have two sons Cy age 12 and Seth age 8 both work with their parents in several acts.  The Pemberton's will be highlighting both performances of the Star Spangled Shenandoah Pro Rodeo on July 3 and 4, you'll want to purchase tickets so you won't miss a single moment of the action-packed rodeo!!

Where:  Shenandoah Riding Center Galena Territory, Galena, IL

When: 7:30 p.m., people begin to arrive at 6 p.m. Tough Enough to Wear Pink night is Friday July 3rd   

What: Northern Illinois Equine Entertainment present Big Hat Rodeo and IPRA at the Shenandoah Star Spangled Pro Rodeo

Professional rodeos generally comprises the following events: barrel racing, tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events.

Barrel racing - is a timed speed and agility event. In barrel racing, horse and rider gallop around a cloverleaf pattern of barrels, making agile turns without knocking the barrels over.

Calf roping also called Tie-down roping, is based on ranch work in which calves are roped for branding, medical treatment, or other purposes. It is the oldest of rodeo's timed events. A running calf is roped around the neck by a lariat, the horse stops and sets back on the rope while the cowboy dismounts, runs to the calf, throws it to the ground and ties three feet together. (If the calf falls when roped, the cowboy must lose time waiting for the calf to get back to its feet so that the cowboy can do the work. The job of the horse is to hold the calf steady on the rope, and a well-trained calf roping horse will very slowly back up while the cowboy ties the calf, to help keep the lariat snug.

Steer Wrestling - Also known as "Bulldogging," is a rodeo event where the rider jumps off his horse onto a running steer and 'wrestles' it to the ground by grabbing it by the horns. This is probably the single most physically dangerous event in rodeo for the cowboy, who runs a high risk of jumping off a running horse head first and missing the steer, or of having the thrown steer land on top of him, sometimes horns first.

In spite of popular myth, most modern "broncs" are not in fact wild horses, but are more commonly spoiled riding horses or horses bred specifically as bucking stock. Rough stock events also use at least two well-trained riding horses ridden by "pick up men" (or women), tasked with assisting fallen riders and helping successful riders get safely off the bucking animal.

Bronc riding- there are two divisions in rodeo, bareback bronc riding, where the rider is only allowed to hang onto a bucking horse with a type of surcingle called a rigging and saddle bronc riding, where the rider is allowed a specialized western saddle without a horn (for safety) and hangs onto a heavy lead rope, called a bronc rein, which is attached to a halter on the horse.

Bull riding- an event where the cowboys ride full-grown bulls instead of horses. Although skills and equipment similar to those needed for bareback bronc riding are required, the event differs considerably from horse riding competition due to the danger involved. Because bulls are unpredictable and may attack a fallen rider, Rodeo clowns, now known as Bullfighters, work during bull riding competition to help prevent injury to competitors.

When they talk about hanging on to 1,800 pounds of angry, whip-sawing bull, rodeo cowboys have their own words to describe the experience. Here are a few examples ;

Bad Wreck -

A seriously painful buck off, sometimes followed by a slashing of horns.

Bearing Down -

To give a ride a maximum effort.

Cowboy Up -

To put on spurs, chaps and prepare the Bull Rope for the RIDE. Also, means getting mentally ready.

Kissing the Bull -

When a cowboy's face meets the back of the bull's head. Also, called dash boarding.

Freight Trained -

Getting run over by a bull after being bucked off.

Hooker -

A bull that will go after a fallen rider with his horns.

Mulely -

A bull with no horns. Without them, his ears appear as large as a mule's

Rag Doll -

What a rider looks like after getting bucked off, hung up in his rope and dragged around the arena.

Rank -

An especially hard-to-ride bull.

Spinner -

A bull that rapidly bucks in a tight circle.

Try -

The cowboy's word for courage.

Welly -

A bull that can throw a rider to the inside of a spin. Once down in the "well", the rider is in danger of being hooked or stepped on.

Other Activities

Outside of competitive events, there are other activities often associated with rodeos, particularly at local levels. A typical rodeo begins with a "Grand Entry" where mounted riders, many carrying flags, including the American flag, state flags, banners representing sponsors, and others enter the arena at a gallop, circle once, come to the center of the arena and stop while the remaining participants enter. The grand entry is used to introduce some of the competitors, officials, and sponsors and is capped by the presentation of the American flag, usually with a rendition of "the Star-Spangled Banner," .

HOW TO WATCH A RODEO

Bareback Bronc Riding — The event is judged according to the performances of both the rider and the bucking horse. It is a single-handhold, eight-second ride which starts with the cowboy’s feet held in a position over the break of the horse’s shoulders until the horse’s front feet touch the ground first jump out of the chute. The rider earns points maintaining upper body control while moving his feet in a toes-turned-out rhythmic motion in time with the horse’s bucking action.

Steer Wrestling — This event was originally called "bull dogging" and requires the cowboy to lean from the running horse onto the back of a 600 pound steer, catch it behind the horns, stop the steer’s forward momentum and wrestle it to the ground with all four of its legs and head pointing the same direction. The bulldogger is assisted by the hazer, who rides along the steer’s right to keep the animal running straight.

Saddle Bronc Riding — Known as rodeo’s classic event, saddle bronc riding is judged similarly to bareback bronc riding but there are additional possibilities to being disqualified; that is, losing a stirrup or dropping the thickly braided rein that is attached to the horse’s halter. The cowboy sits on the horse differently due to the saddle and rein, and the spurring motion covers a different area of the horse. Saddle broncs are usually several hundred pounds heavier than bareback horses and generally buck in a slower manner.

Calf Roping — Calf roping is an authentic ranch skill that originated from working cowboys. Once the calf has been roped, the cowboy dismounts and runs down the length of the rope to the calf. When the calf is on the ground, the cowboy ties three legs together with a six-foot pigging string. Calves are given a head start, and if the cowboy’s horse leaves the box too soon, a barrier breaks and a 10-second penalty is added to the roper’s time. In all of the timed events, a fraction of a second makes the difference between winning and losing.

Barrel Racing — This event is a horse race with turns. The cowgirl’s time begins as she rides her horse across the starting line in the arena. She makes a run around three upright barrels, which are in a cloverleaf pattern, and back to the starting line where the clock stops. Tipping a barrel is permitted, but if it is knocked to the ground, a five-second penalty is added to her time.

Bull Riding — Bull riders, who might not weigh more than 150 pounds, place a flat braided rope around a bull that weighs almost 2000 pounds. The bull rope is placed around the animal, just behind its shoulders. It is then looped and threaded through itself and the cowboy wraps it around his riding hand with only his grip holding him in place. The rider relies on balance and leg strength to make the eight-second buzzer. Look for bull riders to sit up close to their bull ropes and to turn their toes out because rides are judged on the riding style of the competitor and the bucking ability of the bull.