Chet Wins His First Rodeo Trophy Buckle

It's official, Chet acquired his first rodeo trophy buckle, and he did it as four-year-old. Of course, like any other athletic competition, it came as the result of a lot of personal attributes, and having the right kind of equipment.

As Hop-A-Long Cassidy had "Topper", Roy Rogers had "Trigger", and Gene Autry had "Champion", Chet's recent success is due in part to his faithful companion, "TEE", the Wonder Horse. A registered fifteen-year-old Quarter Horse mare, "TEE", is actually named "Catalpa Cicely", and possesses bloodlines originating back to some outstanding 'foundation horses' including "Doc Bar" and "Poco Hondo". "TEE" stands about 15 and 1/2 hands tall and is a 'finished' roping horse. And, when Chet's not using her for his "play days" (junior rodeos), Coy is either improving personal skills in the team roping event, or using her in conjunction with the Sheriff's Office. That's because "TEE" was recently selected to be a part of the prestigious Mounted Horse Patrol. The selection process is rigorous, and requires a particular demeanor and handling, which most horses are not capable of obtaining. Chet thinks his horse is capable of arresting "bad-guys", and other than not being able to place the cuffs on them, he's not too awfully wrong.

Chet, Coy, Marti, and "TEE" completed several "Play Days" throughout a period of time that began in April of this year and extended into the month of September. Because Chet is still learning to ride, he competed in three rodeo events, "pole bending", "barrel racing", and "flag racing". All three competitions were accomplished by a "lead line" process, in which Chet hangs on to the saddle and Coy "leads" the horse through the pole and barrel patterns. Chet would hang on for 'dear life', because at times, "TEE" could reach speeds, which actually had her galloping through the patterns. Even though Coy is leading "TEE" with a lead rope, which is attached to her halter, the competition is quite fierce. It often requires Coy, along with the other kids' parents, to run as fast as possible in front of their horse, in order to acquire a good time. A stopwatch is the official time keeping device.

With that, let's just say the summer months were not smooth ones for our little cowpoke, and the long trail to Chet acquiring his buckle were plagued with a few interruptions. Just as any other athlete will attest to, certain things, well out of an individual's control, can often occur. Some people call it bad luck, others refer to it as "Murphy's Law", but I choose to think it has a lot to do with how the sun, the moon, and the stars align. And Chet's "Play Days" were an astronomical nightmare. Take for instance the afternoon that "TEE" (the not so Wonder Horse), decided to start bucking as we were headed across the rodeo arena for the first barrel! Chet may have gotten his first trophy buckle, but much more significant than that, he experienced his first 'saddle bronc' attempt. While the landing was not the "purtiest", the chewing Chet gave "TEE" after the fact, was darn worth the price of admission.

To make things worse, Chet, "TEE", and I, had not considered my knee surgery into the rodeo recipe, either. An old snow skiing injury decided to raise its ugly head about the same time that the three of us were needing to put some good times up on the board. The annoying pain I was undergoing, necessitated some arthroscopic surgery, which left the three of us wondering who was going to fill the void in my absence.

Now, Chet doesn't know it yet (I have spared him the embarrassment), but I did not exactly marry his mother for her athletic abilities. Consequently, she was not even remotely considered to fill my vacancy on the team. And following the "bucking bronco" incident, Marti and I were extremely leery about anyone else leading "TEE" through the various competitions. So, we decided to let Festus (moi), do the best he could, under the circumstances. Needless to say, our times on the stopwatch were better kept on a stop clock, because it took me about that long to limp through each pole, barrel, and flag pattern.

But the experiences we all shared as a family were more than any amount of time required to win each event. Chet, "TEE", and I placed in the top six a couple of times this summer, and Chet always managed to get a bright colored "Participatory" ribbon, whether we were limping or bucking across the arena. And Marti will never forget overhearing Chet chastising his horse, the day after the bucking incident. She looked out the window of our home and saw Chet engaged in a deep conversation with his Wonder Horse. She pressed her head against the front door and heard him say, "TEE, I forgive you, but why did you buck me off?" That was Chet's first attempt at negotiating a business contract.

And so to the "Participatory" come the spoils. We all attended the year end awards banquet and Chet received some pretty cool things, including trophies, a feed bucket, a shiny blue halter, some snacks for his horse, and a curry comb, which Chet thinks is a horse scratcher. In fact, he couldn't wait to get home and feed "TEE" a snack and scratch her. That was last night and the first thing this morning he grabbed me and we used the horse scratcher to make his horse, "TEE", feel good all over. Chet may have won the trophy buckle, but Marti and I won a whole lot more. Coy