Growing Up Rodeo In Wyoming Means Riding In Miniature Roughstock Events

NEWCASTLE — When Gemma-Anne Haynes of Gillette heard that her friend Waylon Jackson would be riding sheep at the miniature roughstock rodeo during the Weston County Fair, she was all in.

Leading up to the event, Jackson had been bragging that he was going to beat his friend at mutton busting.

In the end, Haynes toughed it out the longest. Jackson lost his grip and dropped to the dirt near the gate, while Haynes was still holding on by the time the sheep had reached the middle of the arena.

She didn’t win the overall event, but it was apparent from the breathless smiles of both mother and daughter that Gemma-Anne had won bragging rights over Jackson, and that was more important.

Angel told Cowboy State Daily she couldn’t be prouder of her daughter’s achievement. In a state that has rodeo down to its roots, kids start as soon as they can sit in a saddle.

Miniature roughstock rodeos like the one this past week in Newcastle are becoming more and more popular. They allow kids to ride appropriately sized bulls, horses and other rodeo livestock.

“This is a great activity for the kids,” Angel said. “There’s good sportsmanship, and these kids are all coming together. Winning and losing, it doesn’t matter. She’s having fun, and she learns hard work.”

Angel didn’t know if her daughter would take up bull riding like her dad used to do in high school. But that wasn’t the point. 

The point was fun and just letting kids try out a little rodeo action on kid-sized livestock that their skills can handle.

Mutton busting serves as a safer starting point for kids who might someday want to ride bucking bulls and broncs, said Mike McFarland, who helped found the Weston County Mini Roughstock Rodeo Association for that reason.

“When I was growing up, these little shavers that you see here? There was nothing like that, nothing appropriate for me to go on,” he said, gesturing toward pens that held miniature horses and bulls, as well as sheep. “Back then, you just got on whatever they had and just got slammed to the ground.”

A COVID-19 Idea

McFarland came up with the idea for a miniature roughstock rodeo during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All these events were being canceled, and people were hungry for something to do,” he said. “So, we started this with mutton busting and ponies and miniature bulls.”

The event was an instant hit, Weston County Miniature Roughstock Rodeo Association President Eric Gewecke recalled. 

“We had over 80 entries,” he said. “Typically, we’ve had between 60 to 80 (kids) and they kind of come from all over — like South Dakota and Montana. It’s not just for the kids in town. Some travel to get here.”

Admission to the event is free, and there also aren’t any entry fees for the youths until they reach high school level. At that point, they pay a minimal entry fee that is put into a jackpot they can all vie for.

“This is a chance for these kids to see if this is something they like, and to have fun,” Gewecke said. “They might make it into a career someday, or they may never do it again. But at least they had the chance.”

McFarland has partnered with four miniature rough stock events for youths that have national finals, some with large purses as high as $10,000.

“We submit the points and our placings every month,” McFarland said. 

Tearful And Exhilarating Moments

Many of the rides in Newcastle were quick, with kids dropping off at the gate or not long after.

Some of the children lost shoes, and many had a tearful moment after hitting the dirt.

But smiles weren’t long in coming, along with high-fives for giving something new a try, along with offers of ice cream. It was as if the kids had just been to the doctor’s office.  

In some cases, youths changed their minds before the gate about getting on their ride altogether. That’s OK with McFarland, even if sometimes it’s not OK with the parents.

“We don’t force them,” McFarland said. “If the kid changes their mind and decides they don’t want to ride, we won’t make them do it.”

It’s important to him that the kids want to do the ride.

Some of those who change their minds may return in a year and give it a try then, when it will be a better experience for them. Then they may come back another year to try something more difficult.

That progression is the real point, he said. It’s just learning and growing, kids deciding what they want to do and be in life.

Miniature bronc and bull riding are growing in popularity, McFarland said. 

“It just seems to be everywhere we go now,” he said. “And the numbers of kids who want to get on little bulls is just increasing.”

Schools are even cropping up that offer beginners a chance to learn on miniature roughstock. Shanna Firnekas runs such a school in the Gillette area.

“My boys have been to lots of (bull riding) schools over the years,” she said. “They’re grown now, but they had to travel everywhere outside of the state of Wyoming.”

Firnekas bought miniature bulls for her boys to ride when they were young, so they’d have something appropriate for practice rides. Once they grew up, she didn’t get rid of the bulls. 

Instead, she decided to start a bull-riding school. 

A New Generation Of Bull Riders

The elite bucking bloodlines that are featured in the professional circuits are too much for anyone starting out, Firnekas said. 

“If you ever watch the PBR, the bulls are bred to buck harder,” she said. “But our kids aren’t.”

Beginners can’t just hop on bulls bred to be as ornery as possible and expect anything like a good result. They need a stepping stone.

The lack of such stepping stones has resulted in a slow dwindling of riders for the sport at the professional and amateur levels, Firnekas said.

She wants to make a difference by offering a school for kids to learn on easier bulls, more appropriate for beginning skill levels. 

She keeps a range of bulls, from pretty tame and docile to difficult, and even what she calls “rank” so she can match her students to an appropriate ride.

Even the rankest of her bulls, though, are not “headhunters,” she said. That’s cowboy slang for roughstock that will go after any cowboy or cowgirl who tries to ride them. 

Firnekas gets rid of any livestock that displays such traits as soon as she sees one. With children being most of her students, the last thing she wants are bulls that want to hurt their riders.

Most of her bulls, outside of the arena, are almost like pets, she added. They’re coming up to people for snacks like cow cakes — typically a blend of alfalfa and some grain. Cattle will devour them like kids eating chocolate cake. And they’ll stick around for back scratches too.

“Our goal with the school is to let them start younger, so when they get to that level, they’ll have the muscle memory already and they’ll be able to handle those bulls,” Firnekas said. “We’re trying to prepare them for the pros.”

Bulls That Tiptoe

Among Firnekas’ tamest of bulls is one named Sweet Pea.

When the bull stepped out into the Weston County Fairgrounds arena, it looked like the bull was almost tiptoeing on all fours. He took just enough of those steps to clear the gate and the cowboys who had been blocking his view.

Then he just stopped right where he was, striking a bulky pose for all to see. The only thing that moved was his head, swaying from side to side. He had no intention of walking, much less trotting or bucking.

Was there a rider on his back? He didn’t seem to notice if there was.

The tiny child on top of Sweet Pea’s back eventually hopped off, as directed. Sweet Pea didn’t waver. He stood stock still until the cowboys in the arena urged him away, off to the corral.

He went, but he was in no hurry. Where were the cow cakes anyway?

Sweet Pea makes a great starter bull, Firnekas said, because the kids riding him can focus on fundamentals.

“We even have some adults start on him,” she said. “Because, he still has the forward momentum they need, and I can help them get the form down before they get on something (tougher).”

Form is foundational, Firnekas said.

“You can’t just get on a bucking bull and ride,” she said. “There’s some more things to it, as far as posture, and keeping your chest up, and your feet in the right place.”

In Their Blood

While some of her students don’t stick with bull and bronc riding — it is hard and, even with miniatures, you can still get hurt — it gets in the blood of others.

Chase Heinrich, who is one of her students, is a good example. He’s following the miniature rough stock circuit this summer, chasing bull-riding glory in hopes of making championship rounds where he can win buckles and cash. 

His mom, Valerie Heinrich, said her son watches PBR constantly. Even after he broke his arm riding bucking bulls and broncs last November. 

“He was struggling,” Heinrich said. “He told dad, ‘Sell my stuff,’ but then he started watching the PBR and YouTube videos and everything, and I could still see that passion in his eyes.”

Before long, Chase had changed his mind about selling his gear. He was ready to ride again.

“He’ll go to Sundance next and then Sheridan on Saturday, and then Edgemont, South Dakota, on Sunday,” Valerie said. “He wants to be a rodeo star.”

Chase is watching Gillette cowboy Hayden Welsh, who scored a 90.5 on his first Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo ride on Korkow Rodeo’s bull Salinas, Valerie said, and he has other rodeo stars he’s watching as well.

Heinrich appreciates that there is a school where her son can learn on something that’s more appropriate to his size, and so that he gets the right form and is being taught safety.

“Her bull riding school is amazing,” Valerie said. “Chase has been with them since he was 5 or 6.”

He’s had good years and bad ones, Valerie added. But for now, looking out into an arena of bull- and bronc-riding Wyoming kids, it’s looking like a good year.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.