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Editor’s note: This article has been edited to clarify the total number, age range and size of event participants. A previous version of the article contained inaccurate information.
Last weekend, the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo hosted its annual mutton busting competition on June 27-28. A miniaturized version of bull riding, the beloved rodeo event, featured youngsters competing to see who could last the longest riding bareback on a sheep.
This year, according to Rodeo director David Westrick, the weekend featured “the largest amount of contestants overall we’ve had in years.” Among the 450 contestants, 24 of them were the youngest mutton-busting riders.
Those riders, ages four to six and under 60 pounds, geared up for the ride with a mixture of excitement and nerves.
Asked how he was feeling before the event began, Luke Kenney, six, said, “Kinda excited until I came here, and then I was nervous a little bit.” He said he was more excited than nervous.
This year was Luke’s second mutton-busting ride. It’s not unusual, as these young riders often participate in multiple rodeos before they reach 10 years old.
Payson Wilkinson, another six-year-old participant, was confident and steady after his bumpy sheep ride. Like Luke, this was not his first rodeo.
Payson said that his favorite part of the rodeo was the trophies, and when asked to rate the awesomeness of his ride on a scale from 1-to-10, he said it was “good.”
Kevin Wilkinson, Payson’s father, said the rodeo is a family tradition. Kevin also participated in mutton bustings when he was his son’s age, and said he was excited to pass on the tradition.
At five years old, Kapri Leach was one of the youngest participants at this year’s mutton busting, and said she was inspired by her older brother to try it. She said she practiced with her dad by riding on his back while they were on their trampoline. Asked what she would name the sheep she was going to ride, she said, “Cupcake.”
“I think she’s more excited,” Darren Leach, Kapri’s father, said. “All week she has been counting down. ‘One sleep. Two sleeps. Three sleeps until mutton busting.’ My wife grew up doing the rodeo since she was a little girl. So my son did it, and now Kapri’s doing it.”
Follow the San Benito County Saddle Horse Show & Rodeo Facebook page for news of upcoming events.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
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