Jordan Valley is located in Southeast Oregon. It is a place settled my miners and cattlemen in the early 1860s and is now dotted with cattle ranches. Here buckaroos gather on the third weekend in May every year to celebrate our western way of life and compete in a rodeo rich in tradition. The Jordan Valley Big Loop rodeo gets its name because it features a unique event in which cowboys and cowgirls rope horses with a twenty foot loop. This year the rodeo celebrated it's 50th Anniversary and I can't even begin to explain how honored I was to call it my hometown rodeo!
Saturday and Sunday I participated in the parade which featured a 100 year old stage coach owned and driven by local rancher Mike Hanley. Mike also offered me a place to keep my horses for the weekend. Thanks Mike. I had to take two horses because Cody now suffers from serape and flowerpackitis. A condition he developed when we tried to put them on him for the first time. He bucked so hard the only thing that remained was my saddle. My old horse Vern is what my parents call "bomb proof" so we drug him out of retirement and took him along for the parade, nothing bothers him in fact he tried to eat the flowers!
I was also able to compete in my first barrel race of the year. My schedule has been so crazy that I really haven't had time but it was good to be chasing cans again. I had a beautiful run right up to the the third barrel where my horse ducked out and cost me the buckle. Oh well, there is always next year.
I want to give a shout out to the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo Court and thanks so much for the invitation to your rodeo. I don't think I will make it however as I already have a rodeo scheduled for that weekend.
A GINORMOUS THANK YOU to the Jordan Valley Rodeo Board for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to be their first ever official rodeo queen. It will be a weekend I will always remember!
Saturday and Sunday I participated in the parade which featured a 100 year old stage coach owned and driven by local rancher Mike Hanley. Mike also offered me a place to keep my horses for the weekend. Thanks Mike. I had to take two horses because Cody now suffers from serape and flowerpackitis. A condition he developed when we tried to put them on him for the first time. He bucked so hard the only thing that remained was my saddle. My old horse Vern is what my parents call "bomb proof" so we drug him out of retirement and took him along for the parade, nothing bothers him in fact he tried to eat the flowers!
I was also able to compete in my first barrel race of the year. My schedule has been so crazy that I really haven't had time but it was good to be chasing cans again. I had a beautiful run right up to the the third barrel where my horse ducked out and cost me the buckle. Oh well, there is always next year.
I want to give a shout out to the Hells Canyon Junior Rodeo Court and thanks so much for the invitation to your rodeo. I don't think I will make it however as I already have a rodeo scheduled for that weekend.
A GINORMOUS THANK YOU to the Jordan Valley Rodeo Board for making me feel so welcome and allowing me to be their first ever official rodeo queen. It will be a weekend I will always remember!
Staheli Jo Wilkinson
2008 Junior Miss Rodeo Oregon
See you in Sisters June 13th and 14th!
