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Show The S Bar S Ranch Even Cowboys On almost any given late afternoon, after the other ranching chores are done. the family, including Karen's cousin, Fay Peterson, Peter-son, and friends, Dave seconds would go by in a flash, the bronc was ushered out of the ring, the cowboy was dusting off his hat. the stands were either cheering or grumbling and I had no idea why. You've got to know the game in order to enjoy it, I decided, so I went to the Simpson's for help. This year, Tom and Karen Simpson are offering space and stock for rodeo practice. They are also planning to host several rodeos this summer. It is a perfect opportunity for Teana and Scott to practice every evening and a perfect place for a would-be cowboy or girl to get a taste of the arena with some advice and coaching coach-ing from experienced rodeo hands. " ------ - X v By Nan Chalat Teana and Scott Simpson spend most of their summer weekends traveling around Utah to sanctioned rodeos. They start practicing after school in the early spring. On the few weekends they are at home, they work on their father's quarter horse ranch to earn money for their entrance fees. Neither one would have it any other way. Teana is a barrel racer, goat tyer, break-away rider and team roper. She was the Kamas Fiesta Queen in 1978, Oakley's First Attendant in 1979 and Summit County's Second Attendent last year. Ask her if she ever expects to outgrow rodeoing and she'll answer, "Never!" She belongs be-longs to the South Summit Rodeo Club and has qualified to travel to the state competition next week. Scott is just as devoted to the rodeo circuit. He specializes specia-lizes in the saddle bronc event, the one most cowboys shy away from. Because they remind him of breaking and training horses at the ranch, Scott prefers the broncs to the bulls. He took second in bareback riding already this season in Morgan. On the way up to visit the Simpsons at the S Bar S Ranch in Marion, I couldn't help wondering if part of my education had been lacking. When Teana got her first lasso, I was just starting to jump rope. By the time she could latch on to a bale of hay, I was just getting the hang of catching a handful of jacks. While I was out bike riding around parking lots with my brother, Teana and her brother had already begun roping calves. The only thing I ever tried to rope in Detroit was a parking meter after " atching .an episode of the "Lone Ranger Ran-ger on TV. I didn't know the first thing about rodoes. The Simpson's, however, are as patient with a city-born greenhorn as they are with an unbroken colt. They never laughed at the questions I asked, things I've wondered about since my first rodeo in Oakley four years ago. ' This season, 1 was determined deter-mined to get a few things straight before the Queen Contests. Morgala Days, the O'ikley and Heber rodeos were over. I admitted that I just didn't know what I was . supposed to look for. Eight "Riding is marvelous exercise," says Karen Simpson. . ; V ' ' ' ' - 1 ' ' - V- V - ' - -- iS1 ... : vi,Ji.w-.s-W'' ' -f:m . .... H s c L ,Ji: i I ii f'h One of the finest quarter horse breeders in the country, Simpson explains that this filly was improperly im-properly broke in Payson and now loves to buck. If you won't take Tom's word for it, try her yourself. r , h : ' '"' vi ' f - - t i , . 4.,;;-;t ;.'' , , .., : : . . - . -. f-WV-v!- ., -if-- - I ( 'I - : F--"-- -'- Li - x' --- " :.l - . f -rs. a ;---. . , - I i vN . ' ' , . - ' i 1. i ' j . vi ! - v, ' . ' - . S T ' 1 y - v 4 V . '. " .-'. f ....... ' , , - - - . V--- ., . , .' -; ' , - - - i . A f' f . ' ...... 4'. . fjfSff"" Scott prefers the broncs to the bulls. Team roping requires precise timing. Dean France and Teana Simpson practice their teamwork at the S Bar S Ranch after school. Need, Practice 9 Larson and Dean France, load" the chutes with young brahma-cross calves. Teana and Dean practice team roping Teana tossing the head loop with Dean going after the hind leg. Teana also took time to demonstration her favorite event goat tying, after which Dave and Dean took a turn bull-dogging. Fay, who was manning the chutes, explained to me that Dean for bucking. All, Tom explained, ex-plained, are grained daily and kept in top physical condition con-dition because that is when they perform best. "Not bad," Tom laughs, "for 8 seconds of work a week." Scott is a member of the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association. As-sociation. His dues, $37 per year, help to guarantee the quality of the rodeos he travels to. According to the RMRA by-laws, the association associa-tion was formed "To raise the standards of cowboy contests so they rank among the foremost of American sports." The RMRA sets minimum standards for prize money, guarantees the member's entry fees, closely regulates the quality of the stock, writes the rules for the six standard rodeo events (saddle (sad-dle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping) and works to guarantee that there are competent and honest judges and officials. When 1 left the S Bar S, Karen Simpson was herding 50 yearling quarter horses up to the barn. Timpanogos was visible far off in the distance and I hoped I'd be back up at the ranch many times throughout the summer. I was catching rodeo fever. ; I iZ---. - :; -';," j V - - V A: J -' f n. i; v ; . , was hazing (keeping the steer on a straight line) for Dave who was the dogger. According to RMRA rules, the steer must be caught from the horse then the dogger jumps down and twists the steer to the ground. Both team events require split second timing and team work. 1 was beginning to see what was going on behind all the dust but as Scott donned his chaps for some practice bronc busting, I'll admit I was still harboring suspicions suspi-cions about whether the animals were as enthusiastic as the riders. Tom Simpson, whose reputation for breeding breed-ing some of the finest quarter horses in the country, coun-try, is enough to prove his respect for livestock, set my fears to rest. For one, I was given the opportunity to inspect that suspicious looking look-ing flank strap.' As another, friend and horse trainer had assured, me. the strap was indeed nothing' more than leather and sheepskin with a quick release buckle on the side, an aggravation to a horse not used to wearing anything but certainly not something to inflict pain. The rigging (the handle which rides near the horse's withers) was also padded according to RMRA standards stan-dards with foam to protect the horse. Tom explained the background back-ground of some of his best broncs. Some just liked to buck from the start, some started out as family horses but turned up too ornery, some have been reinforced I i, 4 pi' , r. " i t i " " 4 Goat tying is one of Teana Simpson's favorite events. There's nothing cuter than a newborn colt and each spring the S Bar S has a bumper crop. ; , L- .H t.. - 4iS: ' : V . V ) 1 jit t ; : I ! ' i n. 5 ' ;-; I l ''-' - ' - ' .v , I f i . v- , t" s ; , -n t " ' . v . ... - .. - , --,-.':.. ' -.' -' ?-" . -v . . . . . -f :.$ . " A . ;: :' - : ". ,. ' : .. . 1 t ' ; ' '. , I t.'."i Scott is a member of the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association Associa-tion and spends most weekends traveling to rodeos all over the state. y Bull dogger, Dave Larson, will be on hand to coach inexperienced cowboys at the S Bar S Ranch. |