And for Ron and Lorna Silvester and Twin Lakes Ranch Ministries when it comes to the sport of rodeo, why not right there?
A total of 32 kids ranging from pre-schoolers to young teenagers took part in the annual Fun Youth Rodeo at the local ranch just outside of Moose Jaw, trying their hand at a wide variety of rodeo events designed to give youngsters a taste of what it’s all about.
“The cowboy world has always been in my life and we just really like to help these kids get into a way of life that brings enjoyment while learning about rodeo and stuff about horses,” Ron Silvester said shortly after presenting each of the participants with a prize package donated by an impressive list of sponsors for the event.
“I feel they don’t have as many opportunities to do so these days so we’re happy to help them with that and make sure they have a good time, too.”
Kids could take part with or without their own horses – non-riders eight-and-under ran the cloverleaf in a stick horse barrel race, boot scramble and goat ribbon pulling while ages 9-to-13 tried their hand at the latter event along with mounted water-gun shooting and goat-roping on foot.
Younger riders took a shot at barrel racing, ribbon pulling and pole bending, while mounted water gun shooting, barrel racing and goat roping was the purvey of the oldest riders.
“It went really good, all the kids really enjoyed trying to learn new things and some rodeo events as well,” Silvester said. “It’s so much fun to have these kids out here and it’s great to see them enjoy themselves.”
Riders aged 11 to 17 years will have a chance to further their skills in the next rodeo-related event at Twin Lakes Ranch Ministries, with a Weekend Youth Horse Camp taking place Sept. 6-8. Mounted shooting and barrel racing competitor Raylene Prieb will act as the arena instructor, with the camp covering a gamut of riding skills including basics and patterns, general horsemanship, trail riding, cattle sorting, and a wide variety of other events. The fee is $150 including a $50 deposit and the first 20 riders and horses will be accepted. For more information contact twinlakesranch@sasktel.net or visit the Twin Lakes Ranch Ministries website.
