Hundreds of kids and their parents flocked to the first youth rodeo of the season Saturday put on by the First Impression Rodeo Club for a day full of mutton busting, bull riding and roping in Albuquerque’s South Valley.
About 100 children, from ages 1 to 18, are competing in the two-day event that continues today, traveling from as far as Silver City, Tucumcari and Santa Fe. Kids could do everything from barrel racing to breakaway roping, according to the hosting club’s marketing director Laura Chavez.
Thirteen-year-old Cheyenne Gonzales-Dodson was crowned rodeo queen after completing a formal dress and interview process, and answering questions about horse anatomy and medicine, Chavez said.
“The rodeo is a dying sport, so what we’re trying to do here … is to charge lower fees and get more people out here; it’s a cultural heritage,” Chavez said. The youth rodeo is free to attend.
Chavez also said it’s important to keep kids active and outdoors.
“We want them to get away from the video games and television; we want them to come out and have a good time,” she said. “It’s all about the kids.”
The rodeo is taking place at 7001 Coors SW.