Four things to know about Monument Health’s Special Rodeo
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Anyone can kick up some dirt Saturday at Monument Health’s Special Rodeo. The free event is accommodating to individuals with disabilities of all ages.
This Special Rodeo will also be the first year that the Suncatcher Therapeutic Riding Academy (TRA) will help out with the event and bring in some animals.
Activities at the Special Rodeo:
There are a number of activities that people can participate in, featuring riding and non-riding events for people to enjoy including:
- Horseback rides with therapy horses from Suncatchers TRA
- Stick horse barrel races
- Dummy roping
- Goat ribbon pull
- Miniature horse painting
Photos from the 2022 Special Rodeo:
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Chadron State College Head Rodeo Coach Dustin Luper offered Matthew his hat for some of his bull rides. Matthew rode that bull at least 20 times!
Chadron State College Head Rodeo Coach Dustin Luper offered Matthew his hat for some of his bull rides. Matthew rode that bull at least 20 times!
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Special Rodeo athletes take on the bull riding at the Monument Health Special Rodeo on August 27, 2022
Special Rodeo athletes take on the bull riding at the Monument Health Special Rodeo on August 27, 2022
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
A Special Rodeo athlete is taught "the ropes"
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
A Special Rodeo athlete paints on one of the Red Horse Healing therapy horses
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
A Special Rodeo athlete gets kisses from one of the Red Horse Healing therapy horses
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Quite the turnout at the James Kjerstad Event Center
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Shannon Champion (left), her daughter Ruby Lehmann (center), and Madi Moody (right), all reunited after attending a similar event together in Spearfish in 2018
Shannon Champion (left), her daughter Ruby Lehmann (center), and Madi Moody (right), all reunited after attending a similar event together in Spearfish in 2018
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Shannon Champion (left), her daughter Ruby Lehmann (center), and Madi Moody (right), all reunited after attending a similar event together in Spearfish in 2018
Shannon Champion (left), her daughter Ruby Lehmann (center), and Madi Moody (right), all reunited after attending a similar event together in Spearfish in 2018
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Chadron State College Head Rodeo Coach Dustin Luper offered Matthew his hat for some of his bull rides
Chadron State College Head Rodeo Coach Dustin Luper offered Matthew his hat for some of his bull rides
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Jackie does her best to hold on the whole eight seconds
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Black Hills State University Rodeo Coach Glen Lammers (far left) and Chadron State College Head Rodeo Coach Dustin Luper (middle) pose with Matthew, a Special Rodeo Athlete who took a liking to the bull riding
Black Hills State University Rodeo Coach Glen Lammers (far left) and Chadron State College Head Rodeo Coach Dustin Luper (middle) pose with Matthew, a Special Rodeo Athlete who took a liking to the bull riding
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Madi Moody met Ruby in 2018 at a Special Rodeo in Belle Fourche
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Monument Health Special Rodeo
Volunteers help participants sign in for the first-ever Monument Health Special Rodeo
Location and time of event:
The special rodeo takes place in the Barnett Fieldhouse at The Monument on Saturday with a free lunch at noon for participants and volunteers. Registration will then start at 1 p.m., followed by the Special Rodeo at 2 p.m.
Why Suncatcher TRA enjoys helping out with events like this:
“One of the things that’s so amazing about connecting people of all abilities with horses, with other animals, is we see the connections that we have and it increased just a simple joy in life,” Francie Fortune, executive director of Suncatcher TRA, said. “Horses also have been shown to have some incredible benefit for people — building confidence, helping with healing through trauma and so many things that so many of us deal with on a daily basis.”
Suncatcher’s first year bringing horses:
Fortune says that they’ve had some amazing volunteers who continue to go out and work with the horses in the fall and winter to get them ready.
“The horses are just excited because they get really bored in the winter time, and then they miss their people,” she said. “So, all of the horses that are coming in are incredibly excited about being able to be here and be part of that as well.”
