Caitlyn Hey, of Cust, North Canterbury, has had Yellow, a 19-year-old mare, for only two months.
But yesterday the year 10 Christchurch Girls’ High School pupil was in good
form competing in barrel racing as the Trans Tasman High School Challenge wrapped up in Outram.
"I’ve been having problems with my first drum, but I nailed it today, so I’m quite happy with my first run," she said.
Wearing a silver fern on her back was "pretty cool" — and she loved the camaraderie among the competitors at rodeos.
And she knew that without the Outram Rodeo Club’s help she might not have been able to compete at the weekend.
"Good job to Outram for stepping up and making it happen," she said.
As the Mataura River raged through the Southland town last week, and the Mataura Rodeo was postponed due to the floods, Outram Rodeo Club president James Adam got a call late on Wednesday night from club secretary Marty Deans, who said: "Should we have a crack at it since everyone is here?"
An extraordinary board meeting was quickly called and soon it was official: just two days after the Outram Rodeo on Waitangi Day a second rodeo was on in Outram.
With a crowd of about 100 on hand, the club put on the event for the Mataura entries, Mr Adam said.
"There’s only a handful of people here, but a handful is more than I thought we would get," he said.
"Every day at the rodeo is a good day."
And it was a good day for 16-year-old year 12 Rotorua Boys’ High School pupil Legacy Wallace-Latoa, of Rotorua. He was representing New Zealand, and competing in the same arena as older bull riders he looked up to — Rotorua’s Johnson Davis and Mervyn Church jun.
"They’re humble; they’re on their own buzz; they’re never cocky — they just go out there and do what they need to do," Legacy said.
