Dear NPRA Board & Lori,
I truly appreciate your support of our Tri-County Youth Rough Stock Clinic held in Powell Butte on April 1st & 2nd . There were 40 kids attending this year, ages from 7 to 19 years. The kids are there for a 2-day clinic that focuses on making sure their equipment is properly set up, if they do not have equipment, they can be advised on what to purchase. Then they spend time on the bucking machines learning mark out, riding technique and safety. After that they move to the arena, and I have saddle horses & gentle steers/bulls for them to learn chute safety procedure & they can practice a mark out and get a feel for being on a live animal that is safe while they learn to dismount to a pickup man. At the end of the clinic the kids get a chance to get on a live buck that fits their skill level. I provide a homemade, warm lunch both days for the kids and their families, with the help of several volunteers. This clinic is a win/win because all of the proceeds are a fund raiser for the May Tri-County High School Rodeo and all of the kids that participate get a solid course under their belts before the first spring pee-wee, junior and high school rodeos begin. This course has also been voted to be required, for safety reasons, by Oregon High School Rodeo Association, for the bareback kids that have not taken a clinic/school prior to competing at a high school rodeo.
Thank you so much for your support.
Heather Hershey
Tri-County Youth Rough Stock Clinic
