Champion!!!

I've been wanting Kehl to mutton bust for the past year or so, but no one would allow it because he wasn't old enough.  At Ogden Pioneer Day's you have to be at least five.  Well, this year we were informed of a Little Buckaroo Rodeo in South Uintah that allowed three year olds to participate.  We jumped on that opportunity.  We signed him up for both the mutton bust and the chicken chase. 
We prepped him days in advance and made sure that he wanted to do it before we signed him up.  He would frequently remind us that he was going to ride a sheep and chase a chicken.  I was totally prepared for him to change his mind at the last minute but he didn't.
They started the evening with a parade of all the contestants.  Kehl held the line up because he was more concerned about making friends, which was also evident in the chicken chase.  He kept talking to all the kids instead of listening.  We had to yell, "Focus" a few times, but those words just fell on deaf ears.  He was just so excited to be surrounded by so many kids.  He didn't catch a chicken but he did run ALL over smiling at every step.
His next event was the sheep.  They were good sized sheep with a lot of energy.  They were bolting out of those chutes, dumping children left and right.  The kid who could hold on the longest would win.  No points for style.  Kehl wanted to ride out with one arm up because that's what cowboy's do but we convinced him otherwise.
When it was his turn he climbed right on and went to the winning position, hugging the sheep with both your arms and legs and hanging on for dear life.  They opened the gate and the sheep was.......not bolting that's for sure.  He slowly walked out hugging the edge of the arena with Kehl hanging on.  The owner's tried to push the sheep more to the center, but he had none of that.  Slowly he made his way to the center where Kehl's grip finally failed.  He gracefully fell to the ground, stood up, dusted himself off and proudly walked off.  He gave his dad a tough cowboy high five and just kept on walking.  Phil and I were so proud that we wanted to cry, but for Kehl's sake we held back.  Tough cowboy's don't have parents that cry.
Once all the other kids were done he told Phil they needed to go get his trophy.  We told him that he might not get a trophy but he had already made up his mind that he was getting a trophy.  To our excitement they called his name to the champion stand but we still didn't know if he had the winning time.  Once again he wanted his trophy and once again we had to tell him that he might not get a trophy but a ribbon instead.  Then they announced the champion as Kehl Cardon.  He proudly walked over, climbed the winners stand and waited for his trophy.

2011 South Weber County Fair Day's 5 & Under Mutton Bustin Champion!