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Twelve-year-old Richard Wayde Hamar of Yuma was killed in a bull-riding competition Sunday morning at the Little Britches Rodeo at the Boulder County Fairground in Longmont. Hamar was wearing a helmet and padded vest, but after he was thrown, the bull stepped on his stomach, officials said. His parents were in attendance at the two-day rodeo for youths 8 to 18 years old. "He held on for a few seconds," Katy Sinclair, who witnessed the accident, told the Daily Camera. "When he hit the ground, the bull just ran him over. I could see the bull's legs hit his chest....

Obama's teleprompter hits the trail Posted: 06:50 PM ET Obama delivered his remarks at the Colorado State Fair of a teleprompter. (CNN) — It appears Barack Obama's teleprompter is hitting the campaign trail. The Democratic presidential nominee has never tried to hide the fact he delivers speeches off the device, though normally he doesn't use one at standard campaign rallies and town hall events. But the Illinois senator used a teleprompter at both his Colorado events Monday — making for a particularly peculiar scene in Pueblo, where the prompter was set up in the middle of what is normally a...

A glam-metal rocker is bucking the Greeley Stampede, vowing to use the band's gig there Saturday to educate fans about "rodeo cruelty." "I had no idea that this gig included a rodeo," Poison drummer Rikki Rockett, an animal-rights crusader for 16 years, said in a statement. The 86-year-old Greeley tradition bills itself as the "World's Largest 4th of July Rodeo." "I am blown away that I missed the description of this show on our touring schedule," said the 46-year-old Rockett, whose real name is Richard Ream. "I have a huge problem with animal cruelty at rodeos," said the drummer, who...

By BILL MURPHY Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Comments (304) Yahoo! Buzz The Houston rodeo has rejected a U.S. Justice Department offer to mediate disputes with minority groups who say it needs more minorities in high-ranking positions, doesn't give scholarships to noncitizens in the country legally and has stopped featuring Tejano performers on its main stages. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo does not believe mediation is needed because it promotes diversity and does not engage in discrimination, said chief operating officer Leroy Shafer. "At this point, we see no need to have a Justice Department mediator involved in this," he...

An Illinois-based animal-rights organization is claiming that horses at this year’s Fiesta de Los Vaqueros were treated with unnecessary cruelty. An agency called SHARK, or Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, has filed a complaint Monday morning with the animal services division in Arizona’s Department of Agriculture because horses were shocked during the rodeo, said Janet Enoch, a SHARK investigator. Steve Hindi, SHARK’s president and founder, said he took video footage of horses being shocked with a prod that can deliver what he described as much 6,000 volts of painful electricity. In a video posted on the video sharing Web site...

HARRAH, Okla. -- An Oklahoma rodeo cowboy was killed this weekend when the bull he was riding fell on him, authorities said.Will Jernigan, 29, was killed at the Prague Rodeo at about 10 p.m. on Saturday. The Harrah native had been riding bulls for several years, officials said.Witnesses said the bull was jumping up in the chute before the gate was released. When it was released, the bull stepped on Jernigan and then fell on top of him. "You look up in there, and the bull's hanging up over the pen, kind of like he was trying to climb out,...

Stung by criticism from animal-rights activists, a popular suburban Vancouver rodeo has eliminated four marquee events from its future program. CPRA president Dale Leschiutta said he's concerned that a cherished Western tradition is under attack. By removing the events, Cloverdale risks losing its designation as a sanctioned professional rodeo, where cowboys on the North American circuit can earn points to quality for the national and North American championships held later in the year in Edmonton and Las Vegas. The rodeo association sanctions nearly 60 rodeos in Canada's four western provinces. The four events, which are considered the most cruel, include:...

Gay rodeo moves from Del Mar to East County – and some locals have discouraging words By Anne Krueger STAFF WRITER April 28, 2006 LAKESIDE – The gay rodeo is coming to this East County town, and some locals aren't too happy about it. In many ways, this weekend's event at the Lakeside rodeo grounds will be like any other rodeo, with attractions like steer-riding and barrel racing. Then there are the offbeat additions, like dressing a goat in men's underwear. The Golden State Gay Rodeo Association, which runs the event, is bringing it to Lakeside for the first time...

LAS VEGAS – He used to ride in a rickety trailer attached to an old Dodge pickup truck. Last week, he arrived in the comfort of a sleek 18-wheeler. He used to sleep in the company of dozens. Now he’s got his own place, with plans for a 3-acre retirement spread in the works. He and his colleagues used to be sold by the pound. These days, he’s not for sale. He is Mossy Oak Mudslinger, a 1,600-pound bull who is evidence that the cowboys aren’t the only ones cashing in on the rise of bull riding. Man and beast...

SPOKANE, Wash. - There's a new element to the sad country song that is a rodeo cowboy's life. To the raging bulls, lonely nights and lingering bruises, add high gas prices. Fuel costs hovering around $3 per gallon are wreaking havoc on the wallets of rodeo cowboys, who often drive hundreds of miles per day in beefy pickup trucks pulling horse trailers to get to the next go-round. The image of the solitary cowboy traveling back roads may be an archetype of the modern West, but it is quickly going the way of the buffalo. These days, a rodeo cowboy...

Gay rodeo moves from Del Mar to East County – and some locals have discouraging words. LAKESIDE – The gay rodeo is coming to this East County town, and some locals aren't too happy about it. In many ways, this weekend's event at the Lakeside rodeo grounds will be like any other rodeo, with attractions like steer-riding and barrel racing. Then there are the offbeat additions, like dressing a goat in men's underwear. “We're here to rodeo, ride horses and have fun,” said Randy Funderburk, a contestant from Palm Springs. The Golden State Gay Rodeo Association, which runs the event,...

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 23, 2006 – When the 2006 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo pulled up stakes Feb. 19, it left the wounded warriors recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center here and hospital staff with fond memories of Texas and cowboy hospitality. Staff and patients gather on three levels to watch Willie Nelson and his band perform Feb. 17 at Brooke Army Medical Center. Photo by Brian Guerra  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Texas legend Willie Nelson and his family band treated the hospital to a concert in the Medical Mall Feb. 17, playing to a packed...

As the rodeo crowd cheers in anticipation of the next six-second ride, Joey Nowacek makes sure his grip is secure. He taps his helmet and signals he is ready to go as he squeezes his cowboy boots against the side of the anxious animal. Then the chute bursts open and the beast darts out, bouncing the cowboy on its back. The event . . . isn't bull riding — it's mutton bustin' . . . and the cowboy is only 5 years old. Some people call this popular rodeo event "baby bull riding" because of its similarities to the sport...

Johnny Cash lives large at the Stock Show. While the Academy preferred the gay ranch hands of Brokeback Mountain, the bareback bronc riders at the Stock Show rodeo said they thought the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line was robbed. It secured only five nominations, which did not include best picture. "I loved that movie -- it was really good," Isaac Diaz, of Vernon, said of Walk the Line. Others praised Joaquin Phoenix for his portrayal of the Man in Black. Phoenix is nominated for Best Actor. "I thought he did a good job of acting," said Chad Mask of...

Sixteen inducted to CFD Hall of Fame The group included volunteers and contestants who changed the 'Daddy of 'em All' By Michelle Dynes rep2@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Jim Tescher first got into rodeo at the age of 16. During his career, he won the Cheyenne Frontier Days Saddle Bronc Riding Championship in 1957 and 1965. He also won the All-Around Championship in 1957 and 1966. Tescher was just one of the 16 members of the class of 2005 inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame at the CFD Old West Museum on Friday. His...

Last night I was pickin my banjo, drinkin a beer and enjoying a dip of Copenhagen and started thinkin bout my all time favorite C&W songs. You know, the ones you don't get tired of listening to. This is my top 5. 5. He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones 4. You're Not the Best by Charlie Robison 3. Rodeo by Garth Brooks 2. Amarillo by Morning by George Strait 1. Song of Wyoming by Chris LeDoux

Finding a wrangler's heaven By Michelle Dynes rep2@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Cowboy Church opened with a foot-stomping, hand-clapping rendition of "Amazing Grace" at Frontier Park on Sunday morning. "How many (people) applaud at church," asked Marty LaVor of Alexandria, Va. The six-time Cheyenne Frontier Days visitor said he didn't know why he hadn't attended Cowboy Church before. "It's the atmosphere," he said. "It's Frontier Days right at the arena. But it's much more personal than what you get in a normal church." LaVor said the experience allowed him to see the friendliness of the West up...

One to watch Trevor Brazile is the biggest name out there By Robert Gagliardi spt1@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - Ty Murray, Roy Cooper, Larry Mahan, Jim Shoulders. Just a few of the big names in professional rodeo through the years. There are plenty of great rodeo athletes in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association right now, but arguably the best is Trevor Brazile. "You can't call him the next big name, he is a big name," said Cody Ohl of Stephenville, Texas, a five-time world tie-down roping champion and the 2001 world all-around champ. Brazile is the biggest...

City could be liable with CFD - lawyer A civil rights trial lawyer said the absence of women on the Cheyenne Frontier Days General Committee could be proof in court of discrimination. By Kelly Milner rep7@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - In a court of law, the absence of a woman on the Cheyenne Frontier Days General Committee could be used as evidence of sexual discrimination. That's according to Trish Bangert, a Denver University law professor and trial lawyer who specializes in civil rights. Bangert spoke to the City Council at the end of Monday's meeting about the...

Singer/songwriter Chris LeDoux, who became a cult favorite on the rodeo circuit during the 1970s, died today (March 9) in a Casper, Wy., hospital after a lengthy illness. He was 56. Born in Biloxi, Miss., and raised near Austin, Texas, Le Doux became enamored of rodeo as a teenager, and was an award-winning bareback rider by the time he graduated from high school. He followed the college rodeo circuit and joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Assn. in 1970. Six years later, Le Doux won the World Championship Bareback buckle, but not before launching his career as a writer and performer...