Hold on as long as you can.
That was the goal for bull riders and mutton busters Saturday during Amped Up Pro Bull Riding Tour's stop at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds. In addition to hosting bull riding, the event featured barrel racing.
Dawson Horn, of Columbia, Illinois, was one of the bull riders. He fell in love with the sport after watching a movie, he said, which led to him moving to Oklahoma to do it for real. Eight years later, he travels across the country to compete.
"I love it," Horn said. "It's the worst drug I've ever seen, you know, but it keeps me going."
California native Tyler Pettigrew, a professional rodeo clown, also returned to entertain the crowd. Like Horn, he spends a lot of time traveling between coasts and, sometimes, across the border.
"It was absolutely amazing getting to come back home," Pettigrew said. "Have a few moments home with some family and friends and get to entertain a lot of familiar faces."
Pettigrew said he helps people enjoy what he described as the "greatest sport on this planet."
"For them few hours they come in and, whatever's going on in their life, they put their undivided attention on us for a couple hours for entertainment," he said. "They may have a really bad day or they may be having the best day of their life ... . I get to go out there and entertain them, maybe make them forget about their bad day for a couple of hours. Just putting a smile on everybody's face and seeing the reaction of the crowd, I absolutely love that."
Jesse Dick, of the Rafter J Cattle Company near McGirk, who produced the event, said this was the tour's fourth year visiting California. After having it at the Moniteau County Fair for the first two years, he said Rafter J switched to a standalone event last year after the fair opted for cheaper entertainment. He said his family is heavily involved with planning the event, which takes approximately 2-3 months.
He said Amped Up Productions, of Warrensburg, helps find riders and bulls for the event. The event is sanctioned by Amped Up, so riders' scores contribute to their standings with the tour. Riders who manage to hold on for eight seconds receive a score between 1 and 100. The top score of the night was 85 points.
"I think the event went very well," Dick said. "I would've liked to see a couple more guys stay on their bulls, the crowd enjoys seeing guys ride their bulls. But the bull power was just too much for them, I guess."
The Amped Up Pro Bull Riding Tour will return 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 to the Moniteau County Fairgrounds for the Ozark Ham & Turkey Festival's Bulls & Barrels Bash. The California Area Chamber of Commerce is producing the event, which will also feature mutton busting, barrel racing and extreme bull fighting.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — California native Tyler Pettigrew, a professional rodeo clown, hypes the crowd Saturday during the Amped Up Pro Bull Riding Tour at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — A barrel racer gallops across the track Saturday as she prepares to round a barrel during Amped Up Pro Bull Riding Tour's barrel races at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Members of the Missouri Highway Patrol Color Guard display the U.S. and Missouri flags Saturday during the Amped Up Pro Bull Riding Tour at the Moniteau County Fairgrounds. The Missouri Highway Patrol, along with local first responders, were recognized during the event for their service to the community. Pictured, from left, are: Trooper Brian Lange (behind flag), Trooper Jake McKinney, Trooper Brandon Harris and Master Sgt. Bryan Salmons.