DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — Four-year-old Easton Gunter has the rodeo in his veins.
“He’s been riding everything,” said father Heath Gunter. “The arms and legs of the couch, the dog - everything.”
Easton got his first taste of a real rodeo this week at the National Peanut Festival’s mutton-busting event. He and other pre-school aged children, all wearing protective head gear, rode sheep released from a pen.
Much like the real rodeo, the object was to stay on the animal as long as possible.
“It’s not scary, because I’m tough,” Easton said.
The mutton-busting event was one of several agricultural-themed events held in the Wells Fargo Arena at the festival. Events like mutton-busting, a border collie exhibition and the greased pig and calf scrambles hearken back to the peanut festival’s origin.
“This event reaches back and teaches about our agricultural roots,” said Merritt Carothers, an event coordinator. “That’s what started this community.”
In the greased pig and calf scrambles, local students involved in school agricultural programs chase and catch pigs or calves. The students who catch an animal then raise it and show it at exhibitions.
Robin Carothers, also an event coordinator, said having their own pig or heifer gives students a real-world understanding about farming.
“It kick-starts them if they’re interested in animal science,” he said.
Catching the animals is no easy task, however. Trapping and hauling a well-oiled pig or heavy, obstinate calf over the finish line was a tall order for many of the students who participated in the event.
Andrew Gamble, a Headland High School student, struggled with his calf for several minutes before finally getting the animal to submit.
“I saw her coming at me and I grabbed her,” he said. “It was a fight from then on.”
Skyler Mitchell had a little easier time catching a pig.
“It was fun running around and catching it,” he said. “The hog slipped four times while I was trying to catch it.”
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