Month: May 2017

  Jennifer Arnold started riding horses when she was eight years old. Not long after that, she saw her first barrel race at a rodeo in her native Mississippi. “I was completely mesmerized,” she recalled in an interview with The Tennessee Star. Right then and there, she decided that’s what she wanted to do. Arnold got involved in high school rodeos and today, at 33, travels the country competing in rodeos. On Friday, she had the fastest time in the barrel race at the Franklin Rodeo at the Williamson County Ag Expo. Arnold, who calls Murfreesboro home today, is a self-confessed speed demon who says she’s in it for the adrenaline rush. Last year was Arnold’s rookie year on the rodeo circuit but already she has been racking up wins. She gives credit to her horse, Smart Lil Spade, or Spade for short. At rodeos, barrel racing is strictly a women’s event. In the competition, women one by one race their horses around the arena, quickly maneuvering around barrels set up along the way. Laurie Cooper from Humboldt in West Tennessee also competed in Friday’s barrel race. At 52, Cooper has been riding in rodeos for around 30 years. Her…

  The Franklin Rodeo wrapped up Saturday, and The Tennessee Star was there! Our photos from across many of the events show why gravity is only a ‘theory.’ Here are some of the most gravity-defying moments we captured. “I’ll step out riiiiight here!” A valiant effort! Picture-perfect Now there’s a vertical jump for you! Well… almost gravity-defying! Congratulations to all the winners; and we’ll see everyone at next year’s Franklin Rodeo!    

  You don’t have to be very big to get a shot at glory at the Franklin Rodeo. In fact, participants in the famed mutton bustin’ competition can’t weigh more than 50 pounds. The sheep-riding contest is a big draw for tiny tots, who register near the entrance before the start of the rodeo and hope their names are drawn to compete later in the evening. The goal is to see who can stay on a sheep the longest. On Friday, rodeo fans cheered as the evening’s chosen competitors strode bravely into the arena at the Williamson County Ag Expo wearing protective vests and helmets. Many didn’t last long after bursting out of the chute gate one at a time. Before the youngsters could possibly know what was happening, they were in the dirt. Four-year-old Lacy Kincaid of Spring Hill held on long enough to be declared the winner. After her victory, she smiled and posed for photos. Asked if she was scared out in the arena, she shook her head no. Kenny Stephens was proud of his three-and-a-half-year-old son, Kaleb, for hanging on as long as he could. “He made it as far or farther than most of them,”…

  Decked out in cowboy hats and cowboy boots, rodeo enthusiasts sauntered into the Williamson County Ag Expo on Friday evening for the second night of the 68th annual Franklin Rodeo. The arena was full of entertainment, from steer wrestling and roping to barrel racing and bull riding. There also was bareback and saddle bronc riding. And there were rodeo clowns and two events for children – a calf scramble and mutton bustin’, a sheep-riding contest for pint-sized kids. One bull rider had to be swiftly bandaged by an EMS crew after getting thrown from the bull and then chased down and injured by the beast. He was greeted with applause once back on his feet. The Franklin Rodeo is one of the largest rodeos east of the Mississippi. This year’s rodeo concludes tonight. Among those who came out Friday was Celia Dodd, Tennessee Miss United States Agriculture. Wearing a tiara, a sash over a short sleeve blue polka dot dress and cowboy boots, the 18-year-old was there to promote her pageant and enjoy the show. Her favorite event is mutton bustin’. “It’s fun to watch the kids,” said Dodd, who also knows a lot about sheep. She grew up…