Bull riders might be some of the roughest and toughest guys around, but recently one of our Muskogee riders took a lot of harassment for something he felt was important.
A couple of weeks ago Muskogee bull rider Blake Rowan, 23, got his first haircut in 20 months. For Blake it was a gift to someone less fortunate. One night in 2008, while watching a St. Jude commercial, it occurred to Blake that he already had a good start on the gift he would give.
After some research he found out that Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children with long-term medical hair loss, accepted hair. The requirement was that the hair had to be 10 inches long before it could be donated.
Rowan started on his mission. He caught a lot of flack for it. Family and friends teased him. “They’d joke with me,” Rowan said in a Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association release. They would say, “If you’re not doing good in the bulls, you could get into the barrel racing.”
But when everyone understood his mission, they became supportive. There were even others in the rodeo family that told him that they were going to do the same thing.
Rowan has been a bull rider since 1998. He competed in the Oklahoma Junior Rodeo Association and now is a member of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association. In 2008, he was the Prairie Circuit Bull Riding Champion.
Blake is now on his second head of hair for donation. At last cutting, his aunt cut off ten and a half inches of his hair. He now looks to repeat the gift. Blake said, “I’ll start over from scratch. As long as I can keep producing hair, I’ll keep donating it.”
Speaking of donations, I recently received a newsletter from Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue of Jones. With the economy the way it is and no market for horses that people can either no longer afford to keep or just no longer want, these people are currently caring for 95 horses! They urgently need your help with donations and/or adoptions.
This year alone, Blaze’s has taken in over 200 horses from animal cruelty cases in the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division to others simply running at large – not reclaimed by their owners. Your donations are tax deductible. They need help with feed, hay, any supplies, and veterinary care. Even if you can only send the cost of a bag of feed or bale of hay – every little bit helps. Their web site is www.blazesequinerescue.com or telephone at 405-399-3084 or 405-615-5267.
The Bartons are gearing up for a great Thanksgiving weekend at the Hilltop Arena in Muskogee. There will be something for every range of roper. They will start on Friday night with an 11-point with 9-incentive saddle drawpot. It is capped at a #7. Then on Saturday night, they will have a straight 8-point drawpot, capped at a #4. They will be giving a Master saddle certificate to the high-money winner both nights! Books open at 7 p.m. and close at 8 p.m. They will not be roping on Tuesday.
Last week’s high money winners were Dale Painter of Pryor on Friday at Hilltop and Dustin Hamlin, of Broken Bow on Saturday night at Poteau. For more information call Bart or Mika Barton at 463-3269 or 616-9269 or e-mail them at letsrope@crosstel.net.
Good luck wherever you go this weekend!
Farmers Almanac Best Days: To trim manes and tails to promote growth: Nov. 26, 27, and 30.
You can reach Rhonda Stewart with rodeo news or comments at rayandrhon@netzero.net or 869-1498.
