Plans are well underway for the Whitesboro Riding Club’s 67th Annual Whitesboro Rodeo, a local tradition that families from near and far have made part of their Fourth of July traditions.
This year’s rodeo is presented by new title sponsor Platinum Ford North, whose partnership has helped to expand this year’s event to be bigger and better than ever before.
The rodeo has been expanded to include three nights of rodeo fun from July 3-July 5. Thursday, the club will be hosting its first-ever “Heroes Night” honoring Veterans and First Responders. Veterans and First Responders can present their ID at the ticket booth Thursday night to receive a free ticket to the rodeo.
Rodeo fans can expect a packed performance that includes the return of Rodeo Clown Kody Gray; kids’ calf scramble and women’s steer scramble; and food and retail vendors and concession stand hosted by Tioga FFA and FCCLA Boosters. Thursday and Friday nights’ events will end with a post-rodeo fireworks show while Saturday night’s event will end with the return of a dance at the pavilion. Rodeo Chairman Colby Sheppard encourages everyone to come out and join in the fun.
Part of the excitement of the July 4th Rodeo is the Rodeo Royalty, one of the oldest standing royalty contests in North Texas. The Whitesboro Riding Club feels honored to keep this tradition alive and thriving.
This year’s royalty contest saw some changes when the new committee chair, Dillon Holden, took over and, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, restructured the age divisions and how the contest is scored.
The Whitesboro Rodeo now has four potential age divisions: Queen (ages 14-18), Princess (ages 10-13), Jr. Princess (ages 6-9) and Buckerette/Buckeroo (age 5 and under). The hope of the club is that this sets each title holder up to continue to run at a larger pageant, such as the Miss UPRA or North Texas Rodeo pageants.
Each age division wins a crown, buckle and saddle with matching headstall and breast collar. Royalty candidates are also eligible for other prizes for overall Top Horsemanship, Top Ticket and Sponsorship Sales, and Top Personality and Appearance. These are earned by competing in a horsemanship pattern and completing an interview testing their knowledge of not only the sport of rodeo, but also horse anatomy and the parts of the saddle.
While this year’s contest doesn’t have multiple candidates in each age division as in years past, these candidates still have to work hard to earn points in each contest and meet a minimum score in order to qualify for their title.
This year’s Rodeo Royalty candidates are Zoey Young (Princess candidate) and Magnolia Sheppard (Jr. Princess candidate).
Young and her horse, Blondie, are excited to be running for Rodeo Royalty at the Whitesboro Riding Club. Young and Blondie love competing in playdays, local barrel racing and jackpots. It is their passion and they have fun doing it. She is a proud Pottsboro Cardinal student, staying busy with volleyball, basketball and tumbling at North Texas Cheer. When she is not in the arena or gym, you will find her attending Georgetown Church with her family.
Sheppard is the seven-year-old daughter of Colby and McKenzie Sheppard and lives in Whitesboro. Sheppard is known for being a friend to everyone and having the heart the size of Texas, winning the Bearcat Character Award for the third year in a row. She is a proud member of the Whitesboro Riding Club (WRC) and helping to get ready for the Annual Rodeo is one of her favorite times of the year. She loves going to neighboring towns and riding in parades to help represent the WRC across North Texas. She hopes that by winning this title she can help bring more people to be involved not only with the WRC but to keep the sport of rodeo. When she’s not in the arena, you can find her competing with the Whitesboro Summer Track team, in a stock show barn, on a soccer field or in the gymnastics gym. As she gets older she wants to continue growing her horsemanship skills and plans to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
Tickets for this year’s Whitesboro Rodeo are available online at www.whitesbororidingclub.org or can be purchased from one of the Royalty candidates. Use Promo Code “Zoey25” or “Magnolia25” for the pre-sale price of $8 or purchase your tickets at the gate for $10.
Gates open at 6 p.m. and the performance will start at 7:30 p.m. Free on-site parking is limited, so get there early.
Attendance is especially important to the Whitesboro Riding Club this year as they continue to recover from a late-May burglary that resulted in property loss and damage.
Though the club does carry insurance, through a combination of deductibles, timing and the fact that some of the stolen items had originally been donated, it was determined that the club would not benefit from filing a claim for the stolen items and damages.
“The best way to support the Whitesboro Riding Club right now is to come to the rodeo in July,” club Treasurer McKenzie Sheppard said. “Buy tickets from our Royalty girls; bring your families; help spread the word. This event is really what helps fund our organization.”
Although a suspect was arrested last week, it was unclear whether that individual was responsible for the theft at the Whitesboro rodeo grounds.
