Meet the Spartans you can see at the Stampede

The Spartan Stampede is the best indoor rodeo in the country. So says the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA). It's the eighth time the Michigan State University event, hosted by the MSU Rodeo Club, has earned the honor. The IPRA announcement came in January as the club prepared to host the 56th annual Spartan Stampede, which is now upon us.

The rodeo returns to the Farm Bureau Pavilion at Michigan State University this weekend, Fri., Feb. 13 through Sun., Feb. 15, with a jackpot speed event (barrel racing and pole bending) happening as a fundraiser Thurs., Feb. 12, and a youth day scheduled for Friday.

If you've never been to a rodeo before—or if you have been but didn't understand what you were watching—you're in good company. While agriculture majors and farm kids are common in the club, for some members, their interest in rodeo is a more recent development. Advisors and club members told The Michigan Hoof Beat that sharing their love for rodeo and educating others about it are important parts of the club's mission.

Eliza LaFavers, club president, previously told the Michigan Hoof Beat that while she rode in a lesson program as a kid, rodeo is a newer part of her life.

"I did kind of get pulled into this my freshman year and absolutely fell in love with it," LaFavers said.

Spartans in the Stampede

Most rodeo club members won't be riding horses or bulls this weekend. They'll volunteer for the event.

There will be four performances across three days, with 300 people either competing or accompanying a competitor.

Just a few Spartans will be entering the arena as competitors, and The Michigan Hoof Beat managed to talk to most of them while they set up the pavilion Tuesday night.

Madison Shattuck

Madison Shattuck is a 19-year-old sophomore from Hastings, Michigan, studying animal science with an equine concentration. Shattuck has a busy weekend planned. First, she'll compete with her 23-year-old bay Quarter Horse mare, Barb, in barrel racing and pole bending during Thursday's jackpot (the fundraiser is considered to be separate from the rodeo).

In barrel racing, competitors compete one-at-a-time to race around three barrels without knocking the barrels over. In pole bending, which is another speed event, horses weave through poles

Then, during the Stampede, Shattuck will be competing in team roping on Saturday night with a high school student from Olivet. She'll be on her horse, Pete, a chestnut Quarter Horse she's had for a year (fun fact: Pete likes peanuts). Shattuck and Pete will return to the ring Sunday, when Shattuck will compete in breakaway roping. And finally, on Sunday, Shattuck will learn the results of the rodeo queen pageant: she's competing.

In the team roping event, where a pair of riders work together to rope a steer, Shattuck will be running as a "heeler."

"There's two people, one on the head side, one on the heel side," she explains. "So, I'm on the heel side. My partner will catch the head, turn the steer, and then I will catch the back legs of the steer."

Shattuck says she only met her team roping partner a week ago. She'd lined up other folks to compete with, but then it turned out they couldn't make it.

"I was just looking around for someone to rope with. Anyone. I didn't care who it was at that point," Shattuck says. "And I met him at team roping practice last week."

Breakaway roping, on the other hand, is a solo event where the competitor races after a calf and ropes it.

"It has to be around the neck, and fastest time wins for both," Shattuck explains.

What to watch for

The announcer will tell the crowd when rodeo club members are competing, but you can also watch out for Shattuck's hat and Pete's boots.

"I have a somewhat distinctive hat. It's a burgundy, rust color. It's not a very common color to see," she says.

Pete, Shattuck's chestnut horse, wears teal boots and has a brand on his left shoulder.

Ava Del Bosque

Ava Del Bosque is a 19-year-old sophomore nursing student from Ovid, Michigan.

Del Bosque will barrel race in Thursday's jackpot and then work security during the performances.

Del Bosque's horse, Buster, is a palomino paint.

Del Bosque says she's hoping for a smooth run where she feels connected to Buster.

Some horsemen might describe Buster as a horse that "can take a joke." Del Bosque says he takes care of his rider.

"He walks you through it, pretty much," Del Bosque says. "He'll tell you if you're doing something wrong... but he'll, like, fix it himself... If you cued him wrong, he'll be like, 'I know... what to do. Just relax.'"

Jersey Pylman

Jersey Pylman is an 18-year-old freshman from Byron Center studying livestock management.

Look for Pylman at Thursday's jackpot, where she'll be competing in barrels and pole bending in the open and youth divisions.

Pylman will race again on Friday, but you might miss her. That's because Pylman is assigned to run "slack."

During rodeo performances, organizers limit the number of competitors who run for the crowd. If there are more, then that's slack, and those people finish the competition after the performance wraps up. For the audience, that means you might not see the winning ride.

Pylman says her trainer inspired her to join the rodeo club.

"She just had so many good things to say about it," says Pylman, who was also drawn to the people in the rodeo industry. "And then, just, also my love for the sport... I just wanted to be a part of that."

Pylman's horse's name might have you perking up: it's "Boodie on the Beach," also known as Buckwheat. The chestnut is tall, about 16.3 hands, Pylman says.

Look for Buckwheat to be wearing bright red gear, like boots and a breast collar. Pylman's attire might also catch your eye. She puts a spray of flowers on the left side of her cowgirl hat.

Caleb Lok

Caleb Lok is a 19-year-old freshman from Jenison, Michigan, studying livestock industries. Lok won't be competing at the Stampede, but plans to do a ranch bronc demonstration during Friday's youth day.

In both ranch and saddle bronc competitions, riders aim to stay on a bucking horse for eight seconds. But in ranch bronc riding, "you're in a normal Western work saddle," Lok explains. You also have a "bronc braid" tied to the horse's halter or around the neck and a "night latch" that goes around the saddle horn.

"You just use both to try to keep yourself down in that saddle," Lok explains.

Saddle or bareback broncs, "they buck big, fancy, like, huge bucks," Loc describes. "Ranch bronc, they could be any size. They buck however they want to, really. So they could just run and play, or they could buck really big. You never know."

Lok plans to do an exhibition of ranch bronc riding with Brandt Clark of Southpoint Rodeo, the Spartan Stampede's stock contractor and announcer. It's an exhibition because the ranch bronc event isn't sanctioned by the IPRA.

Clark has been teaching rodeo club members ranch bronc riding, said LaFavers, the club president.