"See Mom I said I wouldn't be scared."

March 2008 before Billy-Bob quit.  It think at Lincoln, Ca.

Billy-Bob said, "Remember mom I said when I'm five I won't be scared" and he wasn't.  He didn't cry or scream or freak or try to climb off.  After Middletown Billy-Bob walked a little taller.  I think that Billy-Bob was proud of himself for conquering a fear.  I don't think that Billy-Bob would have termed it conquering a fear, I don't think he'd really understand that completely at the age of five.
To Billy-Bob, he was excited that he was riding, excited that he was seeing friends again, and excited to get a toy!   Mutton busting was something to do that was a combination of exciting and scary.  For Mike and I, mutton busting was something to keep Billy-Bob busy.
Billy-Bob is my active child, moving full speed from morning to night, his teacher this year calls Billy-Bob her squirrel.  An apropo nickname as we've often compared Billy-Bob to Hammie from "Over the Hedge".
Billy-Bob didn't crawl as a baby.  He did try to pull himself up a few times.  But at eight months and three days Billy-Bob stood up and ran.  He hasn't stopped since!
Billy-Bob exhibitioned in two more rides after Middletown before the season ended.  Billy-Bob never covered the rest of the year but he had a lot of fun and both of us learned.
For Billy-Bob there was the rush to get ready, the grand entry, and the rush to find his sheep.  For me there was a new routine and a lot to learn.
Just getting the sheep rope rosined is an artform in itself.  And trying to learn the knot was beyond me.  All rough stock ropes, from the sheep ropes all the way up to the bull ropes have to be tied in a knot, one that won't slip but is easy to adjust for the size of the animal.  Sometimes the ropes have to be tied into a double knot, which is not twice as hard to tie but about 100 more times harder to tie, if the animals are small for the rope.
Then there is the task of hanging the rope on the animal.  The bells go on the bottom and the rope has to go around but leave the room for the tail to come up to let the Billy-Bob take a wrap and still have excess left over.
Once that is all done it's time for Billy-Bob to climb down and get set.  Getting set is a skill that has to be developed but unfortunately I did not know what to teach.  So it wasn't until 2010's season, Billy-Bob's first on calfs, that Billy-Bob started to really learn what to do when in the chute and when it was time to go.  Normally other older boys helped Billy-Bob when he was riding sheep which was a good thing for Billy-Bob but unfortunately the older boys would contradict each other, which wasn't such a good thing.  Sometimes the dads would offer advice.  This was more helpful.
After those last few rides we had six months to get ready and prepare for the new season.
Then it was time to go and go we did!

A New Beginning

We thought we were done.
Billy-Bob gave it a try and was done, less traveling, less money spent.
A lot less money.  We'd paid out the sponsorship fees and entry fees and had even ordered jackets for all of us, but I gave up on ever getting them.
The holidays came and went and Billy-Bob turned five.
We passed other milestones and finished out preschool.
We had a house fire that destroyed a lot of stuff and what wasn't gone was put in storage.
Then Billy-Bob looked at me one day and said "How come I'm not riding sheep any more?  Remember I said I would again when I was five."
Um, really?  Really?  NOW!  That's what went through my head what came out of my mouth was
"Oh ok, really, are you sure"   I mean we were living in a trailer rented from the insurance at this point and dealing with any schedules just threw me.
Billy-Bob was sure.  I kept trying to put him off.  But one thing Billy-Bob is, when he gets something in his head is, to put it nicely, insistent.
I finally started looking around and trying to find the association info again, but didn't have any luck.
I had no contact numbers for anything.
Then it dawned on me, the lady who originally told me about the Northern California Junior Bull Riders Assoc., N.C.J.B.R.A, had been a substitute teacher in my older son's class, her son was riding calfs at that time.  411 to the rescue!
There was no longer a N.C.J.B.R.A., apparently the secretary was being investigated for embezzlement, gee no wonder we never got our jackets, from the association.
What there was now was W.R.B.R.A., Western Regional Bull Riders Assoc., which, after a lengthy conversation with Brian Moniz, was started when N.C.J.B.R.A. had to fold, leaving a whole lot of kids with no place to ride.
I got Billy-Bob entered for a ride up in Middletown, a beautiful but really long drive through Napa Valley (some day I'd like to actually have the time to stop and enjoy the places we drive through!)
Now for hectic phone calls, unanswered phone calls, and phone tag with the laundry company that was storing our clothing.  Trying to find Billy-Bob's gear bag, rope, vest, chaps, helmet, and boots.  Instead of having the items delivered to us, that would take up to two weeks, we drove the hour and a half to the warehouse to pick up the items.  The gear bag was missing but at least we had the other important equipment.  Although  my boots were missing.
Off we drove to Middletown with a nice lunch stop in Napa itself.  Although, the grade from Napa to Middletown is incredibly twisty and Billy-Bob gets car sick.  Wish I had known that ahead of time.
We got a little lost on the way to the arena, which for such a small town shouldn't have been hard to find!
One thing that one of the men had gone over the year before, was proper attire for the kids and the parents.  They were very serious about long sleeves rolled down for the parents, boots, hats, and jeans.
When Billy-Bob got signed in I was again reminded of the clothing requirements.  Of course I had no boots but was given a pass for this ride.
Mike and I were really worried.  We didn't join or pay anything but the entry fee.  Billy-Bob was going to ride exhibition, which meant no accumulation of points.  At this point there was three rides left in the season before finals.
Several of the dads remembered Billy-Bob, "that kid with the long hair" and Billy-Bob said hello to several of the kids.
We got Billy-Bob's gear set up and ready to ride.  Sara was no longer riding with the assoc. so I needed someone to help.  Dakota Thompson, a Jr. Bull Rider, helped now and while Billy-Bob got a little stressed he still rode.
Billy-Bob didn't go far and he did finally let go but he seemed to have conquered that fear.
Oh No What are we getting ourselves into!

A change

Back at the hotel we got take out pizza and Mike got down on his hands and knees and had Billy-Bob get on his back and practice hanging on.  He seemed so enthused.
The next day we were back at the rodeo grounds.  Mike was going to go back behind the chutes with Billy-Bob.
Big mistake.
Billy-Bob is exactly like Mike and even at age four, when they locked horns, they stayed stuck.  They are like two bulls facing off.
Billy-Bob, again freaked behind the chute.  He was NOT going to get on that sheep and he screamed and yelled.  So did Mike.  We could hear him clear across the arena then we saw them climbing down and into the alleyway.
Mike was so angry with Billy-Bob.
Billy-Bob though still got that toy.
We watched the rest of the kids and then packed up and drove home. 
Mike stewed while Billy-Bob insisted that he was going to ride again.
Silent from the driver chattering from the backseat!
Oh well.
After a lot of talking and trying to decide if Billy-Bob was going to ride or not I sat down and talked with Billy-Bob.  Well as much talking as you can do with a four year old.  Basically I told him that his daddy and I had decided that if we entered and paid Billy-Bob was going to ride again.  Billy-Bob said uh-huh but really can a four year get the concept.
So we entered him and drove to the next ride.
It was my turn to go with Billy-Bob and get him ready and on the sheep.  Getting him geared up, getting the rope hung on the sheep, and getting him down and on the sheep.  Again Sara helped and this time she had her sister get down with us.
The rope was hung and we started to get Billy-Bob down in the chute, where he started crying.  At least no screaming.  The girls really worked with Billy-Bob to get him to stay on the sheep but he refused to take one hand off the rope.  At this point we just told the man who pulled the gate to go!  Billy-Bob again came off immediately
Day two went basically the same but this time I told Billy-Bob that he wouldn't ever have to ride again if he would just get on and ride this time!
Small lies that mommas tell!

Taking a moment to organize

I have been trying to find pictures from Billy-Bob's first forays into the mutton busting arena.  Unfortunately, due to a fire in 2007, I am missing almost all the pictures from that time.  We have been hunting and scanning pictures from my mom and in-laws the last week or so.  I am going to try to post on Sundays through Thursday nights so that I can be consistant and take Fridays and Saturdays off.  I am hoping that I can add more pics as I go and find them.  Right now I am not sure where Michael has scanned and saved them to.

On with Billy-Bob's tale.
As of January 1st of 2005 Billy-Bob was listed as a 3 year old for the Northern California Bull Riders Assoc., even though his birthday is in the middle of January.  So he was riding as a 3 year old when he was actually 4.
My mom and my in-laws drove up for his first ride of the year with gear and all.  I took him again behind the chutes.  What was nice about this assoc. was that the older boys and girls, yes girls, were all willing and eager to help with the littler ones.  All I had to do was ask what do I do.
I handed Billy-Bob down into the chute to Sara, a bull rider, and climbed down in with them.  Billy-Bob cried and cried this time as soon as he sat on the sheep.  Sara was very good with him and we finally got the chute open.  Billy-Bob didn't make it very far, I don't think he even made it out of the chute before he fell off, but at least we had another ride down.  I had to go and carry him out.  I wasn't sure what the heck we were all getting ourselves into or if he'd ride again.
The answer, of course, was....

Toys.
You thought I was going to say Yes huh.
All mutton busters get a toy.  They also compete for a buckle but no money and really at 3,4,5, and 6, toys are great!
We watched the bull riders and back to the hotel we went.  This was a 2 day event. 
In my head is still the picture of Billy-Bob wiped out asleep in the hotel bed with his Elmo Blankie and Pooh Bear, alas, that was on the computer that burned.
My little cowboy and my little boy all rolled into one.

You may ask...

You may be asking why would a mom encourage her son to ride calfs? Why encourage the beginning of bull riding? Sure riding sheep is cute, but calfs? He could get hurt!

Billy-Bob was a deceptively calm and quiet baby, only three sleepless nights in the first year.

Of course that was just to lull us into a sense of calm.

Ignore the fact that he was starting to roll over at 3 days old. I thought he was a bit ahead on his milestones but the doc. didn't, he didn't try to crawl, pull up, or walk.

But at eight months and three days I get a call from the hubs. Guess what Billy-Bob did today... He stood up and ran!

OMGosh help.

He hasn't stopped since. Although the boy sure can sleep hard. We've had to find something for him to keep him busy.

Along came a young man that bought our colt. He was a nice young man, Nic Lica, with a bit of a hard life. My oldest knew him from riding lessons, he was in junior high and both boys immediately idolized him. Nic worked off his colt by doing chores and exercising horses for us. He also wanted to ride bulls. Eventually Nic was going to ride steers in Jr. Rodeo and asked us to come watch him. Billy-Bob was three and was enthralled. He didn't want to leave the fence. At the next rodeo we talked with another parent who told us of an association that had sheep riding.

Thus starting our adventures.