The grandstands at the Clark County Fair were packed shoulder to shoulder on Tuesday, Aug. 8 for an action-filled rodeo event that included mutton bustin’, bull riding, saddle bronc riding and more. The rodeo even included local riders from Ridgefield, La Center and Battle Ground.
Bull-riding twins Kane and Hutch Hayslip from Battle Ground dedicated their focus to “the most dangerous eight seconds in sports” on a night that saw very few bull riders hang on for that long.
Both were inspired to become bull riders while on a fishing trip in Arizona when they asked their guide what sport he used to participate in, and the guide said he had been a bull rider. Kane Hayslip took on bull riding, which inspired Hutch Hayslip even more to take his interest to the next level. The 16-year-old twins have been riding bulls for around two years now, they said.
“Once you do it a couple of times, then you’re just having fun,” Kane Hayslip said.
“Once you do it, you just want to do it over and over again,” Hutch Hayslip added.
Both encouraged those interested in bull riding to make their interest a reality as they both quickly overcame their initial fear of getting on a bull.
The rodeo event started with the mutton bustin’ finalists. The top 20 children from the 2 p.m. event hopped on sheep and went for a fast-paced ride through the dirt. Lots of dirt in mouths and pants took place. The top mutton buster rode his sheep so well that he dispersed the herd of sheep and stayed on until the sheep gave up and came to a stop.
The rest of the rodeo included bronco riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The invitational barrel race allowed one of two riders to join the Hell on Hooves Summer Showdown tour. The top invitational rider posted a time under 13 seconds, which would have been good for a top spot in the main barrel-racing event.
The Hell on Hooves Summer Showdown comes to a close at the Oregon State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 26. To stay up to date on its locations, visit Facebook and search for the Wild West Events, Inc. / Longhorn Productions page.
