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Moffat County’s Black Mountain Junior Rodeo concludes season next week

Craig Daily Press Staff Report
Scooter Hicks speeds across the arena during the Black Mountain Junior Rodeo Wednesday night at the Moffat County Fairgrounds. The summer series has been available for riders nearly every week since June and will feature its last week of competition Aug. 12.
Andy Bockelman

If you go

Black Mountain Junior Rodeo

6 p.m. Aug. 12

Moffat County Fairgrounds

— The last installment of the summer series will be a competition for its regular competitors in barrel racing, flag racing and pole bending, complete with prizes.

It’s been another busy summer, but pretty soon the head of one of Moffat County’s equine institutions will be letting someone else take the reins.

If you go

Black Mountain Junior Rodeo

6 p.m. Aug. 12



Moffat County Fairgrounds

— The last installment of the summer series will be a competition for its regular competitors in barrel racing, flag racing and pole bending, complete with prizes.



The Black Mountain Junior Rodeo summer series is nearing the end of its year after meeting nearly every week since June at the Moffat County Fairgrounds.

About 50 to 60 participants regularly show up for the chance to compete in flag racing, pole bending and barrel racing.

Organizer Beverly Salazar said the number of kids of all ages — including some adults — that come out for the gymkhana events shows the dedication of the area’s youths to riding.

Open to all skill levels, the lineup ranges from toddlers who are accompanied by their parents to older riders who work in the Black Mountain activities between other rodeo plans in their summer, all of whom could win some payouts.

“It’s a cheap way to work your horse and to get a time so that it’s clocked,” she said. “It’s amazing how some of these kids have progressed.”

The series will wrap up for the year next week, as one final gathering will let kids compete for some impressive prizes in addition to their regular schedule.

It will also be a farewell evening for Salazar, who will be stepping down as the head of BMJR. She started the organization about nine years ago and has decided to devote more time to family and let someone else be in charge.

She said she started when her daughter, Amber, was 3, and wants someone with children in their more formative years to have the same experience she had nurturing a young rider.

“The group that’s taking over has kids that are much younger, so it’ll be a nice change,” Salazar said.


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