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3 Moffat County cowboys, cowgirls take home saddles at Little Britches Rodeo

Ben Bulkeley
The winners of each Moffat County Little Britches Rodeo division and competition were awarded custom saddles. When the saddle presentation was over, the first-time winners were given a traditional dunk in a trough.
Ben Bulkeley

Although there might have been more than 180 youths competing at the Moffat County Fairgrounds, Gabbi Steele was only concerned with one.

Herself.

Steele, a Moffat County High School sophomore, said she was only thinking about her performance during the weekend’s Moffat County Little Britches Rodeo.



“I always compete with just myself,” she said. “I can’t worry about what everyone else does or says, because that seems to mess me up.”

Steele and her 14-year-old gelding, Booger (“He came with the name”) performed well the last two days of the rodeo.



On Saturday, Steele won the senior girls breakaway roping competition, clocking in at 2.95 seconds.

For Steele, who was sixth overall in goat tying, the Moffat County Little Britches Rodeo is her favorite.

“I don’t really like any other rodeo association,” she said. “I just like this one because of the people, the atmosphere.”

The location couldn’t be better either, Steele said.

“I compete at a number of Little Britches Rodeos all around the Western Slope,” she said. “This rodeo makes you tougher. There are a lot of tough kids out here.”

Some of those tough kids came from Moffat County, too, with three young cowboys and cowgirls taking home coveted saddles.

Jaidyn Steele was the all-around winner for the Little Wranglers class with 831 total points, and with 446 points, Taylor Vernon was the runner-up for senior girls.

Cutter Barnes took home the top award for junior boys breakaway roping.

Overall, Moffat County fielded 31 champions.

Casey Barnes was second overall for junior boys breakaway roping and fifth in goat tying.

Kinlie Brennise, who was Saturday’s top overall wrangler in the Little Wrangler division, was second in goat tail untying and fifth in barrel racing and pole bending.

In addition to being all-around champion, Jaidyn Steele also finished second in pole bending, third in flag racing and fourth in goat tail untying and barrel racing.

Dusty and Denton Taylor were second overall in junior boys team roping.

Denton was fourth in dally ribbon roping and sixth in flag racing and goat tying.

Taylor Vernon was third overall in the senior girls trail course and goat tying, and along with her brother, Troy, sixth in team roping.

Troy Vernon also was third overall in bull riding and seventh in tie down roping.

The third Vernon, Trent, was fourth in junior boys goat tying and sixth in dally ribbon roping.

Eric Fleming took home third overall in senior boys tie down roping.

Taylor Duzik had a pair of fifth-place overall finishes in the junior girls trail course and dally ribbon roping, and a seventh-place finish in barrel racing.

Mattie Jo Duzik was sixth overall in junior girls trail course and barrel racing.


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