Special Cowpokes

The Christian County Cattlemen’s Association set out with a goal to have impact on the youth of Christian and surrounding counties.  While many times special needs youth are not given the opportunities of conventional outdoor education, it was the goal of the Cattlemen’s Association to see that the special needs youth had the opportunity for a new type of educational experience.According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 13% of public education students have special disabilities.  It was decided by the Cattlemen’s Rodeo planning committee that they would host a special needs rodeo for the youth of Christian, Todd, and Trigg counties.

Many times challenges are placed in front of educators for which they have little control or ability to change circumstances.  NCES states that over 50% of special needs youth spend eighty percent or more of their time inside general classes.  The cattlemen’s association felt they could help the schools provide an experience of a lifetime for many of their students.  On August 17^th special needs youth from Christian, Todd, and Trigg counties were invited to the West Kentucky Fairgrounds for a special needs rodeo.While many of the youth would love to have the opportunity to be in the arena, they were able to have many new first time experiences.

The youth were able to see all the events at a real life rodeo, as well as many special events that the cattlemen had planned.  While at the rodeo they were also able to take a hay ride, petting zoo, and practice roping hay bales.  Many of the youth stated it was the first time that they were able to touch a horse or be that close to a cow, while others said it was the best day of their lives.  It was definitely a day of special education for some special cowpokes.