They’re Along for the Ride : Greenhorns as Well as Cowboys Find a Passel of Thrills at Rancho Santa Margarita’s Annual Rodeo

Chewing tobacco and wearing a cowboy hat, Steve Kosterman was looking forward to riding a bucking horse today--and staying on--in the third annual Rancho Santa Margarita Fiesta Rodeo.

“There’s nothing like it,” Kosterman of Trabuco Canyon said Saturday. “I’ve never had a thrill like riding a saddle bronc. I don’t sleep at night unless I can ride.”

Kosterman, 34, who is riding today in the saddle bronc event, is among the more than 200 riders from as far away as North Dakota, Oklahoma and Idaho who were competing in the Fiesta Rodeo that started on Saturday and drew about 4,000 spectators.

Rodeo competitions will be today at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and an arts and craft fair starts at 10 a.m. The event also features a chili cook-off and a children’s carnival with pony rides. Rodeo tickets are $11.50 at the gate, with children under 3 admitted free.

On Saturday, spectators attending the event--which marks Rancho Santa Margarita’s seventh anniversary--watched bucking broncos, saw cowboys rope cattle, wrestle steers and ride bulls and watched cowgirls barrel race.

“I’m from Texas, and rodeos, horses and Texas go together,” said Darrell Rowe, 28, of Corona, holding 8-month-old son, Troy.

“It’s good, wholesome family entertainment. It’s one of the few things you have left for you and your family to enjoy.”

Dave Stipe of Irvine brought his sons, Alex, 6, and Andy, 9, to watch the rodeo competition.

“The kids really enjoy the cowboys, and it’s good, clean fun,” Stipe said.

Stipe’s son, Alex, came dressed for the occasion in a fringed vest, black hat, boots and a pair of toy six-shooters strapped around his hips.

Alex said he wants to be a cowboy when he grows up “because you get to rope bulls and ride horses.”

Bill Stretz of Irvine brought his son, Robby, 5, also dressed from head to toe like a cowboy and wearing a holster with a pair of toy pistols, because it’s a chance to capture the feeling of the Old West.

“It’s an experience they don’t get in urbanized Irvine,” Stretz said. “This is a little more like real-life America--what it used to be.”

The rodeo and arts and crafts fair is sponsored by CASA, the city’s Community Activities and Service Assn., a volunteer organization that also stages local events throughout the year.

Bob Watson, vice president of CASA and chairman of the rodeo committee, said the rodeo is expected to draw about 8,000 people today.

“In this area, most people have never seen a rodeo,” he said. “It’s just part of the American West.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit CASA, Watson said. “This year, if the crowd’s good, we just hope to cover our expenses,” he said, adding that any profits will go to fund summer concerts and a fireworks show.

Watson said the event this year has drawn more competitors than ever before, and an estimated $24,000 in prize money will be given away to top riders.

For rodeo cowboys, it’s not only the chance to win prize money, but the thrill of riding a bucking bronco or bull that draws them to compete.

“I hold on to the rope, pull my chest out and just ride,” said Steve Dulmage, 24, of Rancho Santa Margarita, who rides bulls. “It makes eight seconds seem like a long time.”

In competition, the rider must stay on the bull for an eight-second ride.

Dulmage, who started riding about 1 1/2 years ago, said staying on during a bull’s bucking performance gives “an adrenaline rush. It’s indescribable.”

J.R. Blomberg, 12, of Trabuco Canyon competed in the Junior Rodeo held on Friday.

Blomberg said that riding steers is fun and that not winning and taking home a silver belt buckle for first prize isn’t always disappointing.

“Even if you don’t win, the cheers of the crowd make you feel happy,” he said.

Mark Phillips, 20, of Las Vegas said being a cowboy and riding bulls is all he wants to do.

“I’m trying to make a living at it and get out on the road,” Phillips said. “It kind of becomes your life. If you want to do it, you have to eat, live and breathe it.”

And Phillips, like the other cowboys who competed in the Fiesta Rodeo, also hopes to take some of the prize money home.

“I hope to come home with a paycheck,” he said. “And a buckle.”