Countywide : Rodeo Animals Fare Better Than Riders

The animals got a better shake than the cowboys at Rancho Santa Margarita’s fifth annual Fiesta Rodeo, which concluded on Sunday.

Most of the horses, calves and bulls did their brief shticks in the ring, then spent the rest of the afternoon munching grass or oats next to well-padded trailers.

Three of the more than 200 human contestants, however, ended up taking trips to the hospital for treatment of injuries that included a fractured wrist, dislocated shoulder and possible broken ankle.

“We always get one or two injuries in a weekend of rodeo,” organizer Bob Watson said, “but we don’t usually get three in one performance.”

Commented Troy Cattoor, a 24-year-old cowboy from Utah who apparently broke his wrist while being dragged by it from a bucking bronco: “This is the first time I’ve ever been hurt on horseback before.”

The injuries didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, however, which was estimated at about 5,000 over the course of the three-day event.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Elaine Lavine, 36, an insurance agent from Laguna Niguel. “I’ve never been to a rodeo before. You get the feeling of the life of a cowboy.”

Indeed, it was to commemorate that life that the Fiesta Rodeo was founded.

Part of a Spanish land grant, the area has been associated with cattle since the 1820s. Gradually, the cattle-grazing land has been eaten up by development, but 40,000 acres of the old cattle ranch still remain.

So the Fiesta Rodeo--featuring, among other things, bronco riding, bull riding and calf roping--began on Friday with a seven-mile cattle drive from the still-active ranch to the festival grounds.

“We want to keep the history of the area alive,” Watson explained.

Sharon Bartleson, a 35-year-old local hairstylist, agreed. “It’s good for the community,” she said of the show. “It brings out the rancho in Rancho Santa Margarita.”