Rodeo Shows the Old West Is Alive ‘n’ Kickin’

There seemed to be two types of footwear at Saturday’s opening of the second annual Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo near San Juan Capistrano.

There were, of course, the myriad of cowboy boots usually associated with such events.

And there were a fair number of Birkenstock sandals, which usually aren’t.

“Birkenstocks?” exclaimed Diane Gaynor, a spokeswoman for the ranch. “Hey, that’s my kind of shoe.”

So it was that the Old West met modern Orange County on a warm summer Saturday afternoon.

In fact, it wasn’t their first meeting. Back before modern Orange County was modern, old-timers will tell you, the annual rodeo was an important part of life on the ranch.

The practice was followed for a time in the 1990s at various South County locations including Rancho Santa Margarita.

And last year the family of Richard O’Neill Sr., which owns and manages the 25,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo as the county’s oldest existing large-scale cattle ranch, decided to resurrect the rodeo to commemorate the 120th anniversary of its stewardship.

“It was an opportunity for the family to perpetuate the great American cowboy tradition and keep the West alive,” Gaynor said.

That seemed especially important in the wake of Sept. 11, she said, as Americans began wrapping themselves in the red, white and blue.

Those colors, in fact, were much in evidence Saturday, beginning with the skydiver who opened the two-day event by dropping into the ranch’s riding park with a huge American flag.

And sales of the $20 admission tickets confirmed the appeal: About 5,000 spectators attended Saturday, about 1,300 more than expected.

“That’s really exciting,” Gaynor gushed. “My advice is to come early on Sunday.”

Those who did attend were treated to the usual rodeo fare: about 200 contestants in such events as bareback riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, bronco busting and riding the bulls.

With a purse of $132,500 to be distributed among 24 winners, organizers were touting the event as the richest two-day rodeo in America. And, they said, a percentage of the profits, last year amounting to about $25,000, would be given to charity.

That wasn’t enough, however, to dissuade a lone animal-rights protester from standing at the entrance sporting a sign saying, “Real Men Don’t Hurt Animals.”

“I’m here to let people know that animals get hurt in the rodeo,” said Lucy Shelton, who said she’d come from Azusa for the event.

“We don’t have to abuse animals for entertainment, nor should we as a civilized society.”

Most of the rodeogoers seemed to ignore her.

“We like the beauty of it,” said Sonja Hoffman, 33, a Huntington Beach mom with her 2-and 3-year-old daughters in tow, all wearing matching white cowboy hats.

“We love the country scene. With everything going on in the world, it shows that we’re still united.”

Ray Sanchez, 38, an active-duty Marine serving at Camp Pendleton, said he’d brought his Thai wife to the event to “show her a little American culture.”

“It’s totally American,” he said of the rodeo. “We’re in a fight for our culture today and it’s great that we still have this.”

Then there was Erin Hachadoorian, 17, of Trabuco Canyon, who’d come for reasons of her own.

“I like the cowboys,” she said simply.

“I need to find one with really tight jeans and a big buckle. I think it’s cute when they ride the bulls.”

The rodeo continues today at 2 p.m.