Hundreds of students attend, 28th Annual Mini Rodeo

Cattle Call celebrations are in full swing in Brawley.

This morning crowds filled the arena for the annual Mini Rodeo, where special needs children and adults are invited from all over the imperial valley to attend.

The idea for mini rodeo dates back to the year 1988.

Founder Joanie Moore had the vision of sharing the rodeo experience with those who might not be able to attend regular performances on the weekend.

She started by inviting special needs students from various schools to attend.

“Cattle Call is a great event in our community, all of our campuses located from all the way from the north end of the Imperial County all the way to the south end are so happy to bring our students with disabilities to get this experience, and more of a personal experience where they themselves can see all the horses up close be with their families and build community,” said Deborah Montoya, Senior Director of Special Education, ICOE.

The mini rodeo here in Brawley has been celebrated for 28 years and each year it keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Competitors compete in pole bending, team roping, and barrel racing just to name few.
And some brave cowboys even attempt to do some bull riding.

“In our particular classrooms we do a lot about just cowboys, the west, the rodeo and all the elements that are put together in the rodeo along with of course the horses which they love. So our kids love to learn about that, come out and see it in real life, what it’s like. Then they go back to the classroom and talk about it for weeks on end because they enjoy the event so much,” added Montoya.

Every year the Mini Rodeo has a great group of volunteers including the local Naval Air Facility. The Brawley Cattle Call Rodeo Committee would like to thank the volunteers for all their help.

For more information on The Brawley Rodeo and Cattle Call celebration you can visit cattlecallrodeo.com