GLENDO – Competing for bragging rights, prize money and plain fun, 15 teams kicked up the dirt at the annual ranch rodeo held in Glendo on fourth of July weekend. Announcer JT Guest kept the several hundred observers informed on the rules and explained what was happening during the ‘mad scramble’ testing the skills of seasoned ranch hands from a broad region surrounding the town in northern Platte County.
Brook Guest, Elaine Daly, Morgan and Lisa Millikin were timekeepers and coordinators, and one of their tasks was keeping a count to make sure there were only three loops attempted in the efforts to catch the cow, steer, or calf. Each animal was in the arena with four-member teams, who had to ‘doctor’ the calf, paint-brand the steer, and milk the cow - and remember to return the branding iron and let the animals loose – all in the quickest and safest way possible. There was an ornery cow or two, and riders tied to the bovine had to keep an eye out for other teammates in pursuit of one of the other critters so there wasn’t a tangle or injuries.

Tim Millikin, John Reese and Gene Daly were the judges, making sure each of the three tasks was completed according to the rules – including visible milk in the container brought to them by participants.
There was also a competition to sort-in-order five steers out of a herd and hold them across the line. This is more difficult than it sounds since the animals don’t like to be separated, and several teams had a no-time after the wrong animal crossed the line. A trailer loading competition also tested teamwork and skill. The team started at the front of a truck with horses loaded in the trailer. After time is called, they unloaded their horses, sorted and loaded a designated steer (while keeping the rest of the herd on the opposite side of the line), then load two horses into the trailer and close the gate while the remaining two cowboys run to the front of the pickup and touch the hood, signaling the end of their run.
For the younger participants, there was kids’ mutton-bustin, a kids team event, a boot scramble, and calf riding.
At the end of the day, all went well for the Glendo Ranch Rodeo which is sanctioned by Big Sky Rodeo Company, and the Selle Rodeo broncs didn’t disappoint during the bronc riding portion of the day.