SADDLING UP. NTC rodeo team member Truman House saddles a horse during a presentation to local elementary school students. Photo by Daniel Vandever

In an effort to reach out to the local community, Navajo Technical College’s (NTC, Crownpoint, NM) rodeo team visited a local elementary school to read to students. Team members also offered a roping and saddling demonstration.

Rodeo team members Kaydrea Stevenson, Bridget Becenti, and Truman House accompanied NTC’s rodeo coach, Jackson Craig, and athletic director, Christine Reidhead, in reading to the 112 students at Bluewater Elementary School. “It went really well,” said Principal Mario Márquez. “They got somebody from college to read to them and, for the kids, that’s huge. When they see people other than our staff stress the importance of education it means a little more. You can’t replicate that.”

The NTC rodeo team went on to give a thirty-minute presentation on how to properly saddle and groom a horse, followed by an interactive dummy-roping demonstration that allowed the children to practice roping techniques. “I liked the fact that it was interactive,” Márquez said. “The kids got a chance to handle a rope and see the different presentations. Overall, it was something really positive.”