Kids a motivation for club president
Harvey Trogdon has served as president of the Siloam Springs Riding Club for 17 years. Throughout his time as president, Trogdon has remained low key. Here Trogdon opens up about his time as president and how it has evolved over the years; as well as some of the changes for this year’s rodeo.
Always a fan
Trogdon has been a fan of rodeo since he was about seven or eight. He was born in Pryor, Okla., and raised in Westville, Okla. He remembers going to his first rodeo with his aunt as a boy.
Trogdon doesn’t remember a lot about the rodeo. He does remember being dazzled by the events and eventually learned to team rope. Rodeo was a part of his family life too. Trogdon also remembers his stepfather serving as president of the now defunct Watts (Okla.) Riding Club and it having an impact on him.
“When I was a kid, my stepdad was president of the Watts Riding Club, that’s been a long time ago,” Trogdon said. “I asked him, ‘Why do you do it?’ He said, ‘To give you kids somewhere to go play. That’s why I do it.’”
This thing called rodeo
Trogdon competed in local rodeos as a team roper but could never afford to join the sanction. Despite not being able to be a part of the circuit, Trogdon still enjoyed going to the shows. Rodeo continued to be a part of his family. His oldest daughter competed for a little bit, however it was Trogdon’s granddaughter, Samantha Curran, who kept the family tradition alive.
“My granddaughter started riding up here when she was three or four years old,” Trogdon said.
Curran went to the junior rodeos and ended up as a breakaway roper, Trogdon said. Curran won the Colcord Rodeo at the age of 16 and was crowned princess of the 2004 Siloam Springs Rodeo at the age of eight.
When asked what his favorite events are, Trogdon said he enjoys watching bull riding and mutton busting, but if he was competing, the event would be team roping.
Club President
Trogdon became president of the riding club for the same reason his stepfather devoted his time to the
Watts Riding Club: So his kids would have a place to play. He credits a lot of the success not on himself but on those who have stepped up to volunteer.
“I’ve seen a lot of good people come up here and work along side of me,” Trogdon said. “I’ve still got a lot of good people with us.”
Trogdon mentioned Karen Davis, Kari McReynoldsHutchins and Lee Reed and his wife Karen. Over the years Trogdon has seen changes at the riding club.
He has seen more female riders in recent years than he has in the past, Trogdon said. He still sees a lot of bull riders but Trogdon has seen a resurgence of horse riders within the last year. One of the most popular events is still mutton busting.
“You just can’t run enough mutton busters,” Trogdon said. “Those little kids love them. We run somewhere between 20 and 30 sheep a night.”
Most recently, the club put in a new announcer’s stand and new pens for the animals, he said. As much as the club has seen, very little prepared them for what would be required for this year’s rodeo.
Siloam Springs Rodeo 2020
This year’s rodeo proved to be challenging in different ways due to the coronavirus pandemic. In order to put on the rodeo, several activities like the play night, the dance, the Gold Members Dinner and the Handicapable Rodeo were canceled due to the social distancing, Trogdon said.
“It’s hard to explain to a kid why you have to be six feet away from your buddy,” Trogdon said.
He also plans to limit people in the announcer’s booth to three, the entry fee collectors will be separated, and the riding club will not run a concession stand this year, due to the coronavirus, Trogdon said. This year, Trogdon plans on having a vendor come in and put in concession trailers.
“It kind of worked out with this covid deal because there is so much more that we would have to do if we ran our own concessions,” Trogdon said.
There will also be limited seating this year and he plans on having hand sanitizer stations set up, Trogdon said. Despite the hurdles he is optimistic.
“If we can get through this year and this covid deal leaves out, then we’ll be bigger next year,” Trogdon said.