Kids a motivation for riding club president

SILOAM SPRINGS — 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.

Trogdon has been a fan of rodeo since he was about 7 or 8. 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.’”

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 Trgodon’s granddaughter, Samantha Curran, who kept the family tradition alive.

“My granddaughter started riding up here when she was 3 or 4 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 age 16 and was crowned princess of the Siloam Springs Rodeo at age 8.

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 alongside 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.”