Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Meet ‘The Regulators’
LINCOLN RIDING CLUB PRECISION DRILL TEAM
LINCOLN — Spectators at the 65th annual Lincoln Rodeo won’t hear the voice of William H. Bonney uttering “Regulators ride” booming over the loudspeaker, but they might detect a symbolic connection.
Bonney, better known as an infamous outlaw “Billy the Kid,” operated with a group of hired guns commissioned to avenge the murder of rancher John Tunstall in 1878 during New Mexico’s Lincoln County War.
The phrase, “Regulators ride,” became widely-known after Emilio Estevez’ portrayal of Bonney in the 1988 movie “Young Guns.”
In 2011, an entrepreneurial organization, Great American Adventures, which specializes in providing authentic tourist experiences, recreated Billy the Kid’s Regulator Ride across Lincoln County New Mexico. On a five-day horseback excursion, trail riders visited the Salazar Canyon area traveling territory frequented by Bonney and part of a trail he followed immediately following his notorious escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse.
The purposely not-sowell concealed connection attributes to a northwest Arkansas community named Lincoln associated with skilled riding and western horsemanship providing thrills to spectators.
Members of the Lincoln Riding Club, which hosts its 65th annual Lincoln Rodeo this week, formed ‘The Regulators’ as a precision drill team in July 2013. Megan Anderson, Marlana Edgmon, and Hannah Sanders share a passion for horses coupled with tenacity making the success of the drill team into reality.
Members of the Regulators range in age from 13 to 50-something, as Edgmon puts it. The drill team features: Edgmon, coach/ line leader; Hannah Sanders, coach/line leader; Anderson, coach; Amber Durham; Judy Gail McNeely; Dianna Lynn; Kylee Bobacher; Amanda Waters; Amber Hutchison; Fannie Davenport; Seirra Davenport; Tabby Peyton; and Matti Turn.
The Regulators operate as a 12-person performance team with three sponsor riders this year: Madeline Davenport, Cara Parret, and Chyenne Caldwell. This week, they are scheduled for performances at 8 p.m. each night Thursday through Saturday during the Lincoln Rodeo Aug. 9-11 and will take part in Saturday’s parade which starts at 4 p.m. at Lincoln Riding Club Arena and winds around the Lincoln Square downtown.
Lincoln Riding Club Rodeo features events in several categories including: steer wrestling, bull riding, saddle bronc, team roping, bareback riding, barrel racing, calf roping and break-away roping. The rodeo has been sanctioned for several years by American Cowboys Rodeo Association and the International Professional Rodeo Association. The stick horse grand entry held nightly at 7:30 p.m. gives youngsters an opportunity to be part of the rodeo, followed by the 8 p.m. rodeo performance.