The culture surrounding rodeos is a world unto itself, and is filled with competition that is wrapped up with a love for animals and the outdoors. And that’s exactly what Silver Creek Equstrian Center owner and operator Laura Leigh Shivers wanted to
share with the public when she created the annual Youth Rodeo three years ago.

“(This is) for families and their kids to get out and have something to get out and to do together,” Shivers said. “For the kids, to get them out of the house and get them out doing outdoor activities.”

Silver Creek played host to more than 600 people Saturday at the third annual Youth Rodeo, drawing a big crowd to the Bovina location. Shivers said the center is used through- out the year for a number of events, including birthday parties and weddings, but added setting aside some time for the rodeo is important.

“We do any type of outdoor venue,” she said. “But a lot of people don’t have the option to have a horse or to have farm animals
and this also brings them out to see that type of life and they’re able to still be involved with it, especially locals that aren’t able to have horses or goats and farm animals.”

Shivers said Silver Creek supplied all of the animals for Saturday’s event, which replicated a number of standard rodeo fixtures aimed at letting kids in on the fun.

“You’ve got a lot of different options,” she said. “This year we kind of focused more on getting people involved with the animals,
but these are typical events you would see in a rodeo.”

Shivers said, while Saturday’s event was a big success, she hopes to include a second installment later in 2024. She also said a big thank you is due her sponsors, with- out whom the rodeos would never get off the ground.

“As the years are going on, the locals are really starting to hear about it and getting more involved,” she said. “We’re getting more and more people and a lot of people are just saying ‘thank you for offering that’ because it’s not something they see all of the time. And I want to thank our sponsors, because it’s very expensive to do this type of event and we wouldn’t be able to do this without them.”

This year’s Youth Rodeo sponsors included Bovina Grocery; Don Ho’s BBQ & Deli; Vinco LLC; Mississippi Premier Roofing and
Remodeling; Davis Feed & Farm Supply; and William Lloyd.