Mutton Bustin'!

One day in January, Matthew got a letter in the mail, from the Rodeo Chairman. He called me at work to read it to me. It began, "Dear Cowpoke"...
It went on to read that he had been selected to participate in the Mutton Bustin' Competition. This means (for all you rodeo-vocabulary-impaired folks) that Matthew would get to ride a sheep! It is a contest for kids, who weigh less than 60 lbs (Matthew weighs 59), to see how long they can stay on. He had been selected because of a paragraph he had written about why he likes the rodeo.
On Feb. 24, we took him to the Coliseum, where he was given his protective gear (a helmet and padded vest). He looked so cute! John was calling him, "Bucky Goldstein, Jewish Cowboy". Matthew was grinning from ear to ear.
They called his name, and he was out of the gate! He stayed on the sheep for about 2-3 seconds, before he fell off. Unfortunately, the sheep kicked him when he fell off, and bruised his collar bone. I don't think Matthew will ever go near a sheep again. He probably won't even wear a wool sweater!
Sorry about the blurry sheep picture- I was still getting to know my new camera settings. I am waiting for a professional picture to come, that shows him much more clearly.