The frustration for 100 Mile & District Outriders Club continues, as organizers of the Little Britches Rodeo have had to pull the pin for this year.
Outriders Club president Michael Kidston says organizers and committee members met after the June 12 gymkhana, chewed it over and decided there were too many hurdles to pull the event together.
The original cancellation of the May 21 date was the result of an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus Type 1 (EHV1) that was spreading across western the United States and Canada.
Our May long weekend coincided with the first news of this contagious disease, and many equine events were cancelled to prevent the chances of contracting or spreading this sometimes-fatal illness, Kidston explains.
"With hindsight, the danger of an epidemic was overstated, and the outbreak of this disease was confined to a few facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Normal scheduling of events has resumed throughout most of the equestrian community."
Noting the members met the week after the cancellation and decided to contact the Little Britches Rodeo Association, Kidston says the association offered the local club a choice of three new dates.
The first one was mid-June, and the others were July 16 and the July 30 on BC Day long weekend, he adds
"The mid-June date was a little too early for us and the EHV1 was still an issue at the time and we wanted to see which way it was going. The August long weekend is the busiest weekend of the year for rodeos."
It would also put the Little Britches Rodeo in direct competition with the annual Interlakes Rodeo.
So, Kidston says they chose to go with July 16.
Unfortunately, there are many other events in British Columbia and Alberta throughout the summer, he adds, so local organizers were unable to secure qualified judges or an announcer for July 16, and couldn't find suitable stock available.
"You can't run an event without qualified judges and you need an announcer, so we were batting zero for zero.
"Little Britches wants smaller animals, so earlier in the season [May 24 weekend], you can pick some 300-pound steers, but by the time you get to mid-July, they've put on 150 pounds [and they're a little too big for our competitors]."
For these reasons, Kidston says the Outriders Club felt it had to cancel the Little Britches Rodeo for 2011 and wanted to let the community know that it was not going to happen.
"We met after the gymkhana and felt we had to either fish or cut bait, and at this stage, we're going to cut bait."
However, he says the club is going forward with plans for the 2012 May long weekend, and qualified officials have been booked.
"The support from our sponsors in the business community has been outstanding, as usual. The Outriders would like to thank all the businesses and individuals who offered their time and financial support for our rodeo," Kidston says.
"We hope to see you all in 2012 and to bring the Little Britches Rodeo back to 100 Mile House."
