Getting the dirt just right for rodeo is an art
W
eeks before the gates
open for cowboys,
cowgirls,
bucking
broncos and raging bulls to tear
up the rodeo grounds, special care
is put into making sure one fine —
if unexpected — detail is curated
just right: the dirt they compete
on.
There’s an art to maintaining
the soil within the arena, and the
artist behind it all is Sid Britt. Last
year, Britt was running his ranch
alongside his son, Marty, and his
grandson, Dalton, holding horse
races on his property when the
Farm-City Pro Rodeo contacted
him in the hopes of hiring him to
maintain their grounds.
“They heard how good my
grounds were from the racers we
hosted,” Britt said. “They wanted
that same quality for their own.”
It marked Britt’s first year
working for Farm-City, and it
was also the year that the rodeo
won the Justin Boots-presented
award for Best Ground, voted on
Staff photo by Brett Kane
Sid Britt drives a tractor in the Farm-City Rodeo Arena Tuesday, July
17 in preparation for the rodeo in August.
by barrel racers.
But what makes the dirt that
Britt works so special?
As it turns out, there’s an en-
tire routine dedicated to mak-
ing sure the dirt that is used in
the competitions is just right.
You can find Britt on the rodeo
grounds tending to the soil in his
tractor for at least three hours a
day on the eve of an event.
“10,000 gallons of water are
spread across the soil, and then
it’s my job to go out on my trac-
tor, rip it up, and pack it back
down,” Britt said.
If the soil is too soft, horses
can slip and cripple, and if it’s
too firm, anyone who is bucked
off can risk serious injury. The
goal is to find a happy medium.
Thanks to Britt’s years of
ranching and racing experience,
he has the expertise to know
when the dirt is ready to go.
“I’ll do one ride around the
entire arena,” Britt said. The first
lap tears and loosens all of the
dirt up.
“Then, I’ll do at least two or
three more go-arounds to pack it
back down,” he continued. This
ensures that ground isn’t too
firm, but holds just tight enough
for easy traction for the compet-
ing livestock.
Britt hopes to be back for a
third year to create the best rodeo
experience possible, from the
ground up.
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