McALLEN — Barney Castillo latched onto the mechanical bull, digging his tiny boots into the padded lining on the machine.
A few seconds later, he lost his grip and bounced softly on an inflated mat beneath. After regaining his footing, the 9-year-old Weslaco boy tried bouncing off the mat to jump on the bull, which was nearly his own height. About three tries later, the ride operator walked over, picked him up and perched him atop the plastic robot. The boy was among hundreds who gathered at the Soza Brothers Arena in McAllen on Saturday for Sagebrush Rodeo Days, a fundraising event featuring rodeo-style entertainment, including barrel racing, calf scrambles and bull riding. “It’s a neat event for the kids,” said Rhonda Cruz, 27, of Edinburg, who was there with her boyfriend and niece. “They’re not usually around horses and animals.” Most of the money collected from this year’s event will go to scholarships for students at the academy. “We believe a private school is only as good as the work it puts into the community,” said Eliza Garcia, the school’s founder. “We have animals at the school and we teach students horseback riding because we feel it teaches students responsibility.”
Plus, kids and adults have fun being around animals.