PO’IPU — Cheyanne Tannery almost didn’t make it to the rodeo.
Tannery, whose parents Tom and Wendy are strong supporters of the rodeo, was ready to participate at the Keiki and High School Rodeo Sunday, but according to mom Wendy, “Her horse got a flat tire.”
Enter Geronimo, a horse that was still being groomed for the rodeo, and scheduled to be Cheyanne’s next steed.
Mom was a little anxious, but Cheyanne was not as she took to the new horse with aplomb heading to the first event, the K-2nd Barrels.
Wendy walked the mounted rider into the arena at the CJM Country Stables, and let go at the signal.
The pair skittishly approached the first barrel, knocking it over on a tight turn. But after a quick recovery, Cheyanne guided Geronimo through the second barrel and negotiated No. 3 with no problem before Geronimo arched his neck and pulled homeward.
“I know it’s a little early,” Wendy said following the event. “But she’s just going to have to get used to it.”
Cheyanne, even with a five-second penalty for the knocked barrel, finished the division event in third place with an adjusted time of 33.05.
First place in the K-2nd Barrels went to Coby Blackstad who slipped through the three-barrel course at 30.36.
Adam Camara finished in second at 31.49, and Seth Akita, whose newness in the event was demonstrated by his boots not quite reaching the stirrup, rounded out the field in fourth at 48.97.
Throughout the morning, Cheyanne continued to work the rodeo, entering in the K-2nd Goat Undecorating where she finished with another fourth place on an 11.71 go.
Top finisher in that event was Hunter Grace who stopped the clock at 10.12 followed by Blackstad who finished at 10.51, and Adam Camara who filled in third at 11.55.
Also on the agenda for Cheyanne was the K-2nd Dummy Roping event and the K-2nd Pole Bending.
Meanwhile, Wendy was busy wiping down Geronimo following his barrels event as Tom readied for yet another event.
