MISSOULA — Traveling for any sport requires timing and planning, and when your equipment is thousands of pounds worth of horses the logistics are even more important.
Tucked away beyond the grandstands of any rodeo, there are usually hundreds of trucks and trailers that carry everything an athlete needs to compete.
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Montana rodeo coach Kory Mytty says for his team, those trailers are hauled to at least 10 different locations every season.
“We’re talking 15 traveling athletes, we’re talking 30 horses go with us because a lot of these athletes do multiple events,” Mytty said. “Some are doing team roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing and goat tying; that person would have four horses to take with them.”
That is the case for other teams across the state, with athletes like MSU-Northern's Georgia Orahood, who competes in three different events and travels with two horses.
Orahood says it is important for the horses to be as comfortable as possible, given that their legs get tired on road trips, too.
“They're really special to us, so we just make sure they're as comfortable as we are because they're athletes too,” Orahood said. “When we get here, they're a huge part of what we do, so making sure they're as comfortable as they can be when we get here, they can compete as best as they can.”
Luckily for Orahood and almost every other athlete in the rodeo, they do not travel alone.
This makes the slow and long road trips bearable throughout the season and builds up team chemistry.
“Having really good travel partners is really important because, if you're traveling by yourself, you get tired and you get sleep deprived and then you're not prepared for the rodeo,” Orahood said. “Having these guys with me and having me be with them, it makes it easier on all of us just being better competitors.”
