Garrison Cowboy Wins Thursday’s Mutton Busting in Nacogdoches

The Nacogdoches Pro Rodeo kicked off Thursday night at the Expo Center. The 'Wildest Show in the Oldest Town' runs through Saturday.

The gates open nightly at 6:30, and the rodeo action gets underway at 7:30. It's a good idea to get to the arena by 7 because that's when one of the most entertaining rodeo events starts...mutton busting.

Each night of the rodeo, 15 young cowboys and cowgirls try their best to ride a sheep for as long as they can hold on. Registrations are taken at Boot Barn in Nacogdoches, and from those, 45 riders are drawn for the event.

Contestants must be between the ages of 3-7, and weigh under 61 pounds. The event is sponsored by KICKS 105 and Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative. Justin provides the helmets and safety vests for the kids. Other sponsors include Global Inspection Services and Richard Riggins Ranch.

Each rider gets a belt buckle, while the top three riders get extra prizes. Splash Kingdom, represented by Smiley the Shark, also provides prizes to the kids for the upcoming Summer season.

Kru Murray of Garrison was the final rider of the night, and he definitely had the top ride. Kru rode 'Highway 59' to the center of the arena for a score of 85 points. Finishing 2nd with a ride of 70 points was Ava Terry of Nacogdoches. Rounding out the top three was Sam Hawthorne of Huntington. Sam's ride of 69.5 points on the sheep named Cumulus was good for third.

Take a look at the riders in the gallery below.