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Braxton youth wins goat-tying contest in state youth rodeo

By Shirley Shuman

Carter Wayne, son of Bobby and Alisha Wayne, recently qualified for competition in a national youth rodeo after winning the May 13-14 state competition in goat tying.  Daken Arena in Beverly, West Virginia, was the site of the state youth event sponsored by the West Virginia Youth Rodeo Association. The 12-year-old has competed in youth rodeo since he was six, and he plans to continue into adulthood. Both parents rodeoed.

Wayne explained that his event is like calf roping, but for the young riders, goats are used instead. He described “riding the horse down the chute as fast as you can, jumping off the horse and running to the goat that is tied to a rope.” He went on to say, “And then you flank it—get hold of its leg and put it on the ground. Last, you tie three legs.”  To win the state competition, this young rodeo rider completed his task in 17 seconds.

As with adult rodeo riders, Wayne considers his horse a definite asset. He rides a quarterhorse which he named Tuey. Questioned about the unusual name, he explained. He said his father, in Texas at the time, bought the horse from a friend. The animal came with the name “Tutu,” but Carter and his parents felt the name didn’t fit a rodeo horse. They chose “Tuey,” which maintains part of the horse’s original name.

To qualify for the state youth rodeo, riders must earn points in competition preceding the state event. In addition to competing “all over West Virginia,” he entered rodeos in North Carolina, New Jersey, and Virginia. Wayne also competed in chute dogging and breakaway roping but did not place in those events.

The young rodeo rider also works as a bullfighting clown for kids in the peewee/youth division when they ride sheep and calves. He said he really enjoys this activity, and it has become an important part of his rodeo activities.

Carter Wayne explained that he has “always wanted to be a cowboy,” and for the time being, rodeo competition allows him to fulfill that goal. He continues, he said, because he “loves ranch work and really likes horses.”