Hutchings, 8-year-old Riverside Elementary School student, competed against five boys and then won the mini bull riding competition at the "Battle of the Bulls" rodeo in Idaho Falls on July 3. She rode "Teddy Bear" for eight seconds, won "best ride" and scored 90 points.

She said it felt really good to win, she had a lot of fun and that she wasn't scared at all during the competition. The competition was free to enter for children ages 8 through 12 and had a weight limit of up to 110 pounds.
Hutchings said her prize for winning the competition was a chance to hang out with members of Professional Bull Riders, Inc., such as L.J. Jenkins, JB
Mooney, Wiley Petersen and many more.

She probably has no reason to be scared after all the practicing she has done for the event. The soon-to-be fourth-grader at Riverside Elementary School practices at her home on her "mini bucking barrel," which she describes as a small mechanical bull that bucks like the real thing. She got her start in the rodeo scene by riding sheep and then progressed to calves last year. Barrel racing, pole bending and tying goats down are some other activities she enjoys.

Her parents, Greg and Shanna Whitehead, encourage her love of rodeos and they enjoy many of the same activities. Greg is a bullfighter whose job is to protect riders from angry bulls.

"Teddy Bear" was raised among 34 other mini bulls by Chad Casperson of Bancroft, Idaho whose goal is to start a mini bull riding association. He works for Monsanto, an agricultural company, but his passion is working with the kids in his spare time. "I love working with them and making future bull riders out of them," he said.

Casperson said the mini bulls are a great substitute for calves and steers and that his mini bulls are the only he has heard of west of Oklahoma. The mini bulls have horns and buck and hump just like a full-size bull.
To ride in a typical mini bull riding event costs $50. The entry fee goes toward prizes and is usually supplemented by company sponsors.
Casperson said mini bull riding is a new sport that is sure to take off.
His mini bulls are available for appearances at fairs and rodeos and can be acquired by calling Casperson at 648-7106.