GRAVETTE -- Nine-year-old Landyn Perrine competed last week in the 2018 National Little Britches Finals Rodeo, held July 10-15 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla. She has been competing in Little Britches Rodeo events since October 2017 to be able to attend the finals this month. Landyn competes in pole bending, barrel racing, goat untying and flag racing. This is her fourth trip to the National Little Britches competition. She was fourth in the world in the All-Around race going to the finals.
Of the more than 3,000 members in the National Little Britches Rodeo Association, a little over 300 of them are Little Wranglers. This was Landyn's last year to compete in the Little Wranglers rodeo division. Next year she will be moving up to the Junior division.
Over the course of her short rodeo career, Landyn has won six All Around saddles at various associations, the most recent being the 2017-18 Little Wrangler at the Arklahoma Little Britches Association. She won her first All-Around at the age of five.
The leaderboard at the National Finals Rodeo shows each member where she/he sits in the world based on their five best rodeos coming into the finals. Those points are carried over and added to points earned at the finals. A rider competes in each event twice during finals week and, if she is in the top 10 in both go rounds, she competes in the short go on Sunday. The individual with the most points at the end of the finals is named World Champion in each event as well as competing for the All Around title in each division.
Landyn was fourth in the world in the All-Around racing going into this year's finals. She didn't make it into the short go on Sunday but was very close in barrels and goats. Her pole horse, Flaxie, got muscle cramps and had to be treated with IV fluids. Unfortunately, that counted her out for making the short go in poles.
Landyn is the daughter of John and Kelly Perrine. She will be a fourth grader this fall at Gravette Upper Elementary. Her mother, Kelly, reported that the family had a great time at the Finals rodeo.
"We've had a wonderful time," Kelly said. "They do water balloon fights during the performance. And every night everyone chips in to make good food to eat. It's one big happy rodeo family. We've met people from all over. We've traveled to Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri rodeoing. We don't meet a stranger and, once we meet you, you're rodeo family."
The National Little Britches Rodeo Association, founded in 1952, is a youth rodeo organization for kids ages 5 to 18. The NLRBA's principal goal is to develop within its members and their families a spirit of fair competition and appreciation of good sportsmanship through the experience of healthy rodeo competition. The Association sanctions over 500 youth rodeos annually in 33 states, where NLBRA members can compete for points to qualify for the annual National Finals Rodeo.
More than 2,600 young riders compete in NLBRA rodeos each year. Contestants compete for prizes such as saddles, buckles, scholarships and cash at local rodeos, as well as the National Finals events. In 2017, the NLBRA hosted 1,167 contestants, who competed for more than $380,000 in awards and college scholarships, making it the largest youth rodeo under one roof in the world.
Community on 07/18/2018