How this Fort Worth family convinced a ‘stubborn’ 4-year-old to join mutton bustin’

How this Fort Worth family convinced a ‘stubborn’ 4-year-old to join mutton bustin’

Sam Horton was sheepish about his upcoming performance.“Maybe kind of scared, and maybe not kind of scared. So kind of both,” the 4-year-old Fort Worthian said.

He was about to partake in the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo tradition of mutton bustin’ for the first time ever.Sam’s mom, Lindsay Horton, a longtime rodeo volunteer, decided to sign her son up after watching the event during the 2024 stock show.“Why have I not done this?” Lindsay thought to herself. “My oldest son is 7, but he’s more than 55 lbs. This really is my last chance.”Mutton bustin’ is a sporting event held at rodeos. Think of it as bull riding, but with children riding sheep and wearing protective gear.The mutton bustin’ event at the stock show runs through Feb. 5. The stock show hosts mutton bustin’ before its main rodeo events.Each participant must be between the ages of 4 and 7 and weigh 55 pounds or less. Sam’s siblings helped convince him to participate in mutton bustin’.“He has a tendency to be a little stubborn, so for months he told us that he wasn’t going to do it,” Lindsay said. “With a lot of encouragement from his siblings — and the promise of an ice cream date with Dad — he decided he was willing to go give it a try.”In preparation for his performance, Sam attended a mutton bustin’ practice at the Will Rogers Coliseum Jan. 12. When the Hortons arrived, they were surprised by the sight of several family friends whom they didn’t know were also participating. “Fort Worth is such a big-small town, everywhere you go you see people you know,” Lindsay said. “It made Sam feel a little bit better knowing that we had other friends there who were doing it.”Lindsay described Sam as a solid, tough kid, and thought he was ready for his performance before a horsemanship event. Instead of Dickies Arena, Sam’s ride was at Cowtown Coliseum.“It’s smaller and more intimate,” Lindsay said. “There’s not a bad seat in the whole place and everyone is close to the action.” Sam looked forward to performing in front of people. He was especially excited for his sheep.“I liked that it was fuzzy,” Sam said. “I held onto it with my legs.”Kathryn Miller is a reporting fellow at the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at kathryn.miller@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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