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Todd Christmas was born in Las Vegas, NM, March 8, 1978. He grew up on the family
ranch at Wagon
Mound and attended school in Wagon Mound. He followed his Dad’s
footsteps and attended New Mexico
Military Institute, and graduated from the High
School and Junior College at NMMI. He attended
Texas A&M and was a member of
the Corps of Cadets. He commissioned through the Texas A&M Corps
of Cadets as an
Air Defense Officer.
Growing up in Wagon Mound, Todd loved playing basketball, hunting and riding
horseback. He
was a member of the Hillside 4-H in Wagon Mound and participated in
Shooting Competition and Rodeo.
He was always proud to be from Wagon Mound and
didn’t hesitate to tell people where he was from.
In fact, while he was deployed to Iraq,
his Mother sent him the Bean Day T-shirt in 2003. He
wore it Iraq and told everyone
about the Bean Day celebration and Wagon Mound.
Todd was promoted to Captain in November of 2004, after returning from war in Iraq
in March
of the same year. He lost his life shortly afterward in a helicopter crash close to
Ft. Hood,
Texas, where he was stationed. Todd was a decorated soldier, earning a
Bronze Star for his
service in Iraq, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the
Parachutists Badge. He was known as the “Cowboy Soldier”.
Todd led so others were confident to follow, he served without hesitation, and learned
enthusiastically and lived passiuonately.
Terminology of Events
This event is the training ground for future bull riders. Young cowboys aged 10 – 14 compete on wirey bovines.
As with the other roughstock events one half of the score is awarded for the contestant’s ability to ride and the other half is for the stock’s ability to buck. The cowboys are allowed to ride with one hand or two.
If they elect to ride with only one – they must abide by the rules for bull riding – whereby they will be disqualified for slapping the animal, themselves or double grabbing with both hands during the eight seconds.
This discipline is based on the big cattle drives originated in the 18th
century. A scenario well known from many western movies: the cattle, cowboys on
their horses, a tense situation because a thunder storm approaches . The cattle
are nervous and then it happens. Thunder strikes causing a stampede. The chuck
wagon and tents are getting run over. The working cowboy is thrown off his horse
in the middle of the cattle. The hero of the western movie comes galloping up,
pulls the cowboy on his horse and rescues him.
Today's rodeo rescue race is a race against the clock. The cowgirl races down
towards the cowboy and turns the horse around. The cowboy jumps on and the team
races back to the start/finish line. Heart, skill and speed make up this
discipline.
The practice of catching cattle by the horns and hind feet has been the easiest way
to doctor injuries or brand livestock since the early days on the range. Add a time clock
to this practice and you have the rodeo event called Team Roping.
Team roping is the only team event in rodeo. The sport requires the talent of a header
and a heeler as well as fast and agile horses. This event requires hours of practice for
both the riders and horses.
The man on the horse know as the "header" chases the steer and throws his loop around the
steer's horns turning the animal back so the second cowboy, the "heeler" can position
himself and throw a loop around the steer's hind heels. Both cowboys must wrap their
ropes around the saddle horns after making their catches. Time is called when both horses
turn to face each other with the steer in the middle, ropes taut. Horn wraps are used to
protect the steer's horns during the event.
The cowboys start behind a barrier to ensure the steer gets a head start. If the barrier
is broken before time, a 10 second penalty is added. The heeler is given a 5 second
penalty if he catches only one hind leg. A total of three rope throws are allowed and the
steer must not be handled roughly at any time.
Rodeo’s classic event matching a cowboy’s will against the rankest of unbroken horses. A bronc rider must begin the ride with his feet placed over the bronc’s shoulders, and then synchronize his spurring action with the animal’s bucking style in order to receive the highest score possible after the eight second trip.
A tie-down roping run begins with a mounted cowboy giving a head start to a calf of about 250 pounds, then giving chase down the arena. After roping the calf, the cowboy dismounts, runs down the rope, (which is anchored to the saddle horn), lays the calf on its side and ties any three of its legs together with a “piggin’ string” he carries clenched in his teeth.
A skilled rider and her well-trained horse must work as one to complete the cloverleaf pattern around three barrels and cross the finish line. Women are allowed a running start before entering the arena and may begin their run on either front barrel. Time is marked when the rider breaks the starting line and recrosses it for the finish. When one or two hundredths of a second can separate the final standings, precision and teamwork between the horse and the rider is imperative.
Perhaps the easiest event to understand, a cowboy tries to ride a bull for eight seconds while holding a simple rope looped around the bull’s midsection. The rules aren’t complicated: don’t use your free hand and don’t fall off. Scoring is based on a possible perfect score of 100 points, with half deriving from the contestant’s efforts and half coming from the bull’s action.
The ribbon roping event begins just like the roping event with the cowboy roping the calf. Once the calf is roped, the cowboy’s partner in bare feet or tennis shoes-must run to the calf, pull the ribbon from the calf’s tail, and run back to home. The fastest time wins.
Chute dogging is a rodeo event related to steer wrestling where the steer used weighs between 400 and 500 lbs. However, the competitor starts the event in a chute with the steer as opposed to on horseback. The event is designed to give novices a chance to compete in a rough stock event. When the chute opens, the competitor must bring the steer to a line ten feet from the chute and wrestle (or "dog") the steer to the ground. In order to count as a legal fall, all four feet of the steer must face the same direction as its nose when the steer is on the ground. Other falls are called "dog falls," and the competitor must either try to turn the animal's head to match its feet, or let the steer get up and start over. The competitor can be disqualified for losing contact with the steer or tripping the steer. It is a timed event, with the time starting at the moment the chute gate is opened. The steer must be wrestled within 60 seconds.
Mutton busting is an event held at rodeos similar to bull riding or bronc riding. In the event, a sheep will be caught and held still while a child is placed on top in a riding position. Once the child is seated atop the sheep, the people holding the sheep let go and the sheep then starts to run in an attempt to get the child off. Often small prizes or ribbons are given out to the child who can stay on the longest. The vast majority of children participating in the event fall off in under 30 seconds. Height and weight restrictions on participants generally prevent injuries to the sheep,[1] and implements such as spurs are generally banned from use.
The Calf Scramble is one of the most exciting kids event at the Rodeo as they race after calves that are turned loose in the arena.