Elk City Cowgirl to Compete at Rodeo of Champions

August 28, 2024 News
5-28

August 28, 2024

Press Release

Elk City, Okla. – August 26, 2024 – An Elk City woman will be a contestant in the Elk City Rodeo of Champions this weekend.

Julie Burnett will compete in the barrel racing on August 31.

The Arkansas native moved to Elk City five years ago with her husband, Lee. The two work in the western industry and are able to work from home, so they chose to come to western Oklahoma.

Burnett has been a Women’s Pro Rodeo Association (WPRA) member, on and off, for the past fifteen years.

She’s always been involved in rodeo, starting with junior high rodeos and progressing to open rodeos.

She’s competed in Elk City two prior times, both times on young horses, and this year, she’ll be on another young horse, a five-year-old mare named Retta.

Retta, whose registered name is RDC Guys Sheza Star, is by Traffic Guy, whose sire is Frenchmans Guy, the famous barrel racing stud. Retta’s dam is Kathys Star Quest, who won $450,000 on the race track.

Retta was an outlaw when Burnett got her. Burnett says the mare was “misunderstood,” and because of it, was mismanaged. “You couldn’t touch her face, put a bit in her mouth, or catch or brush her,” she said.

When Burnett bought her a year ago, she came with a halter, and her previous owner told Burnett not to take the halter off, or she could never be caught.

That was the first thing Burnett did: remove the halter, and let her be a horse.

She turned out the mare with her other horses, and left her alone for a few days. Then she started approaching her, talking to her, touching her, and with time, patience and love, Retta has grown to trust Burnett.

She’s still very untrusting of new people, Burnett said, but she lets Burnett touch her. “She’s very sensitive, and she doesn’t want you to touch her face, but she wants me to love on her, and kiss her face, her eyes and her ears.”

As a young horse, Retta hasn’t run at many rodeo performances; Burnett has used her mostly for slacks and jackpots. But in Woodward in June, Retta competed on the Saturday night, with the noise and cheering crowds.

“She just took to it,” she said. “She acted like she liked the noise and adrenaline.”

This will be the first year Burnett competes during a performance of the Elk City Rodeo; previously, she’s always run during slack.

Being in front of a hometown crowd can add more pressure, she said.

“It can be a little bit intimidating, especially when you’re on a young horse. You want to tell people not to get their hopes up,” regarding results, she laughed.

Burnett and her husband love living in Elk City.

For one, there’s less humidity and fewer mosquitoes than in Arkansas.

But she loves the community as well.

“I think the town really invests in itself, and the rodeo, too. They literally put up rodeo decorations on the light poles. And the rodeo committee is great, and they do a really good job.

“Rodeo is just special to me anyway. I just love the sport.”

The Elk City Rodeo takes place this weekend, August 30-Sept. 1, in Elk City at the Beutler Bros. Arena at Ackley Park. The rodeo starts at 8 pm nightly.

Ticket prices for bleacher seating is $11 in advance for adults and $12 at the gate. Children’s bleacher seating tickets are $9 in advance and $10 at the gate.

Grandstand seating is $15 in advance and $18 at the gate, with no discount for children; everyone must have a ticket.

Tickets can be purchased online at ElkCityRodeo.com, at Barber-Dyson Ford in Elk City (501 East Highway 66), at Circle A Western Wear in Elk City (3000 West 3rd Street). They will also be on sale at the rodeo ticket office (Beutler Bros. Arena) from August 26-30, from 9 am to 6 pm each day.

For more information, visit the website at ElkCityRodeo.com.

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