Rodeo Rocky

The Horses of Half Moon Ranch:
Rodeo Rocky
by Jenny Oldfield

RODEO ROCKY by

Category:

Contemporary

Age Recommendation:

Grades 6+

Release Date: 9/1/08

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Reviewed by:

Rating:

4 Stars

Thirteen-year-old Kirstie Scott and her mother, the owner of Half Moon Ranch, have taken their guests to see the

local rodeo.

Kirstie, however, is not enjoying the events as much as the guests are. She feels sickened watching the poor

treatment of the animals, especially when they bring out the recently captured wild horses for the wild horse race.

Kirstie is taken by the beauty of a spirited bay stallion who gives his handlers a lot of trouble before winning the

race. When she sees that they plan to use him for another event, Kirstie pleads with the organizer to let “Rodeo

Rocky” rest. He refuses, saying that they plan on making him a champion so that they can sell him at auction for a

high price.

Kirstie’s mother, seeing her daughter in distress, offers to buy Rocky from the organizer on the condition that he not

participate in another event. After some haggling, he finally agrees, and Kirstie is absolutely elated.

The other ranch workers protest that buying an untrained horse is a humongous waste of money, but Kirstie is

determined to turn Rocky into a good working horse without the usual, harsh methods. She finds that breaking in a

wild horse may be tougher than she’d thought.

Having recently attended the Tucson Rodeo, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the portrayal of the rodeo

personnel, since most rodeos do not go to such violent extremes with their animals, and have strict regulations to

keep the animals safe and healthy. Putting that aside, I think most animal lovers would empathize with Kirstie’s

struggle to find a kinder way to break in a horse.