BVU Ag Business Major Excited for First Home Rodeo
Buena Vista County Fairgrounds in Alta serves as site for BVU Rodeo on Friday, Saturday
Margaret “Pistol” Cowden didn’t consider the history she’d make when she enrolled at Buena Vista University this fall. Cowden, after all, simply wanted to study agricultural business while continuing her collegiate rodeo career.
She’ll make history by participating in the inaugural BVU Rodeo presented by Central Bank, which takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Buena Vista County Fairgrounds in Alta. Cowden, a junior, competes in breakaway roping and team roping. She practices multiple times each week on the Barnes Ranch near Peterson.
She came to know BVU’s rodeo program and Barnes Ranch through a unique set of circumstances two years ago.
“I was a freshman at another university and we were on our way back from a rodeo competition in North Platte, Neb., when the COVID-19 pandemic hit,” Cowden remembers. “We stopped at the Barnes Ranch, and BVU Coach Marty Barnes allowed us to keep practicing as our season continued.”
Cowden stayed at the Barnes Ranch for a couple of weeks and finished her freshman season. Upon transferring to BVU, she reconnected with Barnes and members of the rodeo team. She will compete as the Beavers host their first National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) event, which features bull riding, bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, goat tying, and barrel racing.
Friday is Student Night, which allows free admission for all students of any age with a school ID. Action begins at 7 p.m. Saturday is Family Day and features a free petting zoo, a meet-and-greet with rodeo clowns and bull riders from 12-2 p.m. Action begins at 2 p.m. (Free admission for BVU students, employees, and their families on Saturday.) Tickets may be reserved in advance at bvu.edu/rodeoticket.
“People are hyping up the home rodeo and that’s great,” Cowden says. “It’s exciting for me. And yet, it’s also a chance for me to compete for BVU and simply get better.”
“We are thrilled to be able to host BVU’s first competitive rodeo. It’s rewarding to see our students excel in a range of activities, from our Ag Club to BVU’s livestock show team to rodeo, which we have the privilege of bringing to the entire community this weekend.”
Rich Crow, Director of BVU's Institute for Agriculture
“Coach (Barnes) is a calming influence,” she adds. “We rope at least twice per week and with consistency comes confidence. My breakaway horse is young, and he can be a handful. Having Coach around is what’s needed.”
“We are thrilled to be able to host BVU’s first competitive rodeo,” says Rich Crow, Director BVU’s Institute for Agriculture. “It’s rewarding to see our students excel in a range of activities, from our Ag Club to BVU’s livestock show team to rodeo, which we have the privilege of bringing to the entire community this weekend.”