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Madison’s
Saddle Up Arena
plays host to equine roping events
Hartfields
plan to hold
other events in Madison this season
By
Konnie McCollum
Staff Writer
(May 2008) – There is one Charlestown,
Ind., family that certainly knows how to stay all tied up.
That’s because the Hartfields are a family of team roping
enthusiasts. Now, Jeff and Jaime Hartfield have brought the
equine sport to Madison, Ind.
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In April, the Hartfield’s Double Hart Ranch
held a Spring Dash for Cash and Trailer and Saddle Extravaganza
at the Saddle Up Arena in Madison. The arena is situated at
the River Valley Ranch, located just off Hwy. 256 on North
Badger Road. More than $17,000 in prizes and cash were given
away at the event.
River Valley Ranch is managed by Lance and Kelly Carr of Henryville,
Ind. Carr’s parents, Joe and Jan Shulthise, of Louisville,
Ky., purchased the ranch last year from Chuck Blair, who operated
a quarter horse facility there for years.
The Hartfields plan to hold several other team roping events
at Saddle Up Arena on June 21, Sept. 20 and Oct. 18. They
have planned to hold eight team roping events at various venues
across the region this season. All of the competition are
free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to come out
and watch the action.
In team roping, competitions are divided in talent divisions,
explained Jeff. “Ropers are handicapped like golfers,”
he said. Two national team roping associations, The U.S. Team
Roping Championships and the National Team Roping League keep
a database of ropers and their experience levels.
Jeff has been team roping since about 1992. In the sport,
partners on horses have to chase a 600-pound steer and rope
its horns and back legs. Jamie, 33, also ropes, as does Scotty,
15 and Brandon, 14. The family travels the country participating
in team roping events. They have amassed a collection of prize
saddles and buckles. Jeff has even won a horse trailer.
“We started our series about nine years ago,” said
Jeff, 43. “We wanted to bring good quality regional and
national events to this area.”
He said Saddle Up Arena is one of the best facilities in this
area, so people were excited about coming there.
Curt Divine of Morganfield, Ky., was one of the competitors
at the recent team roping event. Divine, 28, has competed
for years as a team roper. He has won numerous regional championships.
This was his first time to compete at Saddle Up Arena in Madison.
“Things are going good here,” he said. “It’s
a nice event.”
Evan Lee, of Rockville, Ind., was also a competitor at the
event. Lee, 43, has been competing for more than 18 years
as a team roper. He won the North American Championship at
the Kentucky State Fairgrounds last year.
“The prizes, including thousands in cash for the winners,
the saddles and trailer are very nice,” he said. Both
men were waiting to compete in the Trailer and Saddle Extravaganza
in which winners could win a saddle, a trailer and up to $1,000.
Several Southern Indiana business help sponsor the Double
Hart Ranch’s team roping events. These include Dan Christiani
Excavating, Jeffersonville, Ind.; Southern Indiana Equine
Services, Austin, Ind.; Advantage Electrical, Greenville,
Ind.; and Hartfield Co., New Albany, Ind. Hartfield Co is
a financial planning company owned by Jeff.
• For more information about the Double
Hart Ranch Team Roping events, call (812) 987-5000.
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