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Isaiah Lovato, 4, of sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 West Side, clinches his hands into tight fists to show how he intends to grip the sheep鈥檚 wool.

Isaiah is one of 10 youngsters preparing to take part in the New Mexico State Fair Mutton Bustin鈥� event during the fair rodeo in Tingley Coliseum on Wednesday night.

Mutton busting is an event in which little kids, boys and girls, ride sheep for as long as they can. The only rule is hang on by any means possible, so mutton-busting technique is better demonstrated than discussed.

Hamp Porter III, 8, a student at Rio Rancho鈥檚 Joe Harris Elementary School, clasps his hands tightly on his forearms, displaying the approach he intends to use if he can get his arms around the sheep鈥檚 neck.

Addelynn Galvan, 5, who lives in Rio Rancho with her parents, Dylan and Ashley, prefers to spell out her intentions.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to ride it backwards,鈥� Addelynn said.

She meant she intended to mount the sheep with her head facing its tail and her heels pointed toward its head.

鈥淚t gives me more balance,鈥� she said.

Give it a go

Suffolk sheep ewes, looking somewhat out of place, were penned near rough stock bulls and broncs just outside the rodeo arena on Wednesday. The woolies were the mutton-busting mounts.

鈥淭hey are all rank,鈥� Brandi Phillips said of the sheep, trying to sound convincing. Phillips was coordinating the mutton-busting contest. 鈥淪ome jump, some hop.鈥�

The sheep weigh between 100 and 125 pounds. Riders must weigh 60 pounds or less.

During the opening events of the rodeo, mutton-busting contestants sat in the coliseum stands with their parents, waiting for the call to suit up in helmets and vests for their wild-sheep rides.

Everleigh Dennison, 4, of Bosque Farms was with her dad, Joshua, and mom, Nicole. Everleigh saw her first mutton busting competition recently and thought she鈥檇 like to give it a go. She鈥檚 used to being around animals. Her parents raise horses and Highland cattle.

鈥淪he鈥檚 been practicing on our Great Pyrenees, Ryan,鈥� Nicole said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 kind of wobbly. He just wanted to play with her.鈥�

Joshua said the family often attends rodeos, but Everleigh is the first of them to participate in one.

鈥淪he鈥檚 a real tough girl,鈥� he said. 鈥淭wo or three weeks ago, she got attacked by one of our roosters, a big one. It all toughens her up.鈥�

Although Isaiah Lovato鈥檚 folks lives on the West Side, they raise Red Angus cattle and a breed of hairless sheep on a ranch in Tijeras.

Isaiah has rodeoing in his blood. His father, Angelo, has ridden bulls in regional rodeo competition.

Lizzy, Isaiah鈥檚 mom, said her son has been honing his mutton-busting technique by riding the family鈥檚 hairless sheep, but she鈥檚 confident he will do better with hands full of Suffolk wool.

鈥楽ounded cool鈥�

Hamp Porter III and his little brother, Nathaniel, 7, had never seen a live mutton-busting contest before Wednesday.

鈥淚t just sounded cool,鈥� Hamp said. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen it on YouTube.鈥�

Nathaniel said he had been practicing by riding on his great-grandfather鈥檚 back, but he admits sheep might be tougher and certainly faster.

Marissa Hayes, the boys鈥� mother, was not worried about the two tangling with sheep.

鈥淭hey get in a lot more trouble than this,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 catch them on the roof all the time.鈥�

Hamp Porter II, the brothers鈥� father, said he was in a mutton-busting competition when he was 5, but doesn鈥檛 remember it at all.

鈥淭hey told me the sheep fell over before I did,鈥� he said.

鈥楾ore it up鈥�

And then it was time. The kids and parents were summoned to a corridor beneath the arena seating where the young contestants suited up and got their entry numbers. The youngsters lined up, waiting quietly, perhaps somewhat apprehensively. The sheep were chill.

鈥淲e are going to show you how it all starts in rodeo,鈥� the arena announced tells the Tingley audience. 鈥淲e got a bunch of mutton fighters.鈥�

The mutton-busting event gets done in a hurry. Most of the kids hit the ground when the sheep was barely out of the chute.

But Hamp Porter III, using the forearm embrace he had demonstrated earlier, stayed with his sheep for 20 or 30 yards, making him the clear winner of the night鈥檚 contest. He said it felt good to win.

His father elaborated.

鈥淗e tore it up,鈥� Hamp II said. 鈥淚 told him don鈥檛 let go, to wrap his heels around the sheep鈥檚 stomach. He said, 鈥楧ad, I got this.鈥欌��

Hamp III鈥檚 little brother, Nathaniel, exhibited a grip he thought might work better for him next time 鈥� because, he said, there would be a next time.

Little Everleigh Dennison came off her sheep pretty quick.

鈥淪he looked a little startled, maybe embarrassed,鈥� Joshua Dennison said. 鈥淪he shed a few tears, but she鈥檚 only 4, so you expect that. We took her to get some cotton candy and she was pretty happy about that.鈥�

What is Mutton Bustin': See 8 pictures of kids vs. beasts at NM State Fair