Corey & Horst go to work on their home turf
Robin Corey keeps the gate closed while helping her husband, Mike, to sort rodeo stock Monday afternoon. Corey & Horst Rodeo Co. is providing stock for the Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo in conjunction with Beard Rodeo Co., a sub-contractor.<br>Pam Robel/Columbia Basin Herald
Livestock company gears up for rodeo
MOSES LAKE — "It's been a busy month," said Mike Corey with a sigh Monday afternoon.
He and his wife, Robin, had just spent the better part of the afternoon gathering and sorting their rough stock horses for the Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo. After working the stock both on horseback and on foot, the stock was driven in to the rodeo arena and off-loaded to await Thursday night, the opening night of the Roundup Rodeo.
The best way to outline "busy" is to take a look at the Coreys' schedule for the last week.
A semi was loaded with stock bound for Hermiston, Ore. Farm City Pro Rodeo. Then bulls were moved from Herminston to Vancouver, Wash. Wednesday night and returned to Herminston the same day. Two interviews were scheduled with different publications. Mike got home Sunday after a week of being on the road.
After four weeks like that one, the Coreys rounded up their best rough stock Monday afternoon for Roundup. Both Coreys were in the saddle shortly after 1 p.m. to move a herd of horses into borrowed corrals for sorting and loading.
Mike and Robin work as a team to move the herd into the first in a series of pens and start with a rough sorting of the horses. Once the definite stay-at-homes have been removed from the pack, the real work begins. Mike dismounts and begins to sort the stock with an eye on horses that have been selected for their ability to buck and horses that may have come up lame in the pasture.
"Neither Mike or I hear very well, so sometimes it's a challenge," said Robin.
Amongst the horses loaded into the trailer for the relatively short ride to the rodeo arena in Moses Lake is Ruby Red, a horse Mike says has been bucking well.
"She's a workin' mom this year. Ryan Gray won with her at Salinas (Calif.) earlier this year," Mike said. There are a few other "workin' moms" in the bunch bucking this weekend as well.
Another part of the preparation work for this weekend has been the exquisite attention to a specific feeding regimen for each animal. The horses and bulls have been getting roughly eight pounds of grain and 20 pounds of hay each day. On days when Mike is out of town and Robin is not available, George Horst, the steady second half of Corey & Horst Rodeo Co., takes over the tough and dirty duty of feeding the animals.
"They're just like professional athletes. You have to have good nutrition to perform well," Mike said.
Amidst the work that seems never ending for a rodeo at their hometown arena, the Coreys are also preparing for upcoming rodeos and bull riding events.
"It's like patting your head and rubbing your tummy," said Robin about the multitasking.
Tickets for the Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo can be purchased at the Rodeo Office for $10 in advance or $12 at the gate; kids 6 and under get in free. The rodeo begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more ticket information, call (509) 765-8311.