It was 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Vale and the temperature hovered at 96 degrees. That did not seem to bother the steady stream of people who were coming to stake a good viewing place on the dike next to the Malheur River and on the bridge to get a prime seat to watch the annual Suicide Race.
At 7:45 p.m., racers began to arrive. There were six entrants, including a rodeo queen contestant and two cousins, and it seemed everyone knew everyone else. There was a lot of friendly insults and laughing, and when a rodeo official rode up to lead the contestants across the river to start the long trek up Rhinehart Buttes, those in the crowd yelled out “give them hell!” and “good luck.”
As the racers started the long ride up to the start of the race, the crowd passed the time chatting and placing informal bets on who would come in first and reminiscing about past races.
One person watching had ridden in three races and had a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the course and the amount of training and skill needed to win.
The Suicide Race has been a tradition at the Vale 4th of July Rodeo since 1915. These days vet checks of the horses are required and racers must pass a sobriety test.
Soon, the antlike figures of the racers could be seen approaching the summit of the butte. Everyone watched for the puff of smoke to issue from the outcropping of rocks that meant dynamite had been set off to signal the start of the race.
The first part of the race consists of a 5-foot straight drop from the rocky butte and then a dead run into soft soil and sage at a steep sidewards angle, then a straight drop down under the powerlines and across the road to run down the riverbank and cross the river. Splashing across the river at a run, the horses thundered up the riverbank on the other side and into the rodeo arena.
The race took about four minutes.
The winner was Cole Youren of Garden City, Idaho, followed by Ty Hawkins and third went to Andreah Booker, the Nyssa Nite Rodeo queen.
Horses and their riders seemed to bond as they come off the very steep slope and run into the river at a full gallop and into the arena. It is a true test of horsemanship and endurance.
RELATED COVERAGE:
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