The 44th Ramona Rodeo, set for Aug. 21-23, brings together a rich history of traditional cowboy competitions, family-friendly activities, live entertainment and a big dose of community spirit.
“A lot of great cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country come to Ramona and give us great representation and draw even more rodeo fans to our event,” said Charlie Koehler, president of the Ramona Rodeo Foundation.
The annual event impacts more than just locals.
“Our rodeo is a really special event,” said Jess Koehler, secretary for the Ramona Rodeo Foundation “It’s full of heart and spirit and patriotism and our fans love the small-town feel and community.”
Ramona resident Cory Pinkerton has memories of how the first Ramona Rodeo originated. Originally known as the Casey Tibbs Roundup, it took place in 1980.
“I was about 8, sitting on the bleachers at Fred Grande Arena, and it was hot. My dad, Pat Pinkerton, and his friend, Brian Winters, were talking about having a rodeo in Ramona,” Pinkerton, now 49, recalled.
Already home to many working cowboys, having a local rodeo to showcase their skills was an easy sell — especially after several Hollywood celebrities added their names and talent to the event.
“Casey Tibbs used to vacation in Ramona, and a lot of his celebrity friends, such as Red Steagall, Rusty Richards and Ethan Wayne, would hang out here with him,” Pinkerton said.
Tibbs was a professional rodeo cowboy who held the “World All-Around Cowboy Champion” title twice, in 1951 and 1955. He also won the world saddle bronc riding championship (1949, 1951-1954) and the world bareback bronc riding championship (1951), and was featured on the cover of Life magazine that same year.
After his successful rodeo career, Tibbs became an actor, stunt man, wrangler and director in the film industry. He moved to Ramona from South Dakota in 1976 to raise and breed horses.
Russell “Red” Steagall, now 86, is an actor, poet and musician who focuses on American Western and country music genres. Richards was a cowboy most of his life, but was also an actor and sang with Sons of the Pioneers. Wayne is an actor, stuntman and podcast host — and the youngest son of John Wayne.
“A lot of them liked to come down and ride in the Four Corners area,” Pinkerton said. “Pat Piel had property there, and the celebrities would gather cattle and play cowboy for a weekend. There was a lot of drinking and hanging out involved.”
For the rodeo, the celebrities and their families would come down from Hollywood and ride in the Grand Entry parade, Pinkerton said.
Traditional rodeo events include bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, barrel racing, breakaway, tie-down and team roping and steer wrestling. Mutton bustin’ has been gaining popularity in recent years; children ride sheep for the exhibition event in which whoever stays on their sheep the longest wins.
“Along with that, we started having team penning during the rodeo, and many of the celebrities would ride, so a celebrity type team penning took place,” Pinkerton said.
Although not a traditional rodeo sport such as bronc riding or roping, team penning is often described as something real cowboys do daily. In competition, a team of three must guide three calves into a pen as quickly as possible.
“Casey originally didn’t want to have team penning during the rodeo, but he changed his mind when he realized how popular it was,” Pinkerton said. “The team penning was held during the rodeo intermission.”
Team penning continues to be a part of the rodeo in 2025.
“It’s a very fast-passed event,” Charlie Koehler said. “Ten teams participate each night for 60 seconds each. It’s very quick and high action, and shows what ranchers and cattle owners do on a regular basis.”
After Tibbs’ death in 1990, the yearly Casey Tibbs Roundup was renamed the Ramona Rodeo.
Pinkerton said he was participating in team penning at an early age. By 1989, he and his father were the San Diego County Team Penning Association champions, and won the San Diego County Cutting Horse Association title for the previous three years. Cory Pinkerton was also on the winning Junior Team for a three-day team penning event at the Western Center in the Country Estates.
Among many other wins, Pinkerton said he won the World Junior Team Penning Championship at age 12. He said he also won the team penning events at a couple of past Ramona Rodeos.
He often competed in team penning with his father, and numerous newspaper articles were written about the pair. Pinkerton said he still has several of his winning saddles.
Pinkerton also was a cutting champion as part of the Ramona High School rodeo team until his graduation in 1993, and also competed in the California High School Rodeo Association. In cutting, a horse and rider work together for 2 1/2 minutes to showcase a horse’s ability to handle cattle by “cutting” a single cow from a herd.
He and his wife, Karla, also known as Daisy, have three children: Bailey, 9; Waylon, 7, and Conway, 5.
“Bailey rides and takes lessons,” he said. “And Conway, our little character, loves the outdoors like his siblings. He’s well-spoken and brutally honest.”
Pinkerton said his father passed away last September and he doesn’t ride anymore, but Waylon will be carrying on the family rodeo tradition.
“Waylon, will be riding sheep during the mutton bustin’ on Thursday,” he said. “He’s our little outlaw — he rides motorcycles, skateboards and now sheep.”
Koehler said part of the appeal of the rodeo is that “it’s a perfect balance of old traditions and new events.” For example, he said stock contractor Honeycutt Rodeo, Inc. brings in new livestock each year, and every year sees new contestants along with familiar names from previous years.
This year’s specialty act is Tomas Garcilazo, a native of Mexico City, who will be showcasing Mexico’s National Sport La Charreria, which combines advanced horsemanship and maguey rope artistry. Garcilazo has performed in numerous countries, has received a number of awards. In March 2024 was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.
In between competitions, Houston Stewart will entertain the crowd. Stewart has been performing as a professional rodeo entertainer and barrelman for more than a decade. He has won numerous accolades for his barrelman skills.
The Ramona Rodeo Queens will also be on hand to keep the rodeo on track and greet the public throughout the event.
“It’s a highly anticipated annual event that people look forward to every year,” said Jess Koehler. “Going to the rodeo with family and friends is part of the fabric of the rodeo here in Ramona.”
The Ramona Rodeo takes place Aug. 21-23, at the Fred Grand Arena, Ramona Outdoor Community Center, 421 Aqua Lane. The rodeo is put on by the Ramona Rodeo Foundation.
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