5th Annual Westonwood Ranch Pro Rodeo | March 22-23 | Freeport Regional Sports Complex
Dust off your boots and get ready to rodeo again this year! The 5th Annual Westonwood Ranch PCA Rodeo returns to the City of Freeport Sports Complex March 22nd –23rd. You don’t want to miss some of the nation’s top cowgirls and cowboys compete. So, bring the family and friends for a fun-packed weekend!
Contestants will compete in events including Bareback Riding, Calf Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Steer Wrestling, Breakaway Roping, Barrel Racing, Team Roping, and Bull Riding. Rodeo gates open at 6 p.m. with a 7:30 p.m. each night. Come early to enjoy live pre-rodeo entertainment at 6:30 by David Gautreau, food vendors, children’s inflatable play area and more!
“We are so thankful for the partnership with Walton County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Freeport, our 2024 Presenting Sponsor New Life Church and other community sponsors that make it possible to raise funds that help support our programs,” said Lindy Wood, Founder of Westonwood Ranch. “So many youth with developmental disabilities miss irreplaceable opportunities to gain critical life skills and job skills needed to lead an independent life. These special individuals want the same thing as we do — to be fully participating members of society.”
The professionally sanctioned rodeo benefits Westonwood Ranch, an organization whose mission and programs serve teens and young adults with Autism and related developmental disorders. Located in Freeport, it provides therapeutic programs designed to fill the transition gap from high school into adulthood by incorporating functional learning opportunities in a therapeutic farm environment. All net proceeds from the event go to support Westonwood Ranch programs.
More than five years ago, Lindy Wood had a dream—a dream of a program geared towards older youth and young adults with autism and special needs. She wanted to be able to offer more for her son, Weston, diagnosed with autism at age 2, and other teens and young adults affected by Autism. So, with a hope to create opportunities to develop and cultivate independent, life-changing skills, Lindy and her husband, founders of Westonwood Ranch, purchased a 40-acre tract of land in Freeport to begin a farm and, eventually, birth a new local non-profit.
In just a short period of time, Westonwood Ranch has grown into a sustainable, working farm providing life and vocational skills for adolescents and young adults in our area with varying developmental disorders. The farm offers a comprehensive, holistic learning program for full-time students, ages 12 through adult, that focuses on providing functional learning opportunities. Through hands-on ranch operations, students learn skills in aquaponic farming, animal feeding and care, kitchen operations, creative art exploration and fitness classes. Young individuals and adults with developmental differences learn to transition into independent living by receiving hands-on, job skill training leading to employment opportunities.
Tickets for the Rodeo are $20 for adults and $15.00 for children 12 years and younger at the gate. Children ages 2 and under are free. There will be no presale of tickets, so spectators are encouraged to arrive early. Westonwood Ranch is seeking additional local business sponsors. For more information about how to support the rodeo and Westonwood Ranch, email admin@westonwood.org or visit our website at www.westonwood.org.
