**For Immediate Release**
From Oklahoma to Oman
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 12-13-05
by Laura Dahl

Goodwell - One Oklahoma Panhandle State University student will spend part of his Christmas holiday in the Middle Eastern country of Oman. Trell Etbauer, an OPSU sophomore and Goodwell native, will join citizens from all over the world in Oman’s Royal Calvary Equestrian and Camel Show.

Since the country’s inception 30 years ago, this free event for its citizens has taken place on New Year’s Day in the capital city of Muscat. The Commander of Oman’s Royal Calvary extended an invitation to the United States to participate, specifying rodeo as the American theme. The Commander contacted Jerome Robinson of Fort Collins, Colo., who has many years of experience producing and coordinating this type of international show.

Robinson asked Etbauer to demonstrate saddle bronc riding, an event he competes in at the college level as well as professionally. Other American rodeo hands in the exhibition will display bareback riding skills, barrel racing, and team roping. In addition, two children included in the group will exhibit trick roping and trick riding.

Bronc Rumford, a rodeo stock contractor of Abbeyville, Kan., is providing the American Quarterhorses for the event. Three bucking horses, three barrel racing horses, two pick up horses and two ponies will make the overseas journey in an airplane. Etbauer, along with Bronc and Justin Rumford will drive the horses in a trailer to Chicago, where they will be quarantined. The next day, Sunday, December 18, Trell and Justin will meet with a professional groom who will accompany them. The horses will be loaded in special containers for the overseas trip. They fly from Chicago to Brussels, Belgium, transfer the horses to another plane, and fly on to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The final leg of the journey from Dubai to Muscat will be driven. The horses making the trip have been sold to Oman’s Royal Calvary and will not return to the U.S.

The details of coordinating such an event are staggering, and Robinson said in a telephone interview that it is nearly impossible to plan everything. “The rodeo portion of the event will only take 10 minutes. My impression is that the rest of the time, officials in Oman plan to entertain their guests and show them their country,” Robinson said.

Trell, whose international travel so far has been limited to Canada, said he looks forward to experiencing a completely different culture. He said he expects to answer many questions and hopes to acquaint the citizens of Oman with American rodeo.

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