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Bullfighters
Bullfighters at the Pendleton Round-Up this year are Joe Baumgartner, Loyd Ketchum and Keith Isley.
Joe Baumgartner began his rodeo career when he moved to Brentwood, CA at the age of 16 and started working with a rodeo company there. Later he received a rodeo scholarship to Hartnell College in Salinas, CA and graduated from there with an AA in Ag Mechanics. Since becoming a member of the PRCA in 1987, he has worked primarily in the western United States for Growney Brothers Rodeo Co. of Red Bluff, CA.
Because of Joe's impressive bullfighting talents, he was chosen a record 13 times to the National Finals Rodeo and was named 2004 PRCA Bullfighter of the year. Joe believes in protective bullfighting as opposed to competitive bullfighting because he feels strongly that it is the primary job of the bullfighter in the rodeo arena.
Loyd Ketchum is an agile athlete with great speed and heart-throbbing maneuvers, and when he meets his challenger, Ketchum puts fans on the edge of their seats in arenas everywhere.
His primary job is to protect the bullrider. When a raging bull gets a bullrider in trouble Loyd will be there to free him. He'll offer his body.
Ketchum's slogan is "Bullfighting with class and finesse." "Bullfighting is something you have to live and breathe. My main goals are to protect the cowboy and make the bull buck to the best of his ability," he says.
Ketchum has been a member of the PRCA since 1987. He has been selected to work the College National Finals, the Dodge National Circuit Finals and the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals. In 1990 he was the alternate bullfighter for the NFR. He finished fifth in the world in the 1990 Wrangler Jeans Bullfighting Tour.
Keith Isley started his rodeo career in 1972 at the age of fifteen competing in the junior rodeo division in the bareback riding and bull riding. He also tried his hand at bullfighting. It got to the point where he enjoyed the bullfighting (protecting the cowboys) more than the competition. That's more or less how his career as a contract performer began.
Keith had no desire to tell jokes or perform clown acts. Being somewhat shy, he found the large audiences intimidating. However, after a period of time he found that the baggy pants and make-up that he wore provided him a comfort shield between himself and the spectators. Slowly but surely, he began telling jokes and performing clown acts.
Some of his comedy routines consist of Trick Roping, High Impact-Low Impact aerobic workout, various animal routines and Trick Riding. Acts such as these have made it possible for Keith to make rodeo entertainment a full-time career.
Keith's achievements include being a nine-time PRCA Specialty Act of the year 1999-2002, eight-time top five finalist for Coors "Man in the Can", and a nine-time finalist for the "Clown of the Year".
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