“Suwannee River Riding Club. Home of Champions.” That’s the unofficial motto SRRC President Darrell Summers has adopted after seeing one rodeo rider after another come home with a state or national award. The SRRC, located just north of Branford off US 129, has been the training grounds for many a young rodeo star, like Blair Bullock, Fallon Ratliff, Tyler Byrd, Rance Brown, and Clint Summers, just to name a few.

The SRRC will soon be celebrating its 59th anniversary on Sept. 25-26 with its annual rodeo, a weekend event that draws in folks from all over Florida and South Georgia, who have at least one trait in common: a passion for horses and rodeo. The 59th Annual Rodeo features a parade on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m.; an annual Queen and Junior Miss Rodeo pageant, drill team performances; and, of course, spectacular rodeo events Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. It’s sponsored by many local businesses, including Scaff’s IGA, Rolling “R” Ranch and Suwannee American Cement.

According to Summers, the SRRC began when a group of men came together to clear the land where the arena now sits nearly 60 years ago. The group was known as the Suwannee River Riding Academy.

“That is who actually owns the land – the Academy,” said Summers. “The sole benefit of it was to be here for the use of the riding club as long as there was a riding club. Although people kind of lost interest in it, through the years people have come and started the horse show aspect of it. The rodeo has never faltered; it’s 59 years straight running.”

According to Summers, the SRRC’s annual rodeo is the third oldest in Florida.

Summers first got involved in the SRRC in 1987 when his brothers, brother-in-laws, coworkers and friends got together to put on the first horse show in years at the arena.

“The first ride that we called, we had eight riders show up,” recalled Summers. “A friend of mine from down south that was pretty big into horses said, ‘Man, this is all we got?’ I said, ‘This is all we got, but we’re going to ride.’ Two weeks later, we did it again and we about doubled. Now we’re at about 100 family memberships.”

Summers has been president of the SRRC for the last 10 years, but he was first “roped” into the position, he said. Despite his initial hesitation, Summers said he loves his gig. Summers was raised around horses and had rode horses and played rodeo games all his life, he said.

“When you’ve been in it all your life, it’s something that’s kind of hard to walk away from,” said Summers. “All in all, I get my payback. When that gate opens Friday and Saturday night, and them people come flocking in here, and we put on that show and it lights up and the world comes alive, that’s when I’m fired up then. I’m old, crippled and hop around, but when Friday and Saturday night comes, I come alive.”

Rodeo and equine sports provide special lessons to youth, Summers believes, and he has passed this love of horses to his own children and grandchildren, who have become accomplished riders themselves.

“It gives them a group of kids that’s got the same values to become friends with,” Summers explained. “They get to bond with these horses, so they’ve got some responsibility. They learn to take care of their animals. When they come out here, it just gives them a whole different aspect and outlook on life.”

The SRRC hosts team roping events on the first, third and fifth Friday of every month at 8 p.m.; speed events on the first, third and fifth Saturday of every month at 6 p.m.; and jackpot barrel racing on the second Friday of every month with an exhibition from 6 to 8 p.m. and the open starting at 8:30 p.m.

Event divisions are based off age groups; starting at the youngest, there’s the beginner class, pee wee, small fry, junior, senior, powder puff, and adult women’s and men’s classes. The current youngest SRRC member is just three years old, Summers said, while the oldest is 71.

The team roping and speed events don’t award purses; instead, contestants get assigned points. The points are tallied at the end of the year and the top contestants get awarded saddles and other tack at an annual banquet.

There is no entry charge for spectators at the SRRC’s regular monthly events, but there is a small charge to watch their annual rodeo. And if you happen to have some extra money for concessions, Summers said you won’t find a better burger and fries than at the SRRC’s stand.

“We really pride ourselves on having the best deal going,” said Summers.

It’s certainly not just Summers who keeps SRRC’s wheels turning smoothly. There’s many dedicated work team members in the concession stand, doing trash pickup, announcing, assisting with the younger kids, helping with the horses, and doing any task in between.

“We really strive on trying to have the best that we can have here and the most stuff that we can have here,” said Summers. “I want it to be the best that it can be. We have a lot of big-time rodeos around and they cost a whole lot more money to put on, but all in all, when it’s all said and done, I feel like this rodeo’s as good as any of them.”

In the future, Summers would like to start a program for youth without horses of their own so they can participate in the SRRC, too. As of now, participants need their own horse, which can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000, Summers said. He would like to emulate the Trenton, Fla.-based River Cross Cowboy Church’s former youth program, which let kids go out in the arena and get hands-on experience with horses after a “cowboy” pastor briefly shared a bit of the Bible with them.

“A lot of these kids, they don’t get no church in their life,” said Summers. “They never hear anything about the Lord.”

The SRRC needs sponsors and members to bring programs like this to life and to keep their monthly events and rodeo going. Summers said he truly appreciates their sponsors for their support, and invites anyone who is interested in becoming a sponsor or SRRC member to reach out at www.srrcbranford.com.

“If you want to join, you can go online and download and print our application or come out whenever there’s an event and pick up an application,” said Summers. “We’re glad to have anybody and love to have new members.”