Castro Valley Horse People Dazzle at Cow Palace's Grand National Rodeo

Cow sorting, drill team competition, and horse show events — Castro Valley horse people of all ages and disciplines did it all and did us proud at this year's Grand National Rodeo at the Cow Palace.

One young Castro Valley rider who wowed the crowd was Bobbie D. Piddock, an eigth grade student at . At the tender age of 13, Bobbie is already a seasoned professional.

She keeps her new show horse, Racidal N Style, at the family ranch in Palomares. After just nine years of riding, she's earned over 60 buckles and several saddles.

Well known in the horse community, Bobbie is a well-rounded young lady, maintaining an "A" average in school and playing softball for the Castro Valley Girls Softball league.

Active in Redwood 4-H, Bobbie raises and shows her own lambs and wins buckles for them at the County Fair. She has also participated in 4-H community activities, helping to clean tack for Horses’ Honor Horse Rescue’s annual tack sale and benefit. 

Four-time first-place winner at the in Castro Valley in the Western Pleasure Division, young Bobbie will be competing in Las Vegas in March and then in Oklahoma next November for the World Competition.

She still owns and cares for her previous show horse, Mr. MacDee, whom she rode and competed with for six years. She is sharing him with another 4-H member so that she can compete in shows as well.

“I love to come home from school, do my homework, and then go out and groom my horse and ride," Bobbie said

Also participating in the horse show competition was Jorge Garza, a seasoned rider and horse show competitor. Jorge, who trains and keeps his horse at Rod Hernandez training on Crow Canyon, showed his beautiful horse Skippy in three events. They won in showmanship and hunter under saddle. 

Outside of the show ring, the crowd enjoyed an entirely different kind of horse person — a group of local riders competing with cow work and also a local equestrian drill team.

Jerry Dominguez, a BART police officer who is involved with Rowell Rodeo and Special Olympics, competed on his beautiful mule Huckleberry. Jerry’s wife Theresa, retired from the Hayward Police and Fire Department and also actively involved in Special Olympics, rode a rescue horse named Wearin’ Doc’s Jenes. 

Together they participated in a timed cow event called “sorting.” Both Jerry and Theresa are long-time Castro Valley residents. Theresa grew up on Crow Canyon and participated in junior and high school rodeo. She met Jerry at Canyon, when it was still a high school, and they were married shortly after graduation.

Horses and mules are an integral part of their lives and it is a family tradition that they have passed along to their children and now to their grandchildren.

Also participating in the cow events were Anthony and Summer Peixoto (brother and sister) from Maverick’s Western Barn on Crow Canyon. Anthony trains western riding and cow work there.

Among this talented group, were Castro Valley cowgirls Amy Babel and Summer Peixoto. They participated in the Drill Team Competition with the Flying Fillies, a that trains at Basso’s in Livermore and performed this year at the Rowell Rodeo.

The horse community is alive and well in Castro Valley. It’s an extended horse community where everyone pretty much knows everyone.

If you’re interested in getting involved, check out the many training facilities in the area. Some, such as Maverick’s, specialize in learning how to work cows. Others, such as Rod Hernandez Training, specialize in learning how to win the show ring. Some barns even focus on learning how to jump or do dressage.   Most places have lesson horses that you can get started with. 

Time spent with a horse can be a beautiful thing — good for your spirit and soul. Visit various ranches in the area, many of which can be found on Crow Canyon and Cull Canyon. Select a barn and a trainer that seem to be a good match for your skill range, age, and interests. It’s another world and it’s never too late to become a part of it.