Juan Eguiluz, 9, and Elyjah Pu?a, 8, looked mesmerized Thursday morning at the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center, the site of an unusual field trip for their social studies lesson.

The Dorothea Lange Elementary School third-grade students, both of Nipomo, saw men whipped like rag dolls on their agitated broncos; steers run wild in the arena?s loose soil; and Mark Schlatter parachute with an American flag into the arena.

This was the children?s first time at the rodeo, where youth competed and specialty acts such as a trick rider demonstrated their skills.

Juan and Elyjah were surrounded by thousands of other children, preschoolers to third-graders, from Orcutt, Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Nipomo, Vandenberg, Lompoc, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Los Alamos and Shell Beach.

Elks Parade Chairman Bobby Acquistapace estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 kids at the mini rodeo 8 a gateway event for the 64th annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and a field trip opportunity for teachers to give their students, some for the first time, a look at the rodeo lifestyle.

The Santa Maria Elks Parade Committee pays for the bus transportation costs for the schools, which makes for a perfect field trip for teachers like Bill Betten, a Dorothea Lange Elementary teacher.

BI?ve been teaching for 27 years and this is one of the most exciting and visually interesting thing the kids get to do as a class assignment,C said Betten, a third-grade teacher.

Betten says many teachers will have their students write a reaction to the experience at the end of the day.

However, his third-grade students are simply required to participate, he said, but at the same time he wants them to experience being part of a large audience, walk off with a sense of community and an understanding of the nature of rodeo and that Brodeo is not about mistreatment of animals.C

As a parent chaperone with Ocean View Elementary School, Kay Moore of Arroyo Grande wants her 8-year-old son Derek Delong to become Bwell-rounded.C

On one hand, she says it?s good to expose her son to a diversity of sports 8 not just football, basketball and baseball. But on the other hand, she nervously laughs at the thought of him becoming a rodeo cowboy.

BI haven?t really given it much thought,C she said.

Stacey Serrano of Santa Maria said her 5-year-old daughter has somehow fallen under the spell of Mutton Bustin? 8 the sport of youngsters riding sheep. And she?s beginning to like it.

Leilani Serrano is probably smaller than the sheep she?ll ride, but she says she?s seen the sport and thinks she can stay clutched on to the sheep?s wool. A protective vest and helmet will keep her safe.

BI?m very nervous,C Stacey said before the ride, which later turned out to be very quick and seemingly harmless.

Acquistapace says there?s no training required for the Mutton Bustin? 8 just a willingness to do it.

Future cowboys and cowgirls or not, Acquistapace said the mini rodeo aims at entertaining kids and possibly build future rodeo generations.

Professional cowboys and cowgirls competed Thursday night, when the 64th Elks Rodeo officially kicked off (see sports, page D1). Action will resume with another performance at 7 p.m. today, plus 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Luis Ernesto Gomez can be reached at 739-2218, or lgomez@santamariatimes.com.