"Help her out here," Kent Morris encouraged the crowd Saturday afternoon when Sadie balked as the jump curtain was raised to 64.5".
Sadie's saucy attitude and Radar's exuberance delighted the crowd watching the pro mule jump portion of the 27th annual Pea Ridge Mule Jump. The field began with six mules, five of whom were from Missouri. The jump was set at 40 inches, the mules were given an opportunity to practice and check out the field. Then, it began.
Francis, a brown mule owned by Ronnie Smith of Avoca, tapped the jump on the way over and brought it down.
That left five.
J.R. Fletcher and Dan, previous winners and hometown favorite, sauntered up to the jump. Quietly, without fanfare, Dan jumped seemingly effortlessly over the curtain.
The first pro jump was held in 2003.
Community on 10/14/2015