‘They don’t stay on for very long’: Spectators watch mutton busting at York County Fair

YORK, Neb. (KLKN) – The York County Fair held its annual mutton busting competition in the Sheep Arena at the fair on Sunday.

Mutton busting is popular in the Midwest and is a tradition at many fairs across Nebraska.

A Mutton Busting company provided over 45 sheep for children to ride at the competition.

Children at the fair have a chance to sign up and compete.

The goal is similar to bull riding: try and hold onto the sheep for as long as you can.

Sheep move fast and more often than not, it only takes a couple seconds for them to knock a child off.

Over 100 children participated, and the signup had to be capped off due to the large amount of people who wanted to try.

“We get the kids on there and they ride one at a time,” said Lana Hoffschneider with the York County Ag Society. “We put helmets on them so they’re safe and protected. We have lots of people out there and professionals helping the kids with the sheep. They don’t stay on for very long, but its pretty fun to watch.”

The top two riders who could stay on the longest were invited to participate in the final competition pool happening at the Nebraska State Fair at the end of August.