(This blog post was written by Aubreyann Grissom, a fourth-generation "Spurs kid".) Can you think of a way that your parents bonded with you when you were younger? Was it watching one of your family’s favorite movies together? Or maybe you share a love for fishing? Well, when you are a Silver Spurs kid, "bonding" can take on a slightly different meaning. Our version of bonding often comes from hours of hard work to make a hometown rodeo and community a better place. As a Silver Spurs kid, you volunteer with your family on what many might consider work, but for us, the time spent at the rodeo and working the ranch with other members is something to take pride in – we love the fact that the Silver Spurs Rodeo is the heartbeat of our community.

While most kids grow up trying out for baseball teams, growing up as a Spurs kid is a little bit… different. For most Spurs kids, riding in the Silver Spurs Quadrille is a must as its existence served as the foundation of the Silver Spurs Rodeo and Club – horsemanship and friendship. “I am looking forward to being a member one day because I will get to raise my kids in this amazing organization and get to see them carry on traditions that I am a part of today," said Annaliese Grissom, a fourth-generation Spurs kid. Most Osceola County residents see the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee as nothing more than an action-packed rodeo event they can take their family to over the weekend a couple times a year. But for many of us Spurs kids, the rodeo is seen as an important symbol in the community, and almost like a second home. Being a Spurs kid is more than just getting to ride in the Quadrille or having coolest show-and-tell topic in elementary school. It’s an opportunity to grow as people and to learn that a little bit of hard work and sweat can go a long way. “The thing that I love the most about the Silver Spurs Riding Club is just how much time and energy people put into something they love and believe in," said Scout Baker, also a fourth-generation Spurs kid.

There is one small misconception when it comes to being a Spurs kid – the work definitely doesn't stop after our two annual rodeos are over. All of the Spurs kids learn and know that keeping the history of ranching and rodeo alive in Central Florida is an important, never-ending task. With a fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, get-your-hands-dirty kind of life, the burden can feel heavy to keep the tradition going on, but it's worth it.

But the beautiful thing is, we aren’t in this alone!

For many Spurs kids, there are a lot of days spent patching fences, working cows, putting out hay in the winter – the list goes on and on. While these tasks surely instill good work ethic (in a not-so-traditional way), more importantly, we learn about one of the Silver Spurs’ most important values: how to be a humble servant of our community. Even though we aren't members yet, we know our job is to be the next heartbeat of the Silver Spurs Riding Club. And we're working hard to be prestigious ambassadors of the western way of life in Osceola County.