Julie Conrey Record Staff Writer Charleigh and Ada Ferrell were barely 2 weeks old when their parents cradled them in their arms on the back of a horse. They were both 4 when they won their first buckles at rodeo events. Now at the tender ages of 8 and 5 years old respectively, the sisters are veterans on the Missouri rodeos circuit. When they get older, they plan to travel and compete at rodeos throughout the Midwest. What else would one expect from fourth-generation cowgirls? The two girls will showcase their talents much closer to home at least one weekend this summer. They plan to compete at a rodeo at the Warren County Fair on July 4. The event starts at 7 p.m. The rodeo is produced by Glory Days, a company owned by their father, Ben Ferrell, and his good friend, Tom Calliham. Glory Days is not a full-time job for Ferrell, but he sees value in it. “We’re just putting on rodeos in the state. We just got done with Vienna and Salisbury. Fayette, California and Stoutsville are coming up. We’re looking to grow,” Ferrell said. Ferrell knows the rodeo business well. He’s ridden bulls for almost 25 years, he said. He grew up in Mississippi where he was first exposed to the sport. He made his way to the Show Me State in 1998 with a rodeo scholarship to Missouri Valley College. There he met Calliham, who was the Missouri high school bull riding champion. The two worked on farms and participated in rodeos during college. “You get to know someone pretty well when you spend 12 hours in a car with them,” Ferrell said.   In 2013 Ferrell was ranked the third best bull rider in Missouri. He’s one of the top 50 bull riders in the Midwest. He’s a member of at least six professional organizations including the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, North American Bull Riders Association, Bull Riders of America, and Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association. Beginning June 27 in Sullivan, Ferrell will compete in “outlaw” exclusives, invitation-only bull riding events. He’ll continue to compete in those throughout the year. He asked Adrienne Clark to marry him at a bull riding event at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia in front of thousands of people, said Adrienne’s father Charlie Clark.  “I wasn’t expecting it,” Adrienne said.  The couple married in 2004, uniting two families that share a passion for horses and rodeos.  Adrienne and her two sisters competed in rodeos with boys and won, said Clark. “The boys did not like to see them show up,” she said. Clark is a former bull rider. His father, R.D. Clark, rode his share of bulls and was a stock contractor. He also owned Clark & Sons, a rodeo company. In 1966 Clark & Sons put on the first rodeo in Warren County.  “There was a big turnout for it. The locals competed,” Clark said.   Clark rode bulls for 20-plus years. During that time he won one belt buckle and every once in a while prize money that kept him pursuing the sport. “I paid other guys’ prize money,” he said with a laugh. “But it gets in your blood.” Clark rode a bull when he was 44 and again when turned 55. He’ll be 63 next month and says he’ll probably ride a bull when he turns 66 years old. “It’s sort of tradition,” he said.  His wife Vickie doesn’t mind. She wholeheartedly supports the family “business.” The two have been married 42 years.  R.D. died in the mid-1980s. Clark’s mother, Louetta, 82, attends as many rodeos as she can. She’ll be cheering for her great-granddaughters at next week’s rodeo in Warren County.    Bull riding is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Bulls typically weigh between 1,600 to 1,700 pounds. It’s not unusual for a bull to weigh a ton. Riders competing in bull riding events have no say in which bull they’ll ride.  “It’s luck of the draw,” Clark said. “There’s a lot of athleticism involved with riding a bull.” The top bull rider in the nation has won $250,000 so far this year, he added. Making money on the rodeo circuit is not easy, Adrienne said. As opposed to other youth sports, you pay your own expenses to enter the events plus the fuel to get there. She estimates it costs about $150 per rodeo for both girls to enter between five and seven events. “The fuel alone is expensive,” she said. If you don’t win, you pay someone else’s prize money.      On a hot, humid day in the practice ring at 5C Horse Ranch, Clark’s farm on the outskirts of Warren County, he watched his granddaughters put their horses through a practice session. “With a rodeo background, when they take it up, you’re sure proud of them,” he said. The footing, as the ground in an arena is called, is sand. It was a little wet from the previous night’s rainstorm and Charleigh’s horse looked as though it might slip out from underneath her while practicing pole bending. Her grandfather cringed and turned his head away from the arena. Her mother didn’t flinch.     “Keep him close, keep him going,” Adrienne shouted to Charleigh.    Adrienne coaches the girls more than Ben.  “I am very, very competitive and I try turning it off but I can’t,” she said. “I’m competitive in a different way,” Ben said. Charleigh and Ada are die-hards. “They want to ride in any weather. We’ve been out here in freezing rain,” Adrienne said.      The rodeo at the Warren County Fair will have five age divisions for competitors: 9 and under, 10-14 years old, 15-19 years old, and open division for participants 20 to 49-years-old and 50 and over. Events include sheep riding for younger children, bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, pole bending, goat tying, calf roping and others. Entry fees are based on the number of events for which a rider registers. The event is part of several rodeos put on throughout the state by the Ozark Rodeo Association (ORA). The nonprofit group charges members $50. When members compete in rodeos, they’re eligible to earn points. The top five competitors get buckles, and saddles are awarded to the best all-around competitors.  More information can be found at www.ozarkrodeoassociation.com or by contacting Ben Ferrell at 573-680-7012. Rodeo participation was big from about 1980 to 2004, Adrienne said. It’s dwindled off in the last 10 years but seems to be picking up.  Charleigh’s goal is to be a veterinarian, and barrel race at the National Finals Rodeo, the biggest rodeo in the world. “I want to run there some day,” she said.