Rodeo fans, get out your cameras for this one!
Tim “Wild Thang” Lepard and Team Ghostriders and the cowboy monkeys are the featured specialty act for the Chattahoochee International Pro Rodeo!
The three Capuchin monkeys will dress as cowboys in vests, chaps and cowboy hats, sit in saddles on border collies as they round up sheep in the arena.
It’s an amazing act that has been seen by fans across the nation— at rodeos and every major sporting event: Major League Baseball (Phillies, Nationals, Orioles, Braves, and Indians), National Football League (Monday Night Football), National Basketball League (Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic), NASCAR, and college games as well.
Lepard, who is from Pontotoc, Mississippi, has three monkeys: Sam, Meglynn and Little E. Sam, who is 28 years old, has been riding since he was two. He’s the “duke,” Lepard likes to say, since he reminds Lepard of John Wayne. “When he sits on the dog, he wears his hat cocked to the side like John Wayne. He’s the duke of the monkeys.”
Meglynn, named similarly to Lepard’s daughter Lakelynn, is the female and a sweetheart, Lepard said. “She’s very petite. She touches things gently, and lets the others eat first.”
Little E is the baby at age six, and is a “lover,” Lepard said. “He loves everything and everybody. He has a real loving personality.”
Lepard loves his animals and follows strict USDA regulations, staying current on all health papers. He’s proud of the care he gives his monkeys. “What you put into something is what will come out,” he said. “What I put into those animals is what’s coming out. I put a lot of care and time into them. I treat them like humans.”
Lepard and Team Ghostriders will entertain during each performance of the Chattahoochee International Pro Rodeo. Don’t miss out on this great event!