“Well, yes, but—”

“Then she’s fine.”

“She’s not fine! She can’t ride a sheep! No one can ride a sheep!” I throw my hands in the air. “This is all crazy!”

The woman gives a throaty laugh. “Ma’am, don’t panic. The dads hold on to the little ’uns.” She gives me a hearty wink. “They don’t really get to ride. They just think they do.”

She pronounces it “rahd.” They don’t really get to rahd.

“I don’t want my little ’un to rahd at all,” I say firmly. “But if she does rahd, I really, really don’t want her to fall off.”

“She won’t, ma’am. Her daddy’ll hold her firm. Won’t you, sir?”

“I will,” says Luke, nodding.

“So, if she’s gonna rahd, I need her form.”

There’s nothing I can do. My precious daughter is going to rahd a sheep. A sheep. Luke hands over the form, and we head to the competitors’ entrance. A guy in an Arizona State Fair T-shirt fits Minnie with a helmet and a body protector, then leads her to a little pen with about six sheep of different sizes in separate chutes.

“Now, you rahd that sheep good,” he instructs Minnie, who’s listening avidly. “You don’t let go that naughty sheep. Don’t let go, you hear me?”

Minnie nods with eager eyes, and the guy laughs.

“The little ’uns crack me up,” he says. “She’ll be off before you know it. Sir, you keep a tight grip on her.” He looks at Luke.

“OK.” Luke nods. “Let’s do this. Ready, Minnie?”

Oh God. I feel sick. I mean, basically it’s a rodeo. They’re putting her onto a sheep. And they’ll open the gate and she’ll be in the arena….It’s like Gladiator.

OK, it’s not exactly like Gladiator. But it’s almost as bad. My stomach is churning as I watch through my fingers, while Suze takes pictures on her phone and whoops, “Go, Minnie!”

“Now we both run alongside,” the guy’s saying to Luke. “Don’t take your hands off her, and whip her off soon’s you can.”

“OK.” Luke nods.

“This sheep’s an old docile one. We keep her for the little ’uns. But still and all…”

I glance at Minnie. Her eyebrows are lowered with intent. I’ve never seen her look so focused, except for that time she wanted to wear her fairy dress and it was in the wash, and she refused to put anything else on, the whole day.

Suddenly a buzzer is sounding. It’s happening. The gate is opening.

“Go, Minnie!” Suze yells again. “You can do it! Stay on!”

My whole body is braced, waiting for the sheep to start bucking crazily and throwing Minnie ten feet in the air. But it doesn’t, partly because the guy in the Arizona State Fair T-shirt has a firm hold of it. It’s squirming, but basically it can’t go anywhere.

Oh. Oh, I see.

OK, it’s not quite as bad as I thought.

“Good job, honey!” says the guy to Minnie after about ten seconds. “You rode the sheep good! Off you come, now….”