(gentle rhythmic music) - Years ago, we started the Smilin' D Arena, and it started when my husband started riding, he always had the biggest grin on his face and he got that nickname, Smilin' D, so then when we... You know, there wasn't a lot of places to ride in the winter, so we kinda had that goal in mind is to provide a place to ride that was heated.

- We had a cute little place in college, we were right in Willmar, it took me 20 minutes to mow my lawn.

I just loved it, my wife loved it, and then we started having babies, and Brady was born, and his first word that he said was, "Horse."

- Every horse on every sign, he would say, "Horse, horse, horse," so his two year birthday, every gift was related to horses, and soon after, we got our first, I suppose, and moved to the farm.

- I was working at a wastewater treatment plant in Ak-Chin, Arizona, at the time, and my wife called me and said, "We need to move to the country."

I said, "Find one, buy one.

I'm busy, I gotta get back to work," and she actually found a farm place that I grew up on as a child, and we ended up buying the property in Kandiyohi, and we moved in, and we had horses within a week.

I mean, we built a little stall, and we bought horses right away.

So that's how we kinda got into horses in the beginning, for sure, so, and we went from one to two horses, to three, to four, to five, and pretty soon, we built an indoor riding arena as you see in the background there, and we just started having fun with horses, and we just started getting into it.

We didn't have any idea that people rode so much.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your Back to School Jackpot, right here at the Smilin' D Arena in Colfax, Minnesota.

Raising our kids riding horses was a very crazy time.

We had young kids and newborn babies.

My wife was extremely busy raising kids.

And then we decided to build the arena and it was just like a whole 'nother job.

(lively rhythmic music) - Well, Dave is always full of surprises, he keeps me on my toes, and we definitely, I would say, complement each other, I slow him down a little bit and he speeds me up sometimes, but horses has always been a passion of both of ours, and that's a hobby that we enjoy together.

We do have other hobbies that we like to do, but that's always been our favorite together, but.

She's beautiful.

She has such a cute head.

It's so small, her ears are small.

She's got good conformation.

- We have five grandchildren right now, and we were sitting around our place one winter night, and our grandkids, all they wanted to do was play with cell phones, and video games, and watch movies, and I told my wife that night, I said, "We need to build another barn and get these kids out into the country so that they can experience life just a little bit, and dealing with people, and what I envisioned when I pulled in was stadium seating in the hill, with an outdoor arena, and we'd just do a little bit of roping practice and things like that, an outdoor venue, and my wife told me, she says, "If you build anything, it better have a roof on it, 'cause you don't ride in the summertime, we only ride in the wintertime."

So fast forward, we had 35 guys that were looking for work that were on our crews, so to keep them busy, we decided just to build a shell of a building, and they put it up so fast, pretty soon we're insulating it, and pretty soon we're building a bar, and it just kinda happened, and it just kinda got out of control just a little bit, and it kinda pushed us to a point where we not only are just gonna enjoy this place, but we have to enjoy this place now (chuckles), so we started planning events and trying to make the place cash flow, and turned it into a business, for sure.

(lively rhythmic music) - Well, I like to ride, so anytime I'm sitting on a horse is a good day, and getting the kids involved in the community and somewhere to go and something fun to do in the winter instead of sitting at home and watching TV all day or playing video games, and it keeps us super busy, which some days is pretty draining, but other days it's just wonderful, and we just really enjoy it, so.

- We are here in Belgrade, Minnesota, for the Vegas 131 Bull Riding, Vegas style.

(lively music) (crowd shouting) - Another day, another dollar.

(lively music) (crowd shouting) (lively music) (announcer commentating indistinctly) - Hey, they are awesome.

This is fun to watch, and I guarantee it's fun to ride.

(energetic music) (crowd cheering) - I grew up around here, right down the road from Smilin' D. Smilin' D was put in, like, a couple years ago, not even, but my whole life, there's always been horses, and cattle, and everything around here, and when word got out that they're building a rodeo arena here, I mean, my family, especially my mom, was ecstatic.

I mean this is the, I think the Reigstads killed it with putting a rodeo arena here.

With, you know, with the demand, with the amount of horses, and, you know, cowboys and cowgirls.

this place is insane.

I love it!

(slow rhythmic music) - Well, here we are at Smilin' D in Belgrade, Minnesota, with Levi Engen and Jaron Engen, two of my sons.

Also have Wyatt Engen here, who's riding in the Open Bulls.

Just got back from Ada, Oklahoma, recently, where these two competed in the PYRA national finals, where Levi finished 13th in Bulls and Jaron became the world champion in Peewee Broncs.

We just wanna thank Smilin' D for hosting this and for also sponsoring our boys to go to Ada, Oklahoma.

They had a great time and it wouldn't be without Smilin' D and putting on these events so these boys could just be cowboys and have fun.

- Our very first event that we have had was a Bette Davis Eyes cutting, and cutting is where there's 25 to 30 head of cattle down on the one end, and one horse rides in, takes one cow out, away from the herd, and pushes 'em out until the cow says, "Oh, my gosh, I wanna be by my friends," and then the horse has to go in between the herd and that cow and keep it separate, and as the rider drops his hand down on the horse's neck, without any control, you have to work your horse to stop that cow, and it's really fun to watch, and it's fun to ride, for sure.

So that was kind of our first event that we had at the arena, and then we moved into a draft horse pull, and that's where the team of draft horses pull heavy weight, a weighted sled, and we just keep stacking blocks on it until they can't pull it anymore, and then they line up in different weight classes.

(energetic music) (men shouting) This is a family-friendly place.

This is exactly what we built the place for is somewhere for families to take their children and learn about the Western lifestyle and the Western way of life, and all we can do is simulate what it looks like, and it's an event center designed for that.

(energetic music) (people shouting) This arena has definitely brought our family closer together.

We're constantly talking, and planning our next events, and talking about ways to make it better for the future.

(announcer calling out indistinctly) Well, anything that you can do for the community, I think is beneficial, and when you can pull communities together and have a place to gather, and meet, and hang out.

I enjoy the most when we have an event and there's people all around, and they're visiting, laughing, and just having a good time.

Sometimes the event isn't all that important.

Sometimes people are just here communicating, hanging out, visiting with their friends, and it's just a social gathering.

Sometimes they don't even watch, you know, it's just fun to be here and fun to be with your friends.

(lively rhythmic music)