HOUSTON -- The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is all about children, and the children took over on Tuesday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

The junior steer auction contestants have started to arrive for the competition on Wednesday.

On Friday, one of the animals will be named grand champion.

Kennedy McFarland, 13, hopes his steer, Pinto, will win. He has been showing at competitions for five years to win money for his college fund.

"I need to keep him on feed ... get him filled out so he looks his best and lead him in show ring and see if the judge likes him," Kennedy said.

School groups have been going to the rodeo, like the pre-Kindergartners from Crawford Elementary School.

The children were a little fuzzy on exactly where milk comes from, but Hilda the cow showed them what dairy farms do.

"It takes your milk about two days to get from the cow to the grocery store," Hilda explained.

There was even a little time for horsemanship. Tony Trejo's 6-year-old, Emma, worked up the courage to take her first pony ride, after two years of false starts.

"I'm so proud of her," Trejo said. "She was born and raised in Texas, so she's finally a Texas girl."