Saturday, July 9, 2011

RODEO part 2

Clowns are an important part of a rodeo.

 They carry on a running line of jokes with the announcer and sometimes perform
 tricks between events to entertain the crowd.  Many clowns also have 
the daunting responsibility of diverting the attention of angry bulls 
while downed cowboys are helped to safety.

Calf roping is a timed event that involves a rider on horse and a calf released 
from a chute. You can see in this photo the horse knows exactly 
what will happen next and is excited to go.

 The calf is released and the horse is right behind with the cowboy swinging his rope.

 If all goes as planned the calf is quickly captured.  The horse stops 
and holds the rope tight as the cowboy dismounts and runs to the calf.

 The calf gets tossed to the ground.

 Three legs are tied together, the time is recorded and the calf is freed.

 Steer wrestling is for big cowboys.  A large calf is released from the chute 
with riders on either side.  One rider keeps the animal running in a straight line 
and the other jumps from his horse to grab the steer by his horns.

 In a matter of seconds the steer is to be stopped and pulled over by the wrestler.

 Both man and calf get a good spin in the dirt as the cowboy tries to 
roll the animal to his back.

A new event is the riding of the mini bulls.

Even when full grown the mini bulls are much smaller 
and are to be ridden by the younger cowboys.

 Just because they are smaller doesn’t mean they can’t throw their rider.

 It just means the young cowboys have a shorter distance to fall. 

As exciting as this all was; I am very glad I don’t have guys who think eating dirt and getting up close and personal with large, provoked, four-legged animals is a fun way to spend an evening.

In fact, by this time I’d had about all I could take.  We went home before the events for ladies—the barrel racing and goat roping—and the bull riding.  Rodeos can go on for several hours and it takes a special kind of dedication to sit that long on those bleachers.  A strong bladder is useful as well since the restrooms are often pretty disgusting and sometimes just porta-potties.

Clown:  Hey, do you know the secret to becoming a bull rider?
Announcer: No, suppose you tell us.
Clown:  First you put a handful of marbles in your mouth and you keep them there.
Announcer: Yeah?
Clown: Yeah.  Every time you ride a bull, you spit out one of the marbles in the arena.
Announcer:  Oh really…
Clown:  Yeah, and when you’ve lost all your marbles, you’re a bull rider!

Thursday, July 7, 2011


A fine way to spend a long summer evening
 is with your neighbors and friends at a local rodeo.

The smell of hot nachos and fried bread drifts up from 
the crowd gathered under the shelter at the open-air arena.

The show usually starts with plenty of patriotic music and flags.
We get to see real cowboys of all kinds and ages—senior cowboys…

junior cowboys…

…used cowboys

…and pretty cowgirls.

One of the first events is bareback riding.  
The competing cowboy gets on a bronc or semi-wild horse 
specially bred for its bucking ability. 
The horse is held in the bucking chute until the cowboy is ready.

The idea is to stay on the horse for eight seconds hanging 
on to the handle of a special rigging cinched on the horse’s withers,

...and without touching the horse with the free hand.

Staying on is the challenge.

Getting off a runaway bronc is also a challenge. 
 The rider is assisted by a “pickup man” on a skilled pony, usually a quarter horse.

The pickup men help riders dismount and make sure animals exit the arena safely.

A similar event is the saddle bronc riding.
Here the cowboy uses a special bucking saddle 
with free swinging stirrups, but no roping horn.

The rider holds on to a braided rein attached to a halter. 
 He lifts the rein and attempts to find a rhythm with the bucking of the horse.

Sometimes the cowboy stays on for that looong eight seconds, 
and sometimes the horse wins.  This bronc looks like 
he had a great time and is laughing as he puts his rider in the dirt.

More rodeo photos next post.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011


Something to do while you're waiting for the big firework display...