Rodeo time!!

**WARNING** Lots of photos following! I repeat, lots of photos following!!

So last Sunday my mother and I went to our annual rodeo -- let's all give a great big YEEHAW!! Remember from last year? My mama and I make a point of attending, since it's about the only rodeo around these parts. :( But we always have a TON of fun, and I usually take a couple tons of photos. ;)

This rodeo is done by the Flying U Rodeo Company, owned by Cotton Rosser. He's known for his family-friendly events, as well as his spectacular openings, but in the rodeo world, he's also known for his Born To Buck breeding program -- breeding the best of the roughstock to produce even better roughstock. Here are a couple of the mares and babies from the program that they let wander around the arena until the rodeo starts.

My oh my, those two little boys surely have grown up some! They're cuter than ever -- and they both ride fast horses. :)

The opening ceremony, at least for the Sunday rodeo, isn't nearly as spectacular as some of Cotton's openings that I've seen, and certainly not as amazing as the ones I've heard about...but it was one of the most touching, heart-twisting, wet-eyed openings ever!! See these three Marines? Each has been on at least one tour in Ir@q.

All the cowboys, one by one, as their names were announced, came out the gate, walked into the arena, and shook the hands of the three Marines.

And then...oh boy I'm gonna cry just writing this...then the cowboys' families came out, carrying a giant flag...

They unfurled it and held it up while a local girl sang the national anthem and many people in the stands sang along. Did you know that it's very difficult to hit the right notes with tears in your eyes??!!

And on that note, the action began!

This is what it's all about, folks. 8 seconds can be a mighty long time...

...when you're holding on for dear life!!

Look at the air betwen the ground and that pony's feet!

This cayuse had some huge muscles in those back legs...and he sure knew how to use them.

Ooops!!

Handstand...eh...hoofstand??

Remember the Born To Buck? They often let a bucking mare's foal into the arena after her ride so they can trot around a bit. The crowds love it!

I love facial expressions on the various horses as they are bucking. Some have their mouths open with effort...some shut their mouths tight with the determination to get the cowboy off...some just look like they're having fun!!


After the bareback broncs, we moved to the steer wrestling. It's a lot harder than it looks! They start out after the calf...

Then the cowboy on the steer's left swings down off his horse, grabs the calf by his horns and nose, and twists him down to the ground. The goal is to do this in the shortest amount of time possible. Looks like fun, huh?! :)

Now for the saddle broncs. Gotta love this guy's teal chaps. ;)

This pony's spots remind me of my beloved Smokey at the farm, my grumpy POA cuddlebump! But I have a feeling that Smokey-grumps is a whole lot easier to ride than this bronc!!

Look at the air between the horse's rump and the cowboy's! I think that cowboy left that horse shortly after I took this photo.

I didn't notice until I was looking through the photos that this bronc had one back hoof out and one in.

The next event was team roping. Both cowboys come chasing after the steer...

The cowboy on the steer's left, called a header, ropes the steer's head or horns and turns him...

So that the other guy, the heeler, can rope the steer's back legs.

After that was the tie-down roping. First the cowboy, on horseback, chases the calf until he can rope its head. Then he jumps off his pony and runs to the calf...

...grabs it and flips it on its side (not its back, or he will be disqualified -- they are not allowed to hurt the calf in ANY way)...

...and tie three of its legs with a small piece of rope called a piggin string. The timer stops when the calf is tied, so the cowboys often throw up their hands after tying the knot to make it easier for the timekeepers.

Then finally, the culmination of the rodeo, the climax of all the excitement...bull riding.

Frankly, I think riding bulls is stupid enough...but not wearing a helmet while riding is completely brainless. I don't have anything against the bronc riding, but that grew out of a necessity in the old ranch days of riding unbroke horses. That's fine. But there has never been a necessity to ride bulls, for any reason. It's just a guy thing, I guess. ;)

But accidents do happen, and most cowboys that I've seen ended up falling off the bull at some point or another during the ride.

Let me tell you, they learn to move pretty quickly when they hit the ground...because when a bull steps on, sits on, or kicks you, you surely can feel it!

This little dog was soooooooo cute!! They sent her out to help round up whatever roughstock couldn't be herded out of the arena, and she certainly wasn't afraid to give a big bull a nip on the hock if he wasn't moving the right way!!
Once the bull was rounded up and taken care of, she was one happy dog, heading back to her place behind the chutes, knowing she had done her job! Is she cute or what?!

Well, that's about all the photos...wait, one more! Me and my pretty mama, enjoying our annual rodeo fix! :)

I close with the words of a Garth Brooks song (I don't like the rest of the song, but the chorus is great):

Rodeo
It’s bulls and blood
And dust and mud
And the roar of a Sunday crowd
It’s the white in his knuckles
The gold in the buckle
He’ll win the next go round
It’s boots and chaps
It’s cowboy hats
It’s spurs and latigo
It’s the ropes and the reins
The joy and the pain
And they call the thing rodeo