I have to warn you - there are LOTS of photos in this post...! This may be a new record for me in the number of photos in one post! As I've said before, I love rodeos because they feel like America's last stand - a remnant of our age-old traditions, of our heritage, of patriotism,... And I love all the opportunities for action shots and images of tough cowboys and cowgirls and pretty horses! I know it can seem rough on some of the critters, but from the research I've done, if you stick with the bigger, more pro rodeo circuit (PRCA), you're hopefully on more solid, humane ground. Their treatment of animals is supposed to have much higher standards/requirements. It's also more self-serving for rodeos to take good care of their critters because they will last longer, and healthier animals are better buckers! But, all this said, I'm sure there are way too many rodeos that are not humane in the least, where really bad stuff happens to the animals. So you really need to know the rodeo, the place, the organizations involved... From what I've seen going to this rodeo in this town twice now, there have been no injuries to the critters (and no riders have gone away in an ambulance either - phew!!). I think at least these folks do what they can to treat the animals as well as possible. If I saw anything else, I'd have to leave, not come back, and I would be saying very different things on this blog post!!
Getting ready...
Rodeo queens and princesses waiting in the wings...
Other princesses...
You'll notice the tradition still observed, respect still paid to our flag. Hand/hat over heart.
Love all the smiles. These folks love what they are doing, and they're having a good time! After all, this is not just a competition, it's a celebration!
First up, bull riding. And some of these guys are way fired-up, right out of the chute!!
It's interesting (and good) to see the protection some of the cowboys wear these days. Here you can see some sort of helmet. Other riders (maybe for other events) are wearing some sort of neck brace (hopefully not from previous injury but for current prevention!).
It's amazing to see such giant, heavy animals with all four feet up in the air!
This guy's feisty, so there's a lot of airborne action!!
And...he's off!
Behind the bull - not the best location...! But this rider didn't end up with hooves in his chest, thank goodness!
Big guy!
Kickin' it up!
Again, not a promising position to find yourself in...(unless you're the bull!)
Sure enough, he's off...
And time for the distraction team to go to work before the poor guy gets squished!!!
Hmmm, I see chaps behind the bull still... These guys have their work cut out here...!
And now, for the other actors - the ones who rope the runaways after the ride!
This guy had a good, long ride!
Great ride! High five!
Oh, one thing I forgot to mention... Why you might be noticing a lot of pink in these photos... This night was their hat tip to breast cancer awareness/funding... Many rodeos dedicate a night to this...
A cowboy line-up.
Horse on the loose! I think he was just one of the helper horses, but here he is kicking up his heels!
The sidelines.
And now, steer-wrestling...
A test of wills...
Compromising position... I don't think this is quite where he meant to be at this point...
And probably not here either...
And definitely not here. But hey, let's call a truce!
Bronc-riding, and more specifically, bareback bronc riding. No saddle, no stirrups...
This looks very brutal on the cowboy...! I think this is where a lot (or all?) of the riders are wearing a neck brace.
But he walks away and looks okay...!
Again, another critter coming on full-force from the get-go!
Yeah...ya might wanna get outta the way there...!
Oh, this stuff can't feel good...(maybe to the horse - give 'em hell, right?)!!
Wild ride!
Wait, where'd he go?!!
Uh-oh, looks like the ride's over...
And horsey says "Yeah!! Ha-ha!"
Free! Well, sort of, for a minute or two...
But then the wranglers bring him in. Tails come in handy for additional control...
This guy's pretty pissy!
He's sure good at catching air!
Going, going...
Gone!
Another "bail out" horse - going for it right from the get-go!
This rider needed some help with the dismount... Riders to the rescue!
Hey, take the help while you can get it!
A look back at the food area, behind the stands...
Oh dang, it's getting dark. Shadows are falling on most of the ring now. Low light and a long lens = bad combo! The photos will suffer..
Pretty funny rodeo clown! Love that guitar!!
Saddle bronc riding. More critical judging on technique here...
Self-explanatory...
Another "bail out!"
And maybe Lipizzaner?!
Another type of bail-out!
Calf-roping. Honestly, this was harder to watch, the calves were scared, didn't know the routine...
But I loved watching the horses. They knew the script! They were major players, helping to hold the rope tight, constantly monitoring and jockeying to hold the line!
Look at the horse watching...
and backing up as needed. This event really highlights the partnership between cowboy and horse.
When they're not working...
And other stuff is going on too...
More spectators.
And they bring the barrels in..
for the barrel-racing! I sure wish this wasn't pretty much the last event. It's always dark here when they do this part! And I can never get good, high quality shots because the only light at this point is from the overhead artificial lighting, and that is NOT enough!! And I love how beautiful and graceful the horses always look, the cowgirls' hair streaking out behind them - these are fun speed shots! But they require LIGHT!!! : ( (not sure what the little sticker circles are on this - and the next - horse... Almost looks like it's set up for an EKG afterwards!?!)
This shot makes it look lighter than it actually was, but I wanted you to be able to see the scene!
Time to go. I loved the lit-up ferris wheel.
Fun colors. Fun evening!
