"Nobody rides just to hang on."
We spent a wild and wonderful afternoon at the 87th Annual Tucson Rodeo. It was very entertaining to put it mildly! The day was hot and I wore my big brimmed straw hat but soon realized that I was out of place. I bought a "cowgirl" hat and felt much better.
We had excellent seats in the centre of the stadium and after touring many fascinating western themed vendor booths we settled in to watch the show. The junior rodeo was first and it was amazing to see young boys and girls from age 5 and up showing off their skills. "Muttin' Bustin'" is something to see! Imagine five year olds hanging on for dear life to a sheep running full speed. Young girls charged on horses that seemed much too big for them, to a tethered goat and flung it down to tie up 3 legs in a race with the clock.
Once the junior competition was over the adults began competing. Parent and child teams and then men chased and roped steers at incredible speeds. Women raced around barrels and men rode bucking broncos and bulls. The music between venues was rousing and the clowns were actually skilled athletes who diverted danger from the competitors. The head clown was a comedian/gymnast/ dancer from Saskatchewan. Yes, we have crazy cowboys in western Canada too. Several competitors were from our homeland.
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| Seeing this young 7 year old girl race at full tilt on her huge horse was incredible. She rode with gusto, her small legs barely hanging on and jumped off, grabbed the goat and tied it up. |
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| These are the gates where the broncos and bulls were contained before bucking wildly with cowboys flying around like rag dolls. |
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| Hang on for 8 seconds at least! |
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| How many cowboys does it take to contain this wild beast? It was a team effort for sure! |
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| The stills don't do it justice. |
The cowboys in the background were saviours...they rode alongside the crazy bucking bronco or bull after 8 seconds had passed and helped the riders get away safely. Then they chased the bronco or bull down, removed the buck strap and herded them away. Don't even ask why the horses and bulls buck crazily! You don't want to know. But they don't seem any worse for wear after the ordeal.
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| Medics on hand at all times! This is not for wimps. |
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| Skilled horsewoman in the barrel race. |
The last event was bull riding. I think these cowboys have a death wish. The bulls buck madly and the cowboys hang on and gyrate crazily. Very few could stay on for 8 seconds.
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| This poor fellow hit the ground and then the bull picked him up somehow and flung him! The clown from Saskatchewan hid in the barrel and entertained the crowd while the grounds were cleared and competitors were prepared for their turn. There was constant music and entertainment. |
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| These cowboys were always in the background, ready to help and herd. They were as skilled as the competitors. Impressive! |
Cameras were technically not allowed during the events so my pictures are not the best. I have never been to a rodeo and enjoyed the festive atmosphere and all the venues. It was fun to see people in their western finery...children and adults alike. You could sense the pride people have in this western culture and I felt like I was in the thick of it. What a great way to say goodbye to Tucson since we will be leaving this week for a long trek to Florida.
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