Every been to a Western Rodeo?

[Enerchi]

We may have the chance to go to one this summer. If we only have a day and a 1/2 in the town, are there key rodeo things to see?
We are "rodeo virgins" and city slickers, so the whole thing is brand new to us but we'd love to experience whatever is out there if there are any officionados who could recommend what to see!

Any tips? hints? "Must sees" if ever at a rodeo??? This will be July in Arizona. There is cattle roping, a dance in the evening (we can't tell which foot is which let along two step, so that may not be part of the experience!), pie contest... sounds like a day full of fun!

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm not going to turn this into a debate, but will mention this just in case for some reason you aren't aware. Just as I won't patronize a circus that features animals, I will also not support rodeos. The animals participating in rodeos are often irritated on purpose in order to make them seem more "wild" during the rodeo. This includes using things like electric cattle prods, spurs, or tight straps wrapped around them to make them "buck". They can suffer really terrible injuries, and depending on the severity, may have to be put down. I'm also not really comfortable watching animals be roped, dragged, or falling to the ground. It can be violent to watch. I know that it is a cultural and touristy thing, so I won't try to convince you not to go, just wanted you to know so you can make an educated choice. The ASPCA and Humane Society of the United States both have position statements against rodeos.

 

[amc80]

I go every year. My favorite events are barrel racing and probably bronco/bull riding. Rodeos are so much fun.

 

[movie zombie]

i haven't been since i was 16 several centuries ago.....barrel racing is a true sport: horse and rider are a team and it takes a lot of practice to be able to do it.

the rest i'm not that interested in nor do i think takes skill but brute strength on an animal that may or may not have been mistreated.

 

[Amys Bling]

When I was in fifth grade my aunt and uncle took me to Jackson hole, grand Tetons, Yosemite, salt lake city, and a rodeo was in the mix

 

[Fly Girl]

The best rodeo we saw was in South Dakota outside a small town on a hillside overlooking the corral. People came and sat on blankets and, as we were watching the events, they went around the crowd selling lottery tickets for a meat drawing. Sort of their version of a small county fair. I loved that this rodeo was for the locals, and not commercialized for tourists. Those big showy rodeos are fun, too, but in an over-the-top Las Vegas sort of way.

I always have an urge to get a new western hat, shirt and cowboy boots when I'm out West. Go ahead and splurge if you want to.

Have fun.

 

[sparklyheart]

I can just hear a city slicker asking about a "western rodeo"

Rodeos are a big thing around here.. and yes, like someone mentioned earlier, animals can get hurt. I don't know about how they are treated outside of the ring.

I'm going to second the barrel racing! It's exciting and doesn't seem as dangerous.. Although it can be exciting to watch a cowboy try to get his 8 seconds in on a bull.

I'm not a fan of the calf roping... looks painful!!

If they have mutton busting, you HAVE to go.. a bunch of little kids run around, they have to catch a sheep, hop on, and hold on for dear life!! The animals don't look like they are getting hurt and the kids get so excited.. and it's just a hilarious concept to me..

Unless you're just really into the rodeo thing, no need to get dressed up like a cowboy. You will certainly see plenty of them there but there will also be plenty of people in non-cowboy clothes.

Also, go to the dance!!! Even if you guys don't dance, you might enjoy watching other people dance.. I can't two-step to save my life but watching some of the couples out there on the dance floor blows me away! The guys twirl the girls all over the place like it's nothing! You can consider it a "cultural experience"

Hope you have a good trip!! Stay cool!

 

[lulu]

Once, years ago in Fort Worth. After that I felt horrible. Ditto the circus.

 

[Enerchi]

oh dear... I'm sorry... I had no idea this was a controversial topic. I apologize for upsetting some. Yes, total city slicker so had no knowledge regarding the mis treatment of animals.

If we do go, it did sound very interesting and something totally out of our normal realm of day to day life.

Sparklyheart - the dance sounds fun! We both own 2 left feet - heaven forbid we'd get up and show them both off... we'd just go round counter clockwise, i'm sure!

 

[OUpearlgirl]

The barrel races are great! I think rodeos are fun, but I've only been a handful of times. I hope you have fun!

 

[amc80]

I second the mutton busting. It's adorable.

 

[SweetAsscher]

I love rodeos. You could maybe go and make up your own mind if it's something you enjoy or are against.
Mutton busting is hilarious (poor kids!) I like the team roping too. There are usually good 'half-time' shows too.

 

[dragonfly411]

I barrel race. Definitely watch that round. It's so exciting. The rider with the fastest time wins. Us girls work HARD getting our horses in shape for that event.

I know some people think the animals are not treated well, but I will say that I've NEVER seen electric cattle prods used... on any of the animals. That's just me. Yes, they do strap the bulls *AHEMS* to get them to buck. I've never seen an animal injured so badly it had to be put down. I have seen people injured so badly they never got to compete again.

Before going into a rodeo and watching, and before passing huge judgment, you should understand the history behind the events. Bull and Bronco riding have their origins all the way through history. Horses have been used as riding animals for thousands of years. In old farming practices, young horses were left to roam until their three or four year old year. At that time they were rounded up (usually by roping, which doesn't tend to hurt the animal) and brought in to be broke. Ranch hands and workers didn't have time to take months and months to train the horses the way we do in our leisure time now. They had jobs to do. So many times they would get the horses saddled, and take turns getting on and simply ride the buck out of a horse. Once the horse stopped bucking and realized that the rider wasn't going to eat it (like a mountain lion, which also jumps on a horse's back to attack), it was easy to get them trained. There were sometimes horses who did not calm down, and continued to buck and buck, even over days and weeks. Those horses were deemed dangerous and either released into the wild, or disposed of. The rodeos have given the world an outlet for those bucking horses. Eventually as they grow older, they're now used for breeding, where in the past they would have simply been gotten rid of from the start.
As to the bull riding. People used bulls as pack animals and harness animals, as well as breeding animals. So once again, it was up to the ranch hands to break the bulls if they were to be used for these things. Thus, you have bull riding.
The 8 second rule stemmed once rodeos began.
Calf tying, Calf roping, Team Penning, Cutting, Sorting and Working cow horse events are all part of what happens in every day ranch life. All the beef you eat has to be rounded up some way. Since the beginning days of American ranching, ranch workers have used horses to round up cattle. Roping, and tying the cows was a practice used to help mark young cows. In the early times, ranches didn't have fences, so they branded the cattle to designate ownership. The same was done with horses. The young calves would be rounded up each spring, brought into the pens, and roped and tied for the branding process. People still use brands, but it is more common to tag the young cows with numbered tags now, but again they have to be rounded up, sorted (cutting), and tied to do the tagging. The animals aren't usually hurt in the process. In the rodeo process, I'm not a HUGE fan of the calf roping event because it's become a speed event, so the calves get jerked around a little more, but on regular working ranches, there's no stop watch going off, so they take more time.
Barrel racing started as a practice of showing a working horse's agility. In the same category, but not exhibited at rodeos, is the reining event, which shows the horse's ability to stop quickly, start quickly, change directions and leads quickly and spin in circles, which were all part of ranch life. Barrel racing became a timed event of how fast the horse could cut those turns. In ranch life this was important for when cows or other animals would turn sharply, or run around trees or bushes, and the ranch hand needed their horse to cut turns sharply and pick speed back up to catch them.
Although it may seem harsh to those who haven't grown up around working farms, the animals are generally well taken care of, and watched over. Bulls that are part of bull riding, go on to lavish lives as breeding bulls on huge ranches. The horses are treated like royalty... trust me. They get spoiled rotten. And the cattle live lives on open ranches. There are horror stories with any sport, both horse and human, but there are definitely worse things that you could go watch.

PS eat some pie for me.

 

[Enerchi]

Look at all that info Dragonfly!! wow -- -I'm all pumped and want to go! Thanks so much for all that detail. I had never heard of some of these things - mutton busting? barrel racing? Wow. I'm clearly out of my element here! So glad I asked - love love love the details and information!

please keep all thoughts ideas flowing!

 

[amc80]

Look at all that info Dragonfly!! wow -- -I'm all pumped and want to go! Thanks so much for all that detail. I had never heard of some of these things - mutton busting? barrel racing? Wow. I'm clearly out of my element here! So glad I asked - love love love the details and information!

please keep all thoughts ideas flowing!

Certain rodeos also have special stuff, so be on the look out. Ours has a dog that helps herd in the bulls after they've bucked off their rider. This little dog has balls the size of melons...it gets in there an nips these giant bulls right in the back of the ankle. And while he's waiting for his turn, he waits behind the fence and looks through a cut out, so you see his little face. We also have someone who parachutes in with an American flag and (usually) manages to land in the arena. Hmm, what else...the food! Come hungry.