I grew up around rodeos. My dads brother and entire family were heavy into rodes and playdays. We spent many weekends, watching them ride, rope and etc. My uncle and his wife were members of the Sheriffs Posse,and rode in the opening of the events. Calf roping, bronco riding,barrel racing Oh we had much fun, greased little pigs to catch, goats to rope- it was a all day family fun thing to do!
Right after I met my wife, I took her to a lot of rodeo's all over So California, the circuit I was in. She was the only member of her family that was truly interested in rodeo. Of course, she learned a lot about my event, Team Roping/Heading, from me. She fit into the rodeo nicely and learned rodeo "lingo" pretty fast. We did buy her a pair of Ariat Lace-Up Ropers and got rid of the "pointed" boots she had. Made her look much better and she always wore one of her two Wrangler Straw cowboy hats. Her mom wasn't too pleased that she had to change some (learn the lingo and a few other things). Her mom said, "can't they just accept her for the way she is?" and I said "nope, but is doing a great job learning the events and lingo". Her mom wasn't a rodeo fan at all. Originally, I was going to be a Saddle Bronc Rider, until a Saddle Bronc Rider friend of mine had me swing a rope. He liked the way I handled the rope/loop so well, he said, "get a horse, roping saddle, go to a Roping School, buy a Permit and get out there. You'll definitely save your body and be able to rodeo longer." So, I did.
My favorite event in the Rodeo is Calf Roping. It demonstrates how well the rider's horse is trained to keep tension on the rope while the rider dashes over to loop his line over three of the calve's legs. This is a timed event. All events are fun to watch! Hal
Just to let you know, this event is now called Tie-Down Roping. It was changed to this due to rodeo activists not liking the title Calf Roping. The Roper dismounts holding a “pigging string” (piece of rope) in his mouth, flanks the calf and uses this to tie three legs together. During this time, the Ropers horse is keeping a rope taught that is tied to the saddle horn and the other end (loop) is around the calves neck. Once the legs are tied, the Roper throws up his arms in the air to stop a stopwatch. This is a Timed Event rodeo event. This event came from actual ranch work where branding and inoculation of calves and cattle happened.
Yup, saw a couple of ranch hands with mangled thumbs from using the pommel to dismount whilst the rope went taught on them.
Yep, two things I always done as a Team Roper “Header”, wore a Roping Glove and kept my thumb away from my “dally” around saddle horn.
My favorite local rodeo events are mounted shooting, bullhide race, and bullfighters competition. I enjoy bull riding except for all the injuries these young guys are doing to their bodies and will later regret it. I am so looking forward to rodeo returning this year. I won't do the world-famous Pendleton Roundup as it is just too crowded with messy and smelly porta-potties everywhere. The last time I was there you couldn't go anywhere someone wasn't vomiting from food and/or alcohol poisoning. Besides it is very expensive and over several days. I hope to make all the smaller ones, especially the ones that include the Indian pow wows. I love the one at Joseph with all the Nez Perce and their traditional dress riding their Applossa's. It is a long day trip for me but if I get a ride I will be going. Several I know there that I haven't seen in 40 years. One of the main reasons I will try to make as many as I can is to show my support for the return of an old USA western tradition that was canceled due to the pandemic. I miss the cowboy breakfast in the parks. I once helped cook and serve at our local one. Who knows, maybe I will even get those plain Jane "cowgirl" boots made by Lane. Made in Texas and Mexico by skilled boot makers and they have the rugged mountain cowgirl look I need. 2 1/2" heels, just right for my high arched foot, rounded toe, and 15" shafts. My hair should be grown out by then so I can put it in a ponytail. The local ranch store owner says he will give me a free "cowgirl" cap with his logo on it and also a free tank top cropped right at my high-rise mom jeans waistband. It also has his logo and store name. To sweeten the deal he will knock $100 off the $300 boot price. I hope they have a cowboy poetry reading, as I really enjoy those and would love to read some of mine. I plan to help with livestock judging at the fair. I need to contact our county agent and see how to get my expired certification renewed. My semi-cowgirl walking look this morning from my rural walk on a hayfield road up in the hills.
This coming July, a former pro-rodeo (WPRA) barrel racer will be inducted into the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO. Her name is Martha Josey. She is 83 years old. We have made plans to see her inducted. We missed a very popular barrel racer get inducted, Charmayne James. She won 11 straight World Championships at the NFR. She was inducted into both the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame (2017) and in the National Cowgirl Museum (1992). Scamper took her to 10 World Championships and Cruiser to one. We met her at the Hall of Fame, in Colorado Springs, when she was awards her 11th WPRA World Champion Barrel Racing buckle after the 2001 NFR in Las Vegas.
Now, for a shocker, in pro-rodeo, and it happened this year: The American Rodeo, held in Arlington, Texas each year, since it's beginning in 2014, awards $100,000 to each event winner, plus new saddle, pair of Durango boots and a very nice buckle. A bonus (side pot) of $1,000,000 can go to one of the cowboys or cowgirls, for what, I'm not exactly clear about, but it's there. The $1,000,000 was won in 2014 by a roughstock rider. Other than the NFR, the American Rodeo is the richest rodeo there is. This year, all a certain calf roper (known as a "tie-down roper" today), had to do was: rope his calf, flank it, tie three legs, remount his horse, put slack in the rope for 6 seconds and, if the calf doesn't get loose from the tie, he would've won the $1,000,000. Unfortunately, when the cowboy went to remount his horse, the horse shied away enough to disqualify the cowboy for the money. The horse pulled the calf a very, very short distance, before the arena crew got ahold of the calf, cut the ropers rope and undone the legs tie. The calf was fine, but the cowboy lost $1,000,000 due to his horse.
That would have to be Martha Ann from Longview Texas I knew her back when was a friend of a friend Barney Skipper also from Longview, Tx. She was one of the very best ever. I was offered a bet one time growing up (where I met Ann) to ride this sorrel stud in poles and barrels at a local rodeo, if I did got a free steak and free entry the sorrel was a barrel robot to say just point him and hang on, I won the barrels with a 17.1 and 2nd or 3rd in poles, they were setting me up for a fail as they thought I could nor stay on him just to much horse but we did great together, he took off like a rocket, I used to do things like that, well on some in dirt of others, like my 1st ride on a real cutting horse. In my junk room I still have the awards from the barrels and poles.. Buckle with a rosette ribbon on it. Just a fond memory now of a good horse day.
You sure you're talking about Martha Josey? In Wikipedia, Josey is originally from the Kilgore/Marshall, Texas area.
Will be attending the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame Induction in July in Colorado Springs. The evening after the Induction, will be attending the Pikes Peak Or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs. Got our tickets for the rodeo this AM. We got very good seats. Two weeks later, we head for Dodge City, Kansas for their rodeo. Just like the Hall of Fame Induction, have hotel room and rental car already reserved for Dodge City. I'm a major fan of the old tv show, Gunsmoke, and Dodge City has replicas of the show set. We are watching the PRCA World Standings very closely, because we have some favorite cowboys and cowgirls that we like to see get to the National Finals in December. Have our airline tickets, rental car and hotel reservations already made to go to Vegas for that. We see some of these "favorites" when we watch "live" rodeo performances on The Cowboy Channel.
WOW ! What an awesome way to spend the summer, @Cody Fousnaugh , and it is great that you have already planned everything out and made your reservations way ahead of time. Be sure to take some pictures so you can share the rodeos and Hall of Fame inductions with us. The closest that I have ever come to watching any kind of well-known rodeo riders was back in the mid-1950’s , when we went to the Spokane Rodeo, which attracted some of the top bronc riders of that era. The only ones that I actually remember seeing ride at the rodeo were Deb Copenhaver (from eastern Washington, so he was kind of a local for the rodeo in Spokane) and Casey Tibbs. Deb Copenhaver later opened a restaurant in (or near) his hometown of Wilbur , Washington; and I have eaten there on trips across the state.
Sort of funny, but a lot of the old rough-stock and timed-event people we use to know some 13 years ago, are now retired and their sons and daughters are now competing. During the 11 1/2 years we were gone from Colorado, we only attended two PRCA rodeos. Just thinking about that was one of the major reasons we returned to Colorado.