Rodeos

@John Brunner The event Cody is talking about is in Colorado Springs Colorado. It is the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association or PRCA annual event to induct new members into the Hall of Fame. It was started in 1936 by a group of cowboys that walked out of a Madison Square Garden rodeo to protest the promoter that was refusing to put the cowboy entry fees into the winning purses. I guess you could think of it as a unionizing of rodeo cowboys.

Rodeo was taken to Madison Square Garden because of the crowd it drew there due to it being a western novelty. The New Yorkers filled the stands and loved the rodeo. It was the big event for a cowboy to win fame. One of my Grandpa's nephews was All-Around World Famous Cowboy there two years running after it started. Champion bronc rider, steer roper, bulldogger, and bull rider. He made the trip with his horse from Arizona in a rail car. He was sponsored by the first maker of cowboy blue jeans, Levis. He was also a real deal rancher and idolized by Hollywood cowboys like Tom Nix.

One of my parent's cousins was among that group of cowboys that started the PRCA. The starting of this group is what led to rodeo participants getting recognition on a national level instead of just local rodeos. Their accomplishment in all the rodeos they participated in, that were PRCA sanctioned, counted toward getting into the national finals.

This Hall of Fame induction ceremony each year honors those with outstanding accomplishments over many years. The PRCA has a cowboy museum in Colorado Springs. Anyone can join the PRCA and they offer many levels of memberships and the more you pay, the more events and benefits you can get. It has become a way of building a fan base for what is now more of a sport than ranch cowboy showing their skills.

It has opened a door for many growing up on ranches that decide they want to make more money than they can with cattle and going full-time rodeo offers a chance at some big money. Instead of working cattle, one might find a skilled horsegirl running the barrels daily for hours until she can get that connection with her horse where they work together as one. The same with championship ropers that rope all day and have several steers they run hard until they can get their accuracy and time perfected. Practice makes perfect. Rodeo schools sprung up after the PRCA was formed and anyone can go to these schools and perfect rodeo skills and become a PRCA cowboy or cowgirl.

The PRCA doesn't include many of the events you will see at many rodeos, they include the ones that draw the biggest crowds. A PRCA rodeo may include many non-sanctioned events, but these events are not recognized on a national level. While you see "cowboys" or "cowgirls" doing a hectic circuit for months each year for things like roping or bronc riding, you don't see a circuit for penning, bull hide races, or trick riding.

The PBR was formed in 1992 in Pueblo, Colorado by professional bull riders that realized many fans were coming to rodeo mainly to see bull riding. They proved their vision and now 30 years later, pro bull riding is big money drawing in cowboys from South America and Australia. Many champion PRCA bull riders never reach the level of skill it takes to ride in the PBR. PBR is an elite group. You will see many of the same bulls in the PRCA and PBR, but generally, the very best bulls are saved for PBR because that is where the big money is in bull riding.

 

Like Faye stated, this event isn't in Las Vegas. That event is the NFR (National Finals Rodeo) that Wrangler jeans and Dodge Trucks are major sponsors of. That is why is now called the WNFR, due to Wrangler ongoing major sponsorship of it. We've been to Vegas during the NFR, but have only watched the NFR from big-screen tv's in a hotel/casino. Last year we watched it at South Pointe Hotel/Casino. The area the NFR is shown in, is absolutely packed with folks that don't want to spend out the money to go to the Thomas-Mack Center to watch it. This rodeo isn't cheap at all to see, but are does sell-out for attendance quite often. It's extremely shocking how many PRCA rodeo fans show up in Vegas for the 10-day run of the NFR. There are even some ranch families that go to the NFR. They will wear an embroidered jacket with the name of their ranch on the front and back.

The event we are going to is in Colorado Springs, about 2 hours south of us. We've been to this event before and love mingling with the Inductees, their friends and family.

And, no, my SIL didn't go with us to Vegas, she drove in from So California and met us there. It was "ok", but she knows basically nothing about rodeo. Wife and I are the only ones in both of our families that know about PRCA rodeo and have a true/serious interest in it. In fact, she bought a nice straw (Resistol) cowboy hat to wear in Vegas, but put it on backwards once. I seen it was on backwards and told her about it. She also likes to have her hair bangs showing in the front, when wearing her hat, whereas my wife never does. But, every PRCA rodeo, or event, we go to, we both wear our hats. Winter, or formal event, is our black felt hats, summer is our straw ones.

 

Don't get me wrong, forum members, we've been to a WRCA (Working Ranch Cowboy Association) rodeo before and it was very cool to see. At a WRCA rodeo, different ranches compete against each other. The events are not the same as a PRCA rodeo, it is events that are mostly done on a ranch, except for the cow milking event. I don't really know if "cow milking" is a ranch thing or not.

 

Cow milking on a beef cattle ranch would only be done if the calf was born dead or dies shortly after and the cow gets mastitis. A well-uddered cow might be milked after a calf loss to prevent mastitis or maybe a dairy calf would be purchased if the cow would adopt it.

 

Darn! I wish I knew about THAT event. When I had two good legs, I might have tried it. Unfortunately, I would think it would be hand milking, to make it 'eventful'. And hand milking a beef cow, untrained, might be more of a comedy event than a speed event.

 

It is wild Mary! I tried it one year but never again. All you have to get is a very small amount unlike on a ranch where you would milk the cow completely and treat for mastitis. Here is one from the part of the state I live in. It is a major PRCA sanctioned rodeo, but this event doesn't count toward any PRCA winnings. It is a crowd favorite because of all the chaos. Once you get a sample, you run it over to the judges.

 

That was a typo. I meant PBR which stands for Professional Bull Riders.

The PBR was started because the PRCA ruling board did not listen to or take the concerns of some of its members seriously. I don't know of any lawsuits, but I do know some die-hard fans of PRCA rodeos do not watch or acknowledge PBR professional bull riding. The PRCA has really changed over the last 40 years. When it was formed it was more focused on rough stock, bronc riding, bull riding, and bulldogging now called steer wrestling. Roping was always an event but didn't draw the crowds that rough stock does. From what I read and have heard the PRCA board didn't want to make changes to make bull riding an event that received more attention and paid out more money than the other events even though the fans hailed it as their favorite. Thus the PBR was formed and became a popular event to watch and has brought in millions and attracted bull riders to up their skills to a level that would have never been seen in PRCA. Here is an article that may shed more insight.

Top Rodeo Athletes Defecting From The PRCA On Their Terms! - The Rodeo Round Up

 

They only have to get a very small amount.

I agree and have spoken out about it as have others. We have several rodeos where they quit it and instead have better rodeo announcers that keep things going and no dead air.

 

Starting to wonder how many Cowboy Channel subscribers will drop their subscriptions next year? Live coverage of some rodeos, like the Rooftop Rodeo (Estes Park, CO), is pretty bad. The sound is continuous, but the camera video definitely wasn't. Watched the first go-around last night and were getting somewhat upset with no video going on very much.

For those that don't think PRCA rodeo is very popular, we've seen "live" rodeos where the grandstands were absolutely packed with rodeo fans. No seats available at all. Cody, Wyoming and Reno, Nevada are two of them.

We love the Cowboy Channel, getting it with our Roku device, but last year's coverage was much, much better than this years, so far. But, some of the "live" rodeos came in perfect, like the Ft Worth, Houston and a few others.

 

The PRCA is all about big money. They are ruled by their sponsors. They went off track when they hired a CEO with no rodeo experience. It was a move to increase their revenue. Membership fees soared and didn't reflect fans' interest in rodeo, but rather their ability to pay out crazy large amounts for elite memberships. The board became ruled by their sponsors, many of which sell Chinese or other Asian sweatshop labor-made products. When Wrangler stopped its USA production, they were catering to making higher profits with no consideration for working Americans. The PRCA didn't address this great wrong and find another sponsor but helped them promote clothing made in vast quantities that helped only the retail stores and importers at the cost of USA jobs. Fans were bombarded with Asian-made Wrangler this and Wrangler that at every rodeo. The lure of great wealth and control over rodeo ruled over any love for a sport made popular by working Americans.

 

Wellllll, thanks for that. If I did enter, I probably would have gone in with two good legs and come out with one again. What a riot! But with all the ruckus, you can't blame 'em for 'cow kicking'.