Many of today's former rodeo contestants still wear the same brands/kinds of clothes they wore when in the arena. Wonder if top-notch Stetson Wright, multi-World Champion, would be caught in cargo shorts or whatever. Perhaps, but doubt it. When we went to the Larimer County Fair in Loveland, we met two young ladies. One was wearing a trophy buckle for the 1st Place Showmanship she got for her rabbit. I had never heard of that. A trophy buckle for showing a rabbit?? But, it was a great looking buckle.
Those big buckles are too pokey when you bend over or sit down. I bet a lot of young rodeo stock sport tats these days too.
Well, since most young rodeo contestants don't wear short-sleeve shirts, that we've ever seen, the general public wouldn't know, concerning tattoos. And, short-sleeve shirts aren't allowed when competing. IOW, the Association has a dress code that has to be followed or the Judges at a rodeo won't let the person compete. Tattoos are not allowed to be shown, if a contestant even has them, when competing. No neck or face ones at all. So, when a contestant is wearing a long-sleeve shirt, which is required in the arena, the fans would never/ever see any arm tattoos. As far as the "big buckles", more than likely they are "championship" buckles and those that win them are very proud to wear them. Western clothing stores sell buckles to the public, but they aren't like "championship" buckles with the person name engraved on it. A rodeo committee spends out quite a bit of money for their championship buckles.
Rodeo time in Houston. Here’s a look at the daily rodeo and concert attendance so far, as well as the attendance for all activities on the grounds, according to RodeoHouston. Opening Day, Tuesday, Feb. 27 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 59,461 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 73,374 Wednesday, Feb. 28 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 54,686 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 57,142 Thursday, Feb. 29 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 54,968 Attendance for all activities on the ground: 67,639 Friday, March 1 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 74,729 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 115,547 Saturday, Mar. 2 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 69,753 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 124,280 Sunday, Mar. 3 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 72,046 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 117,379 Monday, Mar. 4 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 54,968 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 84,708 Tuesday, March 5 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 49,219 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 57,474 Wednesday, Mar. 6 Paid rodeo/concert attendance: 73,494 Attendance for all activities on the grounds: 112,642
LOL. There's no way I'd go into that teeming mass of humanity. I have no idea who was singing; not interested enough to look. I was just impressed by the attendance numbers. Nearly 125k last Saturday... jeeze.
Love the joking around, but Houston does host the biggest, and best paying, indoor rodeo in America. However, the size of their arena can be very annoying to some contestants. Houston is part of, what is called, The Texas Swing (a number of rodeos), that goes on each year when it's too cold/snowy to have rodeos in other parts of the country. If I told you folks just how much money a rodeo committee pays for just one championship buckle, you'd be amazed. As far as boots/hats go, we don't care what brand others wear, we simply love our Wrangler jeans and Justin hats. Way back when, snap shirts were extremely popular in the western/rodeo industry. I had a couple. Then came the button-down collar shirts. They were extremely popular, until the snap shirts started coming back. But we see very few, if any, contestants wearing snap shirts. I now have all button-down collar ones. And, as far as the "pointed-toe" cowboy boots go (in rodeo), nothing! It's now, and has been, "Roper" style boots. We seen the "pointed-toe" boots before, but anyone can wear cowboy boots, including those that have absolutely nothing to do with rodeo/equestrian/ranch lifestyle.
Cowboy boots became popular in Northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest because they were practical. When I lived in Texas, I wore them because I could wear them in the rough, and their height would provide some protection against snakes and prickly vegetation. While at work in paper bag plants, I wore steel-toed boots even before it became a requirement. Now, I generally wear athletic shoes or water shoes during the spring and summer. They're even more practical than boots for the Maine environment. While my feet might get wet, the water shoes will dry off almost immediately. In the winter, I'll wear snow boots if I'm going to be outdoors for any length of time but to simply shovel a sidewalk, I might opt for flip-flops or even moccasins. I couldn't care less about fashion, and I suspect that was the case for the people who first began wearing cowboy boots. The pointed toes probably had something to do with their use with saddles.
How long has it been since you were at the Houston Rodeo? They are in a much larger venue in recent years. It seems like everyone in Houston has dragged their hats and boots out of the closet for the past couple of weeks. With the trail rides and BBQ cookoffs, it it Rhinestone heaven out there. And as long as a person has the money to buy them, anyone can wear any kind of boots whenever/wherever they please. There are no boot rules.
First, when talking about "Rhinestone" looking, that's mostly what we saw at the Cowboy Christmas Gift Show in Vegas last December. Then again, there must be some kind of country-western nightclub or restaurant/nightclub in Houston. So, they may not "drag them out of the closet", they are already out. But, there are many that store their western apparel all year long until the Houston Rodeo. We sure don't do that. Hat rack in out living room with two cowboy hats (hers/mine) hung at the top that we wear often. Beth, we've never gone to the Houston Rodeo. Have only watched it on the Cowboy Channel on our Roku Device that we pay a subscription for by the year. We could see how big the area and the stage for the concert. That stage sits outside of the arena until the rodeo, and other events in the arena after the rodeo, are done. Other than the rodeo, concerts and midway, we didn't know any of the other was there. Actually, the rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming has more than just a rodeo also. We've been to that one. I wouldn't necessarily call it "Rhinestone heaven", because many, that are guides for trail rides, definitely aren't "Rhinestone". BBQ cookoffs can be the same way. Some may even own a small ranch outside of Houston somewhere. But, we definitely know what you mean. There are no boot rules, but we did get rid of my wife's old "pointed-toe" boots just after we met. We bought her a pair of Ariat Roper boots that she ended up loving. Until I started roping, I wore "pointed-toe" boots, but that all ended and I ended up with black Ariat Roper boots, like my wife.