I've been to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo many times over the years, but usually to see some of the bands/entertainers. I couldn't care less about seeing calf wrangling.
I think that the reason that I enjoyed rodeos so much was mainly because I went to them on my horse, and with my friends. While we were not an actual participant in the rodeos, we loved riding ours horses around and helping with traffic supervision. I can’t remember a time I ever watched a rodeo on television, and have no interest in doing that. With the small local rodeos they had when I was a teenager, we usually knew who some of the rodeos riders were, because they were local people, or at least from somewhere nearby. North Idaho has always been cattle country, so working cows was just something that country kids did growing up. I grew up in town, so never had any experience with cattle, but I had friends who grew up on a ranch and learned those activities.
I keep laughing at the thought of working cows. My cows worked ME. Bella, my 18 year old Dexter would basically 'cut' me and move me back to a corner where she kept me hostage until I scratched every itch she needed done. My paint pony, Jurin, loved moving animals around but had no training. However now I am damn good at working chickens.
“First let me say I was born in a middle-class family and rode a yellow bus to school.” Seriously, it’s true. I was raised on a ranch in West Texas, requiring a bus ride to school, until I was 11 and then we downsized in acreage to a wetter climate in North East Texas where we could have the same number of cows on a tenth the acreage. I left home at 18 and “cowboyed” in the Panhandle for a while. From there to Prescott, Arizona and then to Billings, Mt. It was the trip to the Ellensburg, Washington rodeo that changed my drifter ways. Leased a ranch that I later bought. Then I got married to a born, raised, and plan to die in Washington girl. The End! Now, to answer the question at hand, unlike our word salad veep. Way too many rodeos to list here and way more than anyone here cares to read about. My earliest memory is at age 4 and mutton busting at the San Antonio rodeo. I quickly was dislodged from the wooly bully and ate dirt. As a competitor, I ate dirt several times more. I was in my late teens before I wised up and became a spectator only. As an in person spectator, I can only guess maybe over 100 rodeos including ranch, community, and pro. Most memorable Texas ones were San Antonio, Cowtown (Ft. Worth), Mesquite, Pacos, San Angelo, Austin, and Houston. Others over the years include Prescott, Calgary, Ellensburg, Pendleton, Livingston, Reno, and Cheyenne. I seldom watch rodeo on TV other than my wife’s favorite rodeo, pro bull riding.
They are a lot of fun to watch, however I still feel bad for the boys that get beat by the girls. It was a few years before the girls quit teasing me about my first attempt at mutton busting. Attempts at steer riding were no better with the older boys calling me a little sissy dirt eater.
I can tell you have been around livestock. They work you for sure, long before you work them. If you can work chickens, then you have accomplished the impossible. Chickens try my patience.
Although my wife was raised on a ranch, she never cared for rodeo other than the bull riding. Her dad had her doing drill team until she rebelled. She was never a horse person and she blames that on being forced to ride from a very young age.
I was just the opposite of that ! From as early as I can remember, I wanted a horse, wanted one bad. My folks went to western movies, and I loved Roy Rogers and Trigger, and my first real goal in life was to grow up and marry Roy rogers, so I could ride Trigger. I was not happy when my mom said that he was already married to Dale Evans, and so I could not marry him. My mom and I used to walk at night, and some one had a beautiful little white Shetland Pony that was kept in the area of town where we walked, and I just loved that little pony, but we lived in town, and my mom said I couldn’t have a pony. Eventually, when I was 10, she got me one, and I dearly loved Dandy, and from that time on, I lived on my horse, as much as possible. Dandy was a (mostly) Welsh Pony, very stubborn and independent minded, but a great little horse, and we went on trail rides, rode in the parades, and general every day horseback riding. Our 4-H leader said I needed a larger horse for 4-H, so my folks got me a taller Kentucky Saddler. I used her for 4-H, but I just never cared for her like I did my Dandy pony. This picture is me at around 11-12, with Dandy and my cat, Suzy-Q on his back. In the background is my dad with Kentucky Babe and our Labrador, Jet.
The bands and entertainers are the reason many go to fairs that are connected with rodeo. Very few care about fair exhibits. Calf wrangling isn't a listed event according to the pro rodeo folks. Do you mean calf wrestling or foal wrangling?
I've herded cats and I've been known to be a Jello puncher on occasion. I rode an old cow once at my great-grandpa's farm. The few rodeos I've been to, I've been in person; I can't imagine why anyone would fly to another city and then be content with only watching it on a big screen in a casino.
That puzzles me also. I wouldn't fly to a big city to watch the pro rodeo finals in person, even if the trip was paid for. Real easy to see the same champion performers when they are at any of the several PRCA rodeos within easy driving distance. I hate crowds and noise and also not a casino fan.
I think you got that backwards pard. Pro bull riding isn't PRCA that requires 8 events, but it is certainly rodeo just as barrel racing is rodeo. It is the suburban folks that know only PRCA as rodeo and don't understand why us ranch and rural folks refer to single event competition gatherings as rodeo. Just think if fans go to PRCA rodeo to see just barrel racing, that doesn't mean they aren't rodeo fans and only barrel racing fans. Also would the single event performers not be rodeo performers? Would you call them just by their chosen discipline? Would you say they aren't rodeo performers, they are just barrel racers and nothing else? Would you say a guy that raises bucking bulls only isn't a RODEO stock contractor? Does he also have to raise broncs and steers to be rodeo? If PRCA single event performers go to rodeo just to do their discipline and then leave to go to the next rodeo, thus not participating in all the disciplines even as fans, does that disqualify them as rodeo cowboys? It would certainly disqualify them for All Around Cowboy, but that is all. I understand where you are coming from since you are a hardcore PRCA fan and former amateur PRCA roper and city dweller. Nothing wrong with any of that. I hope you understand why us old ranchers disagree and see rodeo encompassing more than the narrow 8 event pro rodeo that draws big crowds and rakes in millions. Referring to us as city types did make me smile. After reading your post, I ask my wife if she realized she was a suburban/city type since she refers to PBR as rodeo. She replied, "If you don't stop reading that fake news put out by urban cowboys, you are going to become a Democrat." I told her just to punch me in the face next time, it would hurt less.