Saturday evening I took a friend of mine Geneva.......
Here! To the PBR championships. For those who don't agree with or understand rodeos this is not a blog post for you. We're just going to have to agree to disagree my friends. It is something I grew up around and I love it.
One of the things I enjoy watching is all of the preparations that take place behind the scenes.
The adrenaline is pumping and the nerves are thick back here.
Another guy to watch that is pretty fun is this guy. He was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! After the cowboys fly through the air and eat dirt, this guy comes flying along on this beautiful horse and he gets the bull and makes sure it gets back in the pens where it belongs. I'm not even going to try to pretend I know the technical terms for everything. I know he does a lot of hazing and roping and he was magnificent to watch.
So was his horse.
Just look at that haunch! I'm sorry but I have a confession to make. I like a really nice muscly defined horses behind. Can't be helped! And this horse was beautiful. Watching this horse dig in his heels when he needed to. Wow! Just wow! And watching the cowboy dally on and dally off, rope these bulls and the finesse with which he did it. The man is a genius is all I can say.
And then, there are the bulls. The livestock at this PBR (Pro Bull Riding) did not disappoint. When you look at these animals and see how huge they are, it seems impossible that they could be so acrobatic but as you can see, these 1200 to 1300 pound animals are athletes. They are all muscle.
I can't even jump this high!
"Look mom! I can do a hand stand!"
It's not a rodeo without these bad boys. These would be the clowns. Wanna know what they do? I'll show you, and I can tell you, they don't get paid near enough.
They have a couple of jobs. One is if the bull is not being rowdy enough, they try to get the bulls to change direction and buck harder. The harder the ride, the more points the cowboy will get if he can stick it.
When the cowboy comes off, their job is to keep the bull away from the cowboy.
Especially if the cowboy gets his hand caught and his rope won't release.
See? Down goes the cowboy and here come the clowns to the rescue.
"Get outta there man!"
Here, I'll show you again. Different bull, different cowboy, same result.
This cowboy decided he wanted to copy the bulls and throw his heels in the air too. The clown didn't think this was a very good idea so here he comes? See him? There on the right.
Cowboy is on the ground, clown is getting the bull to focus on him.
This is what the bull thinks of the whole affair.
"Hi! My name is Ferdinand and I want to sit and smell the flowers!"
"What? You think I don't like flowers?"
"There's a whole lot of testosterone back here! Where are the heifers?"
"My manager is gonna hear about this!"
"Don't you go wavin' your hand in my face!"
"Any heifers this side of the fence?"
Ready, Set.................
Ummm, cowboy, you're supposed to ride the bull...... not the fence.......
Love the captions! M.
ReplyDeleteMom, That last set of photos was actually a hoot to watch. Albeit very dangerous for the cowboy on the back of the bull. It was so funny though. The gate opened, the bull came hurling out, and....no cowboy! He was still in the pen/chute/ whatever you call it hanging onto the fence. We all sat there stunned trying to figure out what in the world had happened!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures!
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Marci, I wish the lighting would have been better. As the evening came on and it got darker I had to give up shooting pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't great photography but it sure was a fun night!
W.O.W! All I can say is you have me convinced... I would have LOVED to have been there!!! (And by your post... I almost feel as if I did) :D
ReplyDeleteThe bull on the fence is hysterical! I grew up in rodeo country but was never converted. I was too scared someone was going to get pounded...and somebody usually did. Still, I can see the entertainment value in it.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's some crazy stuff! Those bulls are super scary. I don't know if I could watch, imagining that all those boys in the ring are somebody's sons! I'm glad youguys had fun. You both look really cute in the first picture! :)
ReplyDeleteCorine, I didn't even post a fraction of the photos I took. I got a little trigger happy. :) And yes, you would have LOVED to have been there. It was a blast.
ReplyDeleteLyndee, Yes, there are those that get hurt. Thankfully, this time no one was seriously hurt. It is always hard to watch when a cowboy goes down. There were a few close calls. All got up and walked away so that makes the evening all the better. It really is entertaining and you can't help but appreciate the athleticism that goes into it. So much talent.
Ginna, The bulls are WAY scary. Especially when they come running at the stand where you're sitting and after seeing the one bull come over the top of the gate you know they could try if they wanted and land in your lap... which is where the cowboy on horseback comes in. He makes sure to catch the bull but not make it feel pressured so that it tries something like that.
Watching your own boys and hometown boys makes the rodeo that much more exciting and that much more horrible. :D The anxiety is intense because these are all someone's sons and when you personally know them....your emotions are all over the place.
I think I'm a barbarian. I'm drawn to it. :D
The photo of Geneva is cute. I'm not liking it of myself so much. The hair is just not working for me these days. It thinks every day is Monday!!
I love rodeo's! Those pictures are amazing.
ReplyDeleteJody, I most definetly vote for the cowboys but I sure appreciate the bulls. Your dad would have won more than us that night! The bulls were magnificent.
ReplyDeleteIt really was cool being able to go.
And that's no bull! You and Geneva - always clowning around!
ReplyDeleteKristen, Only when there is a full moon!! :D
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