Ropes, Reins, and Rawhide

Rodeo cowboys’ lives are filled with travel, working out, and long-distance relationships. The end result, however, is money . . . a lot of it. In 2003, All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazille took home just shy of 300,000 dollars. The 2004 World Champion Bareback rider, Kelly Timberman, netted over 225,000 dollars. Not bad for winning eight seconds at a time.

The PRCA recognizes that the media, especially coverage by a couple national networks, has propelled rodeo’s recognition and appreciation by the general populace. Sweden, Russia, and Australia watch the WNFR, also.

Las Vegas, Nevada, is rich in hotel/motel rooms. Lodging is easy to find, but tickets to the WNFR can be a bit pricey and hard to wrangle. But whatever the price, it’s well worth it.

Rodeo—the quintessential Western sparring match. For over one hundred years it has entertained, enthralled, excited, and inspired people from all walks of life. Let’s hope it stays around for several hundred more.

In 1959, the first National Finals Rodeo was held in Dallas, followed by Los Angeles (1962–64), and Oklahoma City (1965–84). The championship found a home in Las Vegas in 1985 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Cheyenne Frontier Days, “The Daddy of ’em All,” is indeed a patriarch of rodeos with a history full of stories. And what stories he tells!
It all started when cowboys came off the range in the 1870s looking for a place to let off a little steam. What better place than Cheyenne, Wyoming, the quintessential Wild West town? In 1897, a Union Pacific Railroad agent decided a good way to promote his passenger tourist business would be entertainment in this dusty cow town. He planned “pitching and bucking contests,” horse racing, and roping events. Thus it was in 1897 that the first Cheyenne Frontier Days was held and soon became the place for rodeo.

Yaks, originally from the Himalayas and the center point of Tibetan culture, were introduced to North America over a hundred years ago.

he first rodeo held in conjunction with the livestock show occurred in 1932.

owever, even though the scenery and locations change, the adrenaline is there

Also, the horse must be able to withstand long hours in the trailer traveling from rodeo to rodeo. Cowgirls spend endless hours in the truck and the horse must be a good traveler, too. If a horse is fast, competitive, and reacts well to the demands of travel, he could be a real winner.

Some racers feel their horse has the incentive and training to run by voice command and therefore they do not use spurs.

he first barrel a rider navigates is commonly called the “money barrel” because this turn often decides the outcome of the race.

The best part of barrel racing is being a team with your horse, and making it work.
—Charmayne James, eleven times World Champion Barrel Racer