Bronc Riding

If you live in Albertayear-round, you might join me in saying… It’s finally summertime! This week is the first week of the summer solstice. In years gone by, during the long winter months, I would only dream and make plans for my favorite season to help me tolerate the winter. I got so I wouldn’t say it out loud, because my Mom would lecture me, “don’t wish your life away, enjoy every day. It goes pretty fast”. I get that, because now she’s gone but never really gone, she’s still that “voice “in my head!

That doesn’t discount the fact that summer is my favourite season of the year, and rodeo is my favorite spectator sport. That comes from years of living on a ranch and admiring my Dad who was a ranch cowboy. He took us to the local rodeos throughout our formative years. Yes, I got hooked.

Lucky for me, there are several rodeos in our surrounding area during the summer months. What do I love about rodeo? I love the arena all set up with its bucking chutes, and pens and alleyways, the announcers booth all decked out for rodeo. I love the infield that houses the rodeo cowboys and their trailers, and all the pens in the back that hold the rodeo stock, and the stock contractors’ cattle liners that move the animals from rodeo to rodeo. When you’re in the stands, you hear the faint sound of horses whinnying, bulls bellowing, cows and calves bawling coming from that area.

I love the grandstand. There’s the buzz of excitement in the crowd, the cheers that go with each round of applause, the laughter, the oo’s and aw’s that accompany a valiant ride, or watching daring trick riders or the Wainwright Stampede Riders or the Lea Park Riders perform on horseback intricate drill patterns set to music. (Lovely job drill teams on your performances this year! I saw them both) Different oo’s and aw’s for a “near miss”, whether it’s the kids wild pony race, kids cow riding, or the professional cowboy’s calf roping event, bull dogging, a cowboy dangling off the side of a bronc, a barrel knocked over by a speedy barrel horse, or a bull chasing his rider once he’s hit the ground! Meanwhile you can hear the voice of a volunteer selling 50/50 tickets, the rodeo announcers deep voice giving commentary on the contestant’s standings and country music plays in between times. Even when it rains or gets cold, the rodeo goes on and the energy is still high. People bundle up in hoodies, blankets, slickers, even winter coats on some occasions. There’s the smell of fried onions on a grill, hotdogs and hamburgers being cooked up for the hungry fans served with mustard and ketchup. There’s the earthy scent of churned-up dirt, the smell of leather and sweaty horses. It all blends together to make one hum dinger rodeo experience!

My favorite event is the bronc riding. It is the dance of grace and raw power! It’s athlete against athlete and becomes a battle of wills. Horses with names like Whiz Bang, American Express, Bo Jangles, Papa Smurf, Air Wolf, Ace of Spades, Special Delivery, Mucho Denaro, and War Paint.

Equally as impressive are the bronc riders who are judged not only on their ability to stay mounted for the required 8 seconds but also on their form and technique. Some bronc riders look like they are laying flat out on the back of the horse absorbing the shock of each buck, their free arm moving in rhythm to maintain their balance and spurring arcs in rhythm at the same time. The energy is high in the grandstands, but it’s just as high in the arena as the outstanding well mounted pickup men give chase after the bronc following the 8 second horn. They are there to deliver the cowboy to the arena floor, safely on his feet. Of course, it doesn’t always happen that way, but that’s the intention.

I always leave the rodeo with a great feeling. I know one thing for certain: there’s no smell, no noise, and no experience quite like a day at the rodeo.