Finally the interlude was completed and the main event began.
Actually we had never been to a rodeo before and had no idea what to
expect. Our seats were far away so we had a hard time seeing what
happened on the far end of the arena... But later, at home when I looked
at the pictures I realized what a drama we were witnessing that day.
They started with bull riding. Oh my... A big, strong and angry animal and rider holds the rope with one hand and the air with the other hand.. Yep, they only need to ride for 8 seconds... but I think it's a really long 8 seconds...
And mostly the rider couldn't stay on the bull's back for more than a couple of seconds before flying off and landing hard...
And the next second the men in red surrounded and roped the enraged bull... Part of the game...
I never knew the bull could jump so high... No wonder the rider couldn't stay on his back long...
But some of the riders were able not only
to
endure those long 8 seconds but also to wave to their friends. Incredible!
Ups. No luck today, vaquero...
Soon the performance was over (better to say the first part of the
show, right?) and the arena was cleared and ready for the second act.
Beautiful cowgirls riding fast made the pause not boring but quite
attractive ;) They did it between all parts, so we will see them later
again...
Steer wrestling happens fast. Just a few seconds and the steer
either runs away and the cowboy eats dust, or the steer is immobilized
and the man is smiling happily ;)
Oh, the first scenario, I guess ;) Lucky steer escaped and was free for a while!
Lucky cowboy here :)
Another pause between acts...
Bareback bronc riding at first seems easier than bull riding.
But... in fact it's more cruel and difficult. The bronco is lighter and
faster. And, probably, more resilient and jumping so vigorously...
And also kicking the air really hard trying to get rid of the rider...
3.5 seconds on this beast? It's a lot...
Almost done. In fact I don't know if the rider was sitting on bronco's back or was flying over it most of the time ;)
Done... the rider thrown off and the bronco is running free.
Sorry, not your day, cowboy, maybe next time?
But in fact, some of the riders were able to last a full 8 seconds before jumping off the horse. But not all of them...
"Get off my back! Leave me alone!"...
"Yeah, my mother was right when she told me to find a job in the
office. The office chair is not so nervous when someone is sitting on it
;( "
Calf roping was quick and not as eventful as bareback riding ;)
Saddle bronc riding looks easier. At least the rider has a saddle and even stirrups ;)
But the animals are even more angry with people and even more diligently try to get rid of them...
Just look at the next two pictures. They are just 0.2 sec apart but
how everything is different! By the way, this cowboy won! He survived
another 3 seconds and wasn't sitting in the dust after all.
More bulls and actually those were less collaborating than others.
It looked like they were fighting for their lives and mostly won... Just
look at them!
4.41 seconds on the back of this monster? Not bad, not bad, not bad at all!
3.3 seconds and bronco set free...
...but still fighting with something, it's hard to calm down ;)
Bad day for this boy too...
To be honest, it's hard for me to figure out where the bronco's head is :)
Oh, now I can see it... but now the rider is not in the right place, isn't he?
4.6, flying OK...
Still fine... ready to land ;)
And now it's time for barrel racing. Wow... the speed was great,
the turns just impossible... I've never seen anything like that before
in my life...
And flying bulls again ;)
The bull won this round ;(
What are these girls looking at?
They were looking at the teams, saddling the horse for the first
time. It takes at least three men and... a lot of effort to saddle the
horse ;(
Some tried to hug them before putting the saddle on their backs...
And some succeeded and were even able to ride the horse for a few seconds...
Yep, just for a few seconds before the rider flew off the horse back ;)
Wow... Rodeo was fun to watch and a lot to learn about real men's lives. Honestly... I wasn't envious at all, were you?
Pictures were taken on July 25, 2010.
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