I have lived in Houston since I was a junior in high school. Yet, I have never attended the rodeo. My family was never into that kind of entertainment, and none of us had much interest, or even mild curiosity, about what it all entailed. Each year, I gave a nod to the fact that it existed by dressing in a western wear outfit to go to school with my students.
This year, however, I had someone invite me to visit the rodeo twice. Wow! What a show! I had no idea it was such a huge and truly fun event. The first visit we did, I got to see the piglet races. OMG, they are too adorable for words. The little pink guys go into the racing gate boxes and come out running. Occasionally, one seems to forget they’re supposed to be racing and just meanders about. The names they give the piggies are super cute. This year there was a Britney Spareribs; a Kim Kardashiham; and, of course, Kevin Bacon.
Speaking of pigs, I got to watch the hog competition. I was astounded at the complexity of factors these judges take into account for determining which hog places first, second, third, etc. There’s how they stand, and how they walk, and their width when you look upon them from above, and just soooo many other pieces. Honestly, they all look the same to me.
The second visit, I got to see the sheep herding competition. Three sheep are released into the arena and a sheep dog works with his/her handler to herd them through an obstacle course and into a pen. The handler uses a whistle to issue commands to the dog. Some dogs keep all three sheep in a nice tight group and move them along swimmingly. Other dogs have to go after one or another sheep that strays away. Occasionally, the sheep will turn and stare down the dog. I am not clear on whether dogs lose points when these things happen, or if there’s room in the judging to account for the difficult sheep situation. Is it a sheep issue or a dog issue? Hmm.….
The rodeo also includes a carnival. There are several Ferris wheels, and other rides, scattered about the carnival area. Now, I’m not a fan of roller coasters or dealing with heights. I was happy when we chose to ride the merry-go-round cause that’s not overly crazy. The first time, I did go on one of the Ferris wheels and my companion chose to rock the basket a bit. I was already a petrified from being up so high, but I managed to maintain my composure. The second time, he cajoled me onto the Tilt-a-Wheel. It wasn’t so bad, though more oof an adrenaline rush than what I need in my life. What turned out funny was that he ended up being the one that got sick.
And that was just the livestock and carnival portion of the event. The rodeo itself is amazing. There’s the calf roping, the buck horse riding, the barrel racing, the cattle wrestling, and it all culminates with the bull riding. Why anyone wants to ride an angry bull is a mystery to me, but…
There’s events for the little ones, where five and six year olds are bundled up and put on the back of sheep. Then they ride the sheep, holding on as long as possible. It’s adorable.
Now that I have discovered the awesomeness of the rodeo, I think I will definitely need to go again next year. There were so many events we didn’t get to as the whole thing takes three full weeks.
Leave us a comment on your favorite part of the rodeo.