A Cowboy is His Name

There's a hundred years of history and a hundred before that.

All gathered in the thinkin' goin' on beneath his hat.

The cold flame burns within him 'til his skin's as cold as ice.

And the dues he paid to get here are worth every sacrifice.

All the miles spent sleepy drivin', all the money down the drain,

all the if I's and 'nearly's, all the bandages and pain.

All the female tears left dryin', all the fever and the fight,

are just a small down payment on the ride he makes tonight.

It's guts and love and glory, One mortal's chance at fame.

His legacy is rodeo and cowboy is his name.

by Baxter Black

RODEO: TODAY AND YESTERDAY

Today, rodeos are performed by professional athletes competing for big stakes in huge arena filled with cheering fans. Present day rodeo has come a long way since it’s origin in the 1800’s. But whether it was a hundred years ago or today, it takes a special kind of cowboy or cowgirl to live the rodeo life.

Rodeo means “to surround” in Spanish. During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s Spain held much of the land that is the American west. At this time there was a flourishing cattle market. Skilled horseman were needed to handle and manage herds. Spanish padres passed on their skills and expertise to workers, known as vaqueros. After the Civil War the cattle herds spread throughout the west. It was then that the ranks of the American cowboy grew.

Todays rodeo got its start when cowboys would annually round up and brand cattle. Cowboys worked driving cattle to the stockyards of fast-growing towns. This event was always an occasion for display of horsemanship and roping. When the roundup work was done, there was usually an exhibition and contest of skills by the cowboys. In these days there were many informal competitions between cowboys in the stockyards. Cowboys would challenge each other to see who was the best at bronco busting, cutting a cow, or roping. Spectators gathered to watch the action.

Americas fascination with the wild west was turned into a business when showmen like Buffalo Bill Cody began to organize these events. There stock horse shows or rodeos began popping up in small towns all over the west. However, this era was short-lived. Railroad cars replaced cattle drives and open range land was divided by barb wire. Even though the need for a good cowboys to drive and roundup cattle was diminishing, rodeos continued to be held and today are the remnants of that era still living on. The lusty blood of the cowman is not dead. It surges through the veins of the rodeo cowboy, and gives life to the sport that makes a focal point of the west, still leaping, pitching, and twisting in the golden sunlight of the rodeo arena.

The cowboys that made their living competing in rodeos saw a need to set standards, establish rules and make regulations for the events. The present day PRCA traces its roots back to 1936, they were then called the Cowboy’s Turtles Association. There were two reasons for this: they were slow to organize but finally stuck their necks out for what they believed was right. In 1945 they changed their name to the RCA and in 1975 they became the PRCA. Rodeos throughout the country may vary when it comes to the events they have. The most popular rodeo events consist of three rough stock riding events. These are bull riding, which is the most dangerous, bareback bronc riding, and saddle bronc riding. There are four main timed events, these are team roping, calf roping, steer wrestling, and barrel racing which is dominated by female equestrians.

Pro rodeo has shifted away from its origins and now resembles a theatrical production. Todays rodeo is the glitzy remnants of the old rodeo roundups. Today a rodeo cowboy or cowgirl will have to compete in 80 to 125 rodeos a year, be prepared to spend thousands of dollars on horses, equipment, and maintenance, plus travel and entry fees. One place you won’t find a pro rodeo cowboy is on a ranch, because they are on the rodeo circuit traveling at least 200 days a year. There’s big money in rodeo if you’re good. To succeed takes a lot of practices, skill and luck. Many people try but few make it rich rodeoing. It’s a rough life in the road, but the best cowboys kept going and never gave up. The champions out there are professional athletes that truly love what they are doing, they have to. Cowboys have so many expenses, they don’t get paid unless they win and have to pay entry fees just to compete. Rodeo is what is left of the American west, a part of our heritage. Rodeo is a sport that represents sportsmanship, family values, team work and good home town fun. From the moment that a rider leads the grand entry parade into the rodeo arena until that same arena becomes a yawning oval of empty planks and seats, rodeo bears the mark of the last frontier. The men and women who follow the sport know the hardships and comfort, apathy and thrills, grow old and wise and confident that in the rodeo sport they have achieved a satisfaction that can go to only a few shrewd and genial connoisseurs of life.

“The Rodeo is in your heart! It’s a feeling, as much a part of breathing and being. It gets your blood and doesn’t leave. It’s your very life, your love, your heart. Something only a cowboy would understand.”

Author Unknown

There are some excellent Web sites out there with more information about rodeo. Some of my favorites are Janet's Let's Rodeo Page and ProRodeo online.