The dust had just settled on the dirt floor of the rodeo ring as the Cowboy slowly climbed over the rail and gingerly lowered himself onto the Bronc. Zooming in from my position directly across the ring I saw a look of focused concentration and determination in the eyes of the cowboy. The eyes of the horse told a different story, wild and angry. As the cowboy adjusted his grip and pressed his hat down firmly onto his head, the horse fought against the constraints of the chute and the weight of the cowboy. As the moments passed with the two adversaries wedged in that small chute you could feel the tensions rise. Looking back at the cowboy I could see his mouth form the words “Let’er Go!” and the gate swung wide.
The horse exploded from the chute with 1500 pounds of muscle and fury, twisting left then right, lowering his head as he bucked high in the air trying desperately to throw this stowaway overboard. The cowboy was up for the challenge with his left hand in the air and his right tightly gripping the reins. Shifting his weight front to back, left to right, the cowboy countered every move the horse would make. It became apparent that these were equal adversaries as they fought their way to the center of the ring.
It was at this point that I noticed the two were getting large in my camera viewfinder. Looking over my camera from my perch on the rail, I realized that this battle was coming straight at me. As they slammed up against the fence neither would give quarter to the other. I adjusted my camera and continued to shoot hoping for something worthy of the moment. It all happened so fast.
Finally, right in front of me, the cowboy flew off the horse. I’m not sure if he was thrown or if he bailed. I don’t know who won. In all the noise and excitement, I did not hear the 8-second buzzer. I’d like to think it was a draw.
The ring riders led the horse out of the ring where his saddle and bridle were removed, and he was let out into the paddock to mingle with the other horses, no worse for wear.
The cowboy picked himself up out of the dirt and slowly walked across the ring and through a gate where he was met by other cowboys offering handshakes and backslaps.
And as the dust settled on the floor of the rodeo ring, another cowboy slowly climbed over the rail….
Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo, 2023
Historical note:
The practice of “Bronco Busting” goes back over 6000 years to when the first horses were domesticated on the Eurasian Steppe. Since then, the Mongols, Romans, Spanish, Native Americans, and our western cowboys have all used this method to tame and domesticate horses. Rodeos with events such as Bronc Riding and Calf Roping is a celebration of these cattle ranching traditions and a taste of old-time western America.
Bull Riding??? That’s plumb loco as the Caballeros used to say. I imagine a group of cowboys staggering out of a saloon after a few too many sarsaparillas. There’s a bull in the corral across the street. One cowboy lays down a “Double Dog Dare ya” to another cowboy and the rest is history.
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