Adopted File age 6- went his first go at Mutton busting..... he made it about 4 seconds! not to shabby since it's the 1st time he'd even seen it, let alone tried it! pretty proud of him. I may upload a video of it later.
you might be able to watch it here....
Rankin, I used to be a bullrider. It's been 15 years and I can feel every time I hit the ground when I crawl up outta bed, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. That atmosphere and the folks I was around made me who I am. I met my wife at a rodeo. She was in the barrel racing and I was in the bullriding. Still married after 16 years and making plans to move back to the farm so our kids will have that oppurtunity as well. Good look to adopted file age 6 and tell him, whatever you do don't let go!
There is a special something about the rodeo. I never was a rider, but the opening ceremonies still get me choked up.
I like going to rodeos.
The national anthem.
I for one, can jump out of an airplane, no problem. I can ride a motorcycle,
But, a bull? Um, those things have personalities. Dangerous.
I can jump 30' from the local rr tressel.
I can confess my sins. But, you can have that bull!
But, I like to watch!
🙂
N
The wildest bull event I ever witnessed was around 1959 when the family went to the Texas Prison Rodeo in Huntsville.
Basically a Texas sized calf scramble, except in this event they tied a small bag with money between the horns of one of the meanest bulls available that apparently did not like people because when it came into the arena this beast was out to destroy everything in its path.
At least the horns were rounded off to the size of a golf ball.
There were very many prisoners making the attempt and at least half were injured and a dozen or more carried out.
From that day on I've kept a watchful eye around livestock and have found myself planning my surveys to avoid being among them when possible.
Apart from surveying, I've helped local ranchers work their herds from ranges to corral and separate, rope and take down if necessary to attend to their needs or simply to load into a trailer and off to sale or slaughter.
Don't think yourself safe with three ropes on a mature brahma bull that are tied off to trees or whatever.
Then there is at least one crazy critter in every herd, the degree of crazy differs from the one that will simply step on your foot and stand there anchoring you on one spot to the one that will jump and climb over an 8ft corral and hunt you done and attack you for closing the gate on them.
[USER=8900]@Adam[/USER], I can feel some of those encounters every day myself.
Be careful, I have heard that some parents get kind of crazy about mutton busting and actually travel their kid around a circuit to gain points for some sort of finals....Rodeo is an opportunity to be around some good people. I regret that I didn't get my kinds involved in high school rodeo. Just wasn't the right time in my life to do that. Now it's too late.
All the travel isn't necessary for a young buckaroo. Rankin look around, you will find some guy who built a pen and some bucking chutes and won't charge you a dime to load up as many head as the youngin wants to climb on. I built a pen and used to do just that. The ground hurts too much these days, but I still get excited when the younger crowd gets on.
