I understood a paragraph of what you were talking about. And I knew that from watching the Canadian series Heartland. The rest? Great writing but riding isn't on my radar. Now. About that mysterious town never mentioned you live in....
This took me out! 🤣 What a character. The real world kind. The kind that would make the Coen brothers salivate. Loved all the contradictions in this piece about the pain and pleasure of rodeo culture. Fascinates me. Thank so much for sharing your “paddock-side” view of this world. So enjoyed it! Great writing.
Thank you. I found a sympathetic, harmonic resonance in your writing though I don’t think we could be less similar, though I do love the mountains in Colorado. But you voicing that desire to be near horses rang my bell. I now live in a condo with a view of Puget Sound and have no chance nor money for a horse. Doesn’t mean I don’t remember the smell, the warm acceptance, the fun. Thank you.
I wish my one horse experience hadn't been at summer camp when I eleven or twelve. We were out on a trail ride when a deer spooked a couple of horses in front of mine, and mine as well. They all took off in different directions and all I could was hang on. I honestly thought I was going to die. Suddenly the horse stopped about ten feet in front of a barbwire fence. No idea why. I got off and walked back to camp and now I just admire horses from afar.
Another way to look at rodeo events involving calves is that by developing that level of skill, working cowboys can rope, brand and doctor a calf and have them headed back to their mommas in seconds. As someone who eats meat and cares about humane livestock handling, I would rather eat beef from a local cow raised on grassy pastures, watching the sun set into the ocean and being roped expertly a handful of times in its life. And having competitive events that allow the cowgirls to also demonstrate their horse handling skills builds confidence for a lifetime of pursuits. Thanks for writing about rodeo!
I once photographed a bull testing event. Some of the bulls were too young for riders, so they had electric gizmos strapped to them to make them react, see how well they would perform. Somehow this was for the contractors who might bid on them, but if there was an auction, I didn't stay for it, boring photos. Then the somewhat older bulls were ridden by young kids hoping to get on the circuit. The photo I failed to get was the skinny teen changing into his gear, pulling his jeans up over his padded skateboard shorts. He still looked skinny all dressed for work. It's a hard way to go all round.
I understood a paragraph of what you were talking about. And I knew that from watching the Canadian series Heartland. The rest? Great writing but riding isn't on my radar. Now. About that mysterious town never mentioned you live in....
“This next son of a bitch is dating my daughter.”
This took me out! 🤣 What a character. The real world kind. The kind that would make the Coen brothers salivate. Loved all the contradictions in this piece about the pain and pleasure of rodeo culture. Fascinates me. Thank so much for sharing your “paddock-side” view of this world. So enjoyed it! Great writing.
Thank you. I found a sympathetic, harmonic resonance in your writing though I don’t think we could be less similar, though I do love the mountains in Colorado. But you voicing that desire to be near horses rang my bell. I now live in a condo with a view of Puget Sound and have no chance nor money for a horse. Doesn’t mean I don’t remember the smell, the warm acceptance, the fun. Thank you.
Thanks. Time for paying attention to the raw material we have across the American land in many disciplines.
I wish my one horse experience hadn't been at summer camp when I eleven or twelve. We were out on a trail ride when a deer spooked a couple of horses in front of mine, and mine as well. They all took off in different directions and all I could was hang on. I honestly thought I was going to die. Suddenly the horse stopped about ten feet in front of a barbwire fence. No idea why. I got off and walked back to camp and now I just admire horses from afar.
Another way to look at rodeo events involving calves is that by developing that level of skill, working cowboys can rope, brand and doctor a calf and have them headed back to their mommas in seconds. As someone who eats meat and cares about humane livestock handling, I would rather eat beef from a local cow raised on grassy pastures, watching the sun set into the ocean and being roped expertly a handful of times in its life. And having competitive events that allow the cowgirls to also demonstrate their horse handling skills builds confidence for a lifetime of pursuits. Thanks for writing about rodeo!
I once photographed a bull testing event. Some of the bulls were too young for riders, so they had electric gizmos strapped to them to make them react, see how well they would perform. Somehow this was for the contractors who might bid on them, but if there was an auction, I didn't stay for it, boring photos. Then the somewhat older bulls were ridden by young kids hoping to get on the circuit. The photo I failed to get was the skinny teen changing into his gear, pulling his jeans up over his padded skateboard shorts. He still looked skinny all dressed for work. It's a hard way to go all round.
What a fun article. I have always wondered how to write about crowds and this is such a beautiful example. Thanks Kelton!
Aoife Long x
Beautiful writing. Thank you.
Beautiful writing
Great pix Kelton!