Texas rodeo is authentic western heritage at its finest, and this first-timer was glad to experience an event I’d heard so much about. Here’s what it was like.
I drove to a little tucked-away spot just north of San Antonio in a corner called Bulverde. There, the Tejas Rodeo Company keeps Western heritage rodeo alive and kickin’.
The sun was setting as I pulled into the rodeo grounds and parked on the grass in a field like we used to do when we went to concerts back home in Michigan. For me, this is always a sign that a good time is about to be had.
I immediately love the neon signs on entry and throughout the grounds at the rodeo. It was set up like an outdoor festival, with a bandstand, mechanical bull, a country store selling merchandise and a few food and beverage shacks. There was live music and young children wearing cowboy hats and boots running around the floor trying to dance.
There were probably a few hundred people on the grounds, but it wasn’t crowded because it was all outdoors, and there was plenty of room between sections.
Meat Mania
I got in line for the food and wasn’t surprised to find the only thing they sold was BBQ and fried meat. I’m a midwestern vegetarian (mostly) and Texans are big meat-eaters, so it’s been an interesting food journey. I have yet to see any vegetarian restaurants, and I doubt they would do well here. It’s all about the meat, meat, meat. As an alternative to the food stands, there was a steakhouse.
I ordered some French fries and called it a meal. It was. Everything in Texas is big and these fries were no exception. Cut in big chunks off the potato and deep-fried to perfection.
Rodeo Wear
Around me, many rodeo goers wore jeans, cowboy boots, big belt buckles and 10-gallon hats. I don’t actually know how many gallons the hats were, but they were big. And I felt underdressed. I wanted one of those belt buckles … and a hat … awe hell, I wanted the boots too. But I could never pull it off. As I was about to learn, being a cowboy is more than the accessories.
Bleachers surrounded half of a large, enclosed dirt area with stalls and announcers standing on the other side. I found a seat at the top next to two seasoned rodeo-going women. They were happy to fill me in on what I saw and were excited to have a first-timer in their company.
Bring the Bling
The rodeo started with about 20 female cowgirls of the drill team wearing red, white and blue and carrying the US and Texas flags. Texans are proud of their state and the Lonestar flag is everywhere. The women rode their horses around the bullpen (this is the first time I’ve been able to use the “bullpen” in its true context) in complex patterns that seemed to form a kaleidoscope of color and majesty. Coupled with the upbeat country music (I do not know anything about country music), it got the crowd excited.
After the national anthem – which the crowd sang along to with gusto – the rodeo started with bull riding.
Take the Bull by the Horns
First up: Bull riding. I was surprised at how difficult it was for the bull riders to stay on. Haha. I mean, I know it’s not easy, but I expected them to do better than they did.
It took half a dozen helpers to ready the bull and rider and hold the gate closed and then swing it open. As soon as that gate opened, the big ol’ bull would start bucking like mad and the cowboy on top would flail around like a rag doll. They barely made it out of the gate before they were on the ground rolling in the dirt dodging the hoofs of the bull above them.
The longest anyone stayed on was five seconds. Watch this quick video.
Bull Wrangling
The bull, clearly upset and angry beyond words (if bulls had words), would buck around inside the bullpen until other nearby cowboys would swing their lariats (yes, really) and rope him up, calm him down, and drag him out if they needed to. The process repeated itself about ten times with different bulls and riders.
Because judges required at least eight seconds on the bull to win the prize of $1,000, nobody won that night. I felt terrible for them and hoped they had other ways to earn money. There are many easier ways to make $1,000 than a Texas Rodeo. I wouldn’t look as good doing it, but I’d be alive at the end.
Cattle Roping
After that, they did various cattle roping with two cowboys chasing after a calf and simultaneously roping their heads and back feet to bring the calf down. There was also a woman’s version with a breakaway rope that didn’t bring the calf down but allowed it to run away. It was kinder.
Another set featured tie-down roping with one cowboy at a time who would independently rope a calf, jump off his horse and quickly hogtie the calf with another rope. They could do the entire procedure in 1.5 to 7 seconds flat. It was stunning to watch and happened in a blur.
This is me, though: I felt bad for the calves, stunned senseless, their fearful eyes bulging from their little heads. After being untied, they had to be coaxed to stand before stumbling out of the pen.
That’s a Texas Rodeo
There was more show riding and bull riding, but I left early to beat the traffic on the dark Texas roads and because I had seen enough. I loved the culture of rodeo. The skill and precision the cowboys must acquire to do their jobs and how awesome everyone looked in their rodeo gear on horseback.
The event was a patriotic salute to old western ways of bygone times. You couldn’t help but feel excited while watching. It was exhilarating.
But I couldn’t get over the cruelty to the animals and the fear in their eyes. Even the bucking broncos seemed scared to me, and why wouldn’t they be? They were probably once calves roped down and tied, scared for their lives from the moment of their births. How could they not grow up with aggression when raised in it?
I’m sure many people think I’m ridiculous. The animals weren’t “hurt,” not physically, and who can say what it does mentally. But I know what fear looks like.
As I left the Texas rodeo, the band was preparing for the after-party, and a few cowboys hung around at the various bars and tipped their hats to me. The sky in Texas at night was so deep blue it seemed oversaturated. It’s a sky that makes you want to create something. Under a sky like that, anything is possible.
I looked at those cowboys again, and I thought about stopping, getting a beer with them, but I thought about the calves and kept walking.
Find the Tejas Rodeo at 401 Obst Road, Bulverde, TX 78163.
Read more stories about Texas here.
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