We just returned home last night from the Sutherland (NE) Rodeo - celebrating its 71st year - as part of a mini-family reunion. Though I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, I didn't set foot on a farm, err, ranch until I was 22-years-old. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as usual. The kids had fun. My youngest said, "Look Mom! Cowboys!" One of my forgettable comments upon seeing a bull refuse to corrall after bucking off his rider: "Oh, look! That bull doesn't want to kennel."
The rodeo ends with the Wild Horse race. Teams of three men (women are too smart to waste time with this one) capture a wild horse out of the shoot, throw a halter on it, put on a saddle, ride it around two barrels, take off the saddle and halter and finally race to the finish line. It sounds easy, but it's not. Of course, the horses are scared - heck, they're wild. Also one of the tricks to getting the horse to stand still while the saddle gear is thrown on him, is to have one team member hold the halter and bite the horses's ear.
17 years ago, many of the guys we knew who did it were drunk. I'm not so certain any more as competition was good and quite fierce this year. Three teams competed the first night, which was disappointing. Usually all shoots are full. We had a tie the second night.
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