Until last week, I’d never heard of a ranch rodeo. I’d been to plenty of regular rodeos. But what was a ranch rodeo?
Ranch rodeo is a team event based on skills a working cowboy would need. Each team has 4 members. There’s no set list of events. They can include team penning, wild cow milking, stray gathering, sorting, doctoring, trailer loading, bronc riding or other skills.
Unlike traditional rodeos, where one horse might be used for the roping events and another horse would be used for the cutting events, in ranch rodeo, the cowboy uses the same horse for all the events.
This is a more accurate test of what a working cowboy and his mount might encounter every day. Though I haven’t encountered ranch rodeos back East in North Carolina, they are popular in the west and mid-west. This is the second ranch rodeo I’ve attended in three weeks.
Here are some photos from the rodeo I though you’d enjoy.
Earlier in the week Julia and I had spent time sorting and doctoring cattle with Seth and Doug Adam in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. The ranch rodeo was a great chance for us to see some other cowboys skills in action.
Tuesday morning, mules Cracker, Brick and I plan to depart Hyannis, Nebraska. From here, we tackle the 150 mile ride toward Wyoming.