Whoopin' it up at the Dayton Rodeo, 70th Edition

After having had such a good time at the rodeo in Sidney, Linda and I were game to head up to see the Dayton version. Having read the directions and checked Google Earth, we found our way easily to the town but were startled when we saw the tiers of bleachers that overlooked the arena floor. The rodeo took place on the flat at the bottom of a steep bluff; at wide intervals up the bluff were three rows of bleachers. At the top, the lights of the carnival were already twinkling and twirling, adding to the festive mood. We bought our tickets and made our way down the steps to the lowest tier.

They had all the normal events and the livestock won their fair share. The people running the affair did a fine job but it was all just a half step below what we'd seen in Sidney. Don't get me wrong, they know how it's done and the bulls and broncs hit hard, the calves were fast, and I'm sure the arena floor was no softer. It just wasn't as polished as Sidney.

There were at least four things that really did catch our attention. First, the setting. That's a unique and well suited place for an event like rodeo.

Second, the littlest rodeo queen and her pony. This girl was probably no more than junior high age and her pony was pretty feisty. When they were introduced and paraded at the beginning of the show, it was almost a saddle bronc event. That girl got things under control but probably turned one of the fastest laps of the parade! Throughout the steer wrestling and roping events, she and the two older queens would ride out to herd the calves and steers off the floor. Every once in a while, that pony would test her again and they'd go for some pretty interesting turns; each time, she regained control but it was often cause for a chuckle or a smile.

The third thing was an impressive display of man and beast. Shotgun Rodney, featured clown, rode Doc Holliday, a fine example of Brahma Bull, into the arena and onto the platform you see in the photo. He then had Doc lay down, get back up and weave back and forth through a line of flaming torches so close that they knocked on over. Doc then carried Shotgun through an arch of fire, up a ramp to the top of their semi-tractor where he knelt in a beefy bow. Rodney rode Doc back down that ramp and through the arch of fire one more before they took their bows. I was impressed that the bull would get as close to fire as he did and that he'd go down an incline as steep as the one on the truck. Shotgun's done a nice job training that bull.

Fourth and finally, they had the Wild Horse Race. I'd never seen an event like this one. It's not for the timid! I think there were eight teams made of up three burly men. Each team had a saddle, a rope, and a horse at the end of that rope. The horses started inside the chutes where the bulls and broncs start. There was a chalk line about fifteen feet from the chutes and another chalk line three quarters of the way across the arena. The idea is to get your horse across the first line, saddle him up, and ride him across the second line.

We saw that the horses are none too keen on the idea. Just having one team do it would be exciting / dangerous enough; putting several in the arena at the same time makes it really dicey. Three men versus one horse is a probably about as balanced as you could make it and have anyone accomplish the goal. As it was, there were teams that didn't finish in the allotted time and had pretty well written it off.

One of the more subtle equalizers was that the man that got on the saddle had no reigns to direct the horse and was climbing into a saddle that may not have been put on the horse under the best conditions... okay, it was really rushed and from time to time was kinda loose... not a good thing for a saddle. They tend to turn around to the side of the horse. That's not how you want to be riding a horse. For those who did get the saddle on properly, it became a saddle bronc event... without the rope... it's amazing that anyone makes it to the finish line. Some did.

Rodeo is quite a thing for the somewhat familiar. Rooted in what people did, often because it just needed to be done, it's quite a show today.