Whoopin' it up at the Dayton Rodeo

A good friend of mine once said, "You ought to go up to the rodeo in Dayton." Linda and I went in 2007 and had such a good time we went back for the 2008 edition. It's hard to describe the event. It's part of the PRCA professional rodeo circuit event in a unique bluffside arena in a small Iowa community. It's a four day event with quality participants and yet small town... and the action is incredible!

This poor guy had a memorable, if brief, ride. He slid off to one side but his hand was caught in the strap so, rather than fall to the ground, he swung around in front of the bull... looks like he's got a sawed-off horn in the center of his back. Evidently, the bull didn't like not seeing where he was goin' and gave his former rider a big push, tossing him at the bullfighter. These guys all take some pretty good shots in the course of a "day at the office."

There's plenty of ouch to go around. The bronc riders take a beating too. We got to see some very big animals get high in the air... with big guys on their backs! When they do it right, it really is an amazing thing to watch; when they don't do it right, it can still be pretty entertaining too.

I don't know how the scoring of this event goes but the horse can certainly make a difference in the points you're awarded for a given ride. The more active the horse, the better the score can be... assuming you make the time. I think this guys form is a pretty good example of what the judges are looking for... but I could be way off base.

Of course, there are all the other normal rodeo events like calf roping and barrel racing, team roping and bulldoggin' too. And, if you've not had enough, more bull riding. There were two additional events: wild horse race and mutton busting.

The wild horse race is almost too crazy to describe. Six to eight teams of three men each are to get their respective horse out of the bull riding chutes, put a saddle on it, and ride it across the arena. They're all out on the arena floor at the same time and the chaos is frightening. The horses do NOT cooperate and sometimes are in active opposition to the whole idea.

Mutton busting is an event for little kids. They strap on a helmet with full face mask and climb on the back of a wooly sheep. They get a grip and hang on as long as they can. Most kids are good for maybe twelve feet before they roll off the side. One little guy went over the head of the sheep, still hanging on, flipping the whole thing. A couple went the full eight seconds and that got them most of the way across the arena floor. It's a hoot!

This shot had to make it just for the bullfighter right in the face of the bull. Those guys can also make a difference in a good ride but can be lifesavers when things go wrong.

What a show!