Rockin' the Rodeo...

Claude and I attended the Bluegrass Rockin' Rodeo last year. I shall refresh your memory about me experience with rodeo watching so you can see what a great thing I have done by attending the rodeo...again...

When we were in our early years of marriage, we made a trip to Utah at the time of Fair and Rodeo. This is a very big deal in the west. Claude's home town of Tremonton, Utah has the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo as an annual event of major significance to the community and the surrounding areas. Claude was very excited about being home for this. He really wanted to go to the rodeo. I assured him he could go but I didn't really want to go. I was very concerned about a horse breaking its leg. Claude assured me that never happened. I agreed then to go with him. As bad fortune would have it, the first horse out of the chute broke its leg. Really!! I was heartsick. They got the horse out of the arena with is one leg dangling and it trying to walk on three legs only. Ugh!! They had to put the horse down. This was my last rodeo. Never again did I want that image added to the one I would carry for the rest of my life of that poor horse with the dangling broken leg. 

However, last year I agreed to go to the Bluegrass Rockin' Rodeo with Claude and we had a very good time. No horses or riders or bulls or calves were injured. So when Claude approached me about attending again this year, I told him okay. 

Friday, November 22nd, we went to Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park for this year's Bluegrass Rockin' Rodeo. 

My favorite part was this father and son that came in each riding their own horse. The little guy was maybe 6 or 7 years old. At least from a distance that is what it looked like. Their two horses are in the lower right stall in the picture below. The little boy is sitting on his horse with his cell phone in hand. His dad is the one coming out of the chute in the right side of the picture below. He did stop and take a video of his dad in this event. He was so cute sitting on the horse without supervision while his dad got ready and waited his turn and then participated in his event. When the little guy would feel the horse starting to move and get fidgety, he would grab the reins and yank the horse back to where he wanted him to stand and the horse would comply. Clearly this little guy spends a lot of time on the back of that horse and they know each other well. 

The dad came back to his son after his event. He watched the video his son had taken. Then the little boy got off his horse and climbed all over the railing while his dad prepared for the next event in which he would participate. The little guy knew where his boundary was and, though his dad wasn't watching closely, he really didn't need to because of how well behaved this little guy was. 

Eventually the dad left him to participate in his next event. This time the dad used the horse the little boy had been riding on. The little guy climbed up on the railing with cell phone at the ready and, if you look about in the middle of the picture below, you can see him standing on the rail taking another video of his dad. 

After that event, the dad came back to stall where their other horse was, the little guy joined his dad and shared the video. Then the dad put all their stuff together and got the horses ready. The little boy got on his horse and the father walked his horse in front and they exited the arena. It was a perfectly delightful way to enjoy the rodeo. Rodeoing is clearly something this father and son do and they know the routine and exactly what to do. Those horses were so well behaved. It was just fun to observe.

So, if my Big Guy Clauda wants to go to the rodeo next time...I will say yes.