Who all likes to rodeo?

[Dos Perros]

I was raised in suburbia, so really the only rodeo I got to see growing up was on vacation. I remember chasing the sheep with the ribbon on its tail, I think, in Casper or Cheyenne, may have been Cody. I married a farm girl from a town with a strong cowboy history and our boy (now 7) managed to get in 3 rounds of mutton bustin before he got too heavy, even though one year was a bust due to COVID. This weekend our 4 y/o daughter got her first ride and she got second place!

I'm curious, does anyone engage their kids in rodeo after the mutton bustin phase? My wife and I are on the lookout for an individual sport for our son, had discussed wrestling and karate, but wanted to consider rodeo as well. We're after something that will challenge him in a variety of ways, ultimately with the goal of developing more resilient kids.

What say you? What have your experiences been, good bad or indifferent? Thank you for the input.

 

[Ouzel]

All my kids participated in High School Rodeo, eldest son got a college scholarship in bull riding and won the Big Sky region a couple years and rode the PRCA for a couple years. His four kids from 7 to 15 now participate in Jr and HS rodeo in multiple timed and rough stock events.
Our two eldest Grandkids from our middle daughter participated in Jr, Jr high and HS timed and rough stock with Grandson continuing onto the PRCA Bullriding, now as a Rookie and sitting #4 at this point.

I am in fully behind supporting youngsters in Rodeo, it’s damn sure an expensive endeavor but very fufulling, rewarding , and can lead to some nice scholarships.

Eldest son was a great wrestler and baseball player and those coaches gave him an ultimatum their sports or rodeo. he chose Rodeo, it was narrow minded for them to be that way, but it’s not the first or last time I saw this scenario.

 

[redcorn65]

Used to team rope a lot and was on a rodeo team in junior college. Farming and ranching gets in the way these days.


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[redcorn65]

Used to team rope a lot and was on a rodeo team in junior college. Farming and ranching gets in the way these days.


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[svivian]

Yes as long as you have good family health insurance....

 

[william schmaltz]

I love rodeo and stock. My wife is a physical therapist and has put a BIG red light on the kids being part of the rodeo events I could afford. Fair enough, I'd rather be chasing salmon all summer than going from town to town doing the rodeo thing.

I have an aunt and cousin (different families) that are very competitive in horse training and barrel racing. They do well, but I can't imagine even winning a thousand bucks a weekend could hardly pay for the $25K horses in the $100K trailers they pull with their $100K dually. Not to mention the diesel, entry fees, feed, and everything else. From what I can tell, if you want to rodeo either come from a very wealthy family or take up the riding events that just require you to show up with a saddle and/or rope.

 

[Gutshot007]

2 toughest ways to earn a buck. Rodeo and boxing. No thanks

 

[nobody]

I high school and amateur rodeoed for about 6 years, from age 14-19. I team roped (heeled for high school rodeos and was a switch-ender for jackpots and amateur shows) and calf roped and did a bit of bull doggin'. My dad and his siblings as well as his dad were all rodeo cowboys for many years, and were very successful. Little claim to fame, but my uncle competed in high school and college against Cody Ohl (the proverbial villain of Pro Rodeo) and spent several years kicking his butt until mental illness took him from us way too young. Rodeo was all just part of growing up and I wouldn't trade those days for hardly anything. Calf Roping took its tole on my knees, and at the ripe old age of 28 I've had 2 reconstructive surgeries on my left one and both of them ache anytime it gets cold. I'm screwed once I get old...

The funnest part was all the time spent in the truck with my family (about 115k miles in 4 years of high school rodeo, for example). I never had any time to get into trouble because dad was always there, driving the long hours and helping warm up horses and push calves and steers. He and I competed together as well in team roping jackpots and local rodeos and were quite successful in doing so. In my opinion, rodeo is the ultimate family sport. Most parents in their right mind wouldn't turn a 17 year old loose with a $75k pickup and a $100k trailer and $50k in horses, so inevitably it becomes a family affair.

Additionally, where it sounds like you've never done it before, be warned that the costs will add up. If they do timed events, good horses are as expensive as they've ever been. People will tell you to just get a dead broke horse and teach it yourself, but if you want your kids to have a snowball's chance of success, that horse needs to be automatic and unfazed by their cluelessness. When I was starting, my dad ended up driving to another state to pick up the heeling horse that I rode for many years, sheerly because she was legitimately automatic. I've got videos from later in my career where I roped steers with nothing but a twine string around her neck as a means to neck rein her, she was that good. And that's the reason I was successful, was because we found a horse that was automatic that allowed me to just work on me while I was still clueless. A good, broke rope horse will start you between 10 and 15k pretty easy, and that's just the horse. Then, there's the tack. Add another couple grand and you'll be there. Then there's the feed. Then little things, like ropes. I usually went through 2 ropes a week, and they're about $50 each. Like I said, it ain't cheap.

If they're doing rough stock, then you don't have the horse investments, but you're gonna wanna pay for all the best safety equipment as well as as many schools as you can get them in. Rough stock is dangerous when you know what you're doing, it's deadly if you don't. A good bareback riding school with a guy like Kaycee Feild will require a small loan to invest in for them, or a saddle bronc school with Billy Etbauer will be the same.

Feel free to send me a PM. Rodeo is in my blood, and although I haven't competed in about 9 years, we've lived it long enough that I feel like I could give a good idea of what you can expect and how to navigate the politics of it all.

 

[Laramie]

Grandpa was a bull rider for 11 years. By 50 he could hardly move from all the past injuries but he was still a tough sob. I did some in my youth until a good friend spent several weeks in the hospital. I switched to roping but never really got the passion so gave it up.

If resiliency is what you are looking for, I would encourage wrestling. It's a damn tough sport that can really get the job done without the lifelong negatives or the ridiculous expense.

 

[M-Wig]

From birth until about 16 years old I grew up with roping horses and steers. I would rope with my dad and cousins, but my dream was to be a bull rider. I'd ride our roping steers for a few seconds then land on our packed down roping arena where I'd have the wind knocked out of me. Once I hit 6' tall around 14 years old I knew I'd never be the next Lane Frost or Ty Murray.

We had a lot of fun. That said, it ain't cheap to maintain any kind of livestock. I recently read the book "Blacktop Cowboys". Not sure how many guys can afford to eat, much less travel and compete, with what they earn.

 

[Brooks]

Love rodeo. Great sport, great people involved. My daughter started late, she was 6 years old when she rode her first horse. Get good, gentle horses and have them learn how to ride. Around here there are 5 - 6 year olds that can ride as good as a lot of adults. People that don’t like horses don’t know horses. Nothing like watching your kid running a pretty horse. Don’t put your kids on broncs find GOOD horses and they will grow up loving horses and rodeo. My kids can compete in a rodeo on Saturday and pack out elk on Sunday they have become so good on horses.

 

[wytx]

Hockey?

 

[Wellsdw]

Hockey?

Never rodeoed but hockey also takes a loan!

 

[Bbell12]

I rodeoed my whole life and got out of it when I got married. It’s not for cowboys anymore, only for rich elites unless you do rough stock.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

My wife was a top 30 cowgirl in the WPRA from 2014-2018. Was on track to make the NFR in 2016, sitting at number 5 in the world when her horse got a season ending injury. She’s been on multiple magazine covers and has ran at and won most of the biggest rodeos in the country. She continues to raise and train horses.

Our boys are young but have both already started riding at about 2 years old. Our 2 year old seems naturally gifted and our 4 year old has figured out early that riding gets you attention from the ladies haha. Take them to local barrel races, ropings, ghymkanas, play days, etc. Just getting them on horseback hanging out is a lot of fun for them. Meet great friends and families this way.

 

[307]

I grew up behind the chutes in rodeo. Both sides of the family, roughstock and timed events. Been to most of the big ones. Grandpa won NFR as a steer roper many years ago. Dad worked the NFR. I knew Ty Murray as a rookie.

Get your boy into golf.

 

[huntsman22]

'68 to '91.....

 

[Like2hunt]

I don’t rodeo but I go and team rope for fun. I just like to do it and it gives me something to do. The guys I go with will do jack pots and series, but their lucky to break even after they pay entry fees and diesel. They’re old-time good ol boys so probably not as good as they one we’re but they love it. They aren’t worried about winning they just do it for the heck of it. Maybe if I get better I’ll enter one and see how it goes. If you ride bronc or bull be ready to get hurt though.

 

[MightyWhitey]

My dad and Grampaw were world champion saddle bronc riders. I started mutton bustin too. Dad split when I was about 10, mom moved us in to to town, and I got in to baseball and football, so I never really had the opportunity in my youth to advance in to real rough stock events.

Last year at 38yrs old I finally got on my first saddle bronc horse at a place out in California. They have a school out there and I’ve been on about a dozen horses so far and plan on going to a couple more schools this year in Oklahoma and Louisiana. I really wish I could have had these opportunities 20yrs ago.

The California school is $1000. The Oklahoma place is about $300 and Cody DeMoss puts on the one in Louisa for free.

At least expose them to it and give them a chance. I wish I’d had it.

 

[mcr-85]

I did a lot of Jr rodeo stuff growing up and roped a little bit in high school. Fall Rodeo season conflicted with hunting season though.

My little boy got on a steer and Jr bull a couple weekends ago. He hasn't done much rodeoing. Most the horse or mule riding we do is in the mountains.

I coach Jr wrestling and I think it is a great sport as well. I think it teaches so many great life lessons and builds character.

Here's my boy and his buddy at that little steer and bull riding. Both of them are wrestlers as well.

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