Well, howdy folks! Let me tell you somethin’ ’bout these West Texas rodeo bronc riders. Them boys, they somethin’ else, let me tell ya.
I heard tell of this fella, Skee Burkes, bless his heart. He was ridin’ at the West Texas Fair Rodeo in Abilene. Now, that rodeo, it’s a big deal, lots of folks comin’ from all over. Skee, he was doin’ the Ranch Bronc Ridin’, which, let me tell ya, ain’t for the faint of heart. That’s some dangerous business, horses buckin’ and twistin’ every which way.
Anyways, poor Skee, he didn’t make it. Somethin’ happened durin’ the ridin’, and the good Lord took him home. It’s a sad thing, real sad. But that’s the life of a rodeo cowboy, I reckon. They know the risks, but they do it anyways, ’cause they love it. It’s in their blood, just like breathin’ air.
- They got these rodeos all over West Texas.
- Abilene, Pecos, even Houston, they all got ’em.
- And they ain’t just for the grown-ups neither. They got kids’ events too, little tykes ridin’ sheep and calves. It’s somethin’ to see, let me tell ya. Kids startin’ young, just like their daddies and granddaddies before ’em.
Now, this Ranch Bronc Ridin’, that’s a tough one. Them horses, they ain’t been broke like the ones you see in the fancy shows. They wild, they stubborn, and they don’t wanna be ridden. But these cowboys, they get on ’em anyway, and they try to stay on for eight seconds. Eight seconds! That don’t sound like much, but when you’re sittin’ on a buckin’ bronc, it feels like a lifetime.
I remember hearin’ ’bout Pecos, Texas. They say that’s where the first rodeo was, way back in 1883. July the Fourth, they had it. Everybody could come, ’cause it was a holiday. Must’ve been somethin’ special, all them folks gatherin’ ’round, cheerin’ and hollerin’. Dust flyin’ everywhere, horses buckin’, cowboys grittin’ their teeth. That’s what I picture anyways.
And then there’s the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. That’s the biggest one, they say. The biggest in the whole world! Can you imagine that? Folks comin’ from everywhere, cowboys competin’ for big money. And it ain’t just bronc ridin’ neither. They got all sorts of events: steer wrestlin’, calf ropin’, barrel racin’. And the livestock show, that’s somethin’ else too. Big ol’ cows and bulls, all primped and proper, lookin’ their best. It’s a whole lot of fun, even if you ain’t a cowboy or cowgirl.
Speaking of cowboys, there’s this young fella, Statler Wright. Part of them famous Wright clan, you know, the rodeo family. He’s just a young’un, 20 years old, but he’s already makin’ a name for himself. He won at a rodeo in West Texas, ridin’ a bronc named Rawhide. Got himself a good score, 87.5 points. That’s somethin’ to be proud of, let me tell ya. He’s ridin’ for that big money, tryin’ to get himself qualified for the National Finals Rodeo. That’s where the real money is at.
Rodeo bronc riders, they tough as nails. They get bucked off, they get bruised, they get broken, but they get back on. They gotta be tough, physically and mentally. It ain’t easy ridin’ them wild horses. It takes skill, it takes strength, and it takes a whole lotta grit.
So next time you hear about a rodeo comin’ to town, go check it out. It’s a piece of West Texas history, a piece of American tradition. And watch them bronc riders, them brave souls who risk their necks for eight seconds of glory. They somethin’ special, they really are. They’re the real deal, not like them city folks who wouldn’t know a horse from a cow.
And remember Skee Burkes and all the other cowboys and cowgirls who ain’t with us no more. They lived their lives to the fullest, doin’ what they loved. And that’s all any of us can hope for, ain’t it?
Tags: [West Texas Rodeo, Bronc Riders, Skee Burkes, Ranch Rodeo, Abilene Rodeo, Pecos Rodeo, Houston Rodeo, Statler Wright, Cowboy, PRCA, National Finals Rodeo, Livestock Show, Rodeo History]