For 83 years the Tucson Rodeo, “La Fiesta de los Vaqueros” has been held. It is such an important event here in Tucson that it’s a school holiday. So we knew we had to go. None of us (including Bobby & Danine) had ever seen a rodeo before, and having toured the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum last September, we were interested to try it out.

It’s a great event. All the classic stuff you’d expect goes on, including calf roping, bull riding, trick riding, and other events I’d never heard of, such as team roping and barrel riding (where they ride horses around barrels for fastest speed). The full show took all afternoon, and we were glued to every minute.

I took a lot of pictures but unfortunately the light was very harsh and the background was very busy, so they aren’t my best. I was envious of the invited photographers who were down on the ground. A low perspective is better for this sort of photography. The new VR (vibration reduction) 200mm zoom lens was terrific, however.   I’ve put 30 photos from the event on my Flickr site.

In the photo above you can see a hint of the magnificent power of the horses. Look closely: that horse has all four hooves off the ground. Those riders really take a beating, I can tell you. It’s amazing they can do the rodeo circuit for more than a few years.

Tami Semas smiles as she rides to 2nd place in the barrel riding competition

The kids participate too. We were amazed to see kids as young as 6 years old competing at riding, and 9 to 12 year olds roping calves. Emma started thinking perhaps a horse would be a good pet. I’m sure it would fit nicely in the Airstream.

The rodeo is a classic American event and I’m glad we saw it. If you get a chance to see one, go for it. It’s like going to a baseball game — just something fun and friendly that’s you can watch and enjoy even if you aren’t interested in sports or horses. I have a feeling attending the rodeo may become an annual thing for us.