Happy Trails With Dawni O'Bryan

The young rodeo cowboys and cowgirls have been chomping at the bit for this time of year to finally get here. Some have been practicing like crazy and some are flying by the seat of their pants and relying on muscle memory of themselves and of their horse.

Cowboys and cowgirls like cowboy stuff, especially stuff they can use on the ranch or in competitions. That is why at every major rodeo or equestrian event you will almost always find a trade show.

The National Junior High Rodeo Finals were held in Des Moines, Iowa over the week of June 22nd. Iowa is known for its corn-growing capabilities, and it is always knee high by the 4th of July.

The month of May is filled with graduations. They come in all shapes and sizes.

Love is a feeling of strong affection and care for someone or something. That is a simple definition for a word that encompasses so much.

The “Super Bowl” or “World Series” of rodeo has been going on since the 5th of December in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge.

I sat down with the adult horsemen and horsewomen of the Lamar Community College horse programs. The instructors that make up the leadership of the different facets of the horse program come from diverse backgrounds and areas of the United States.

Chancy Williams and the Younger Brothers Band from Wyoming have a song that resonates with the true persona of the cowboy. The lyrics go something like this: The world needs more cowboys, a few more people who ain’t afraid to make some noise and stand up with that kind of “don’t give up” tough.

The Southeast Colorado Can Chasers (SECCC) wrapped up their barrel racing series of 20 jackpots on October 13th amidst a beautiful fall afternoon at the Sand and Sage Fairgrounds. The cowgirls dressed up in western attire, as there was a best dressed award, as well as Y77 Media was on hand to take action photos.

At first glance, one might think this article is about the wildlife and horticulture of the plains. It is actually about the “wild life” of rodeo for both college students and barrel racers of the area.

Sometimes in rodeo and in life, the biggest challenge is to just stay in the saddle. Getting bucked off will result in a “No Score” in the bronc riding and getting bucked off in life will result in a “No Joy.

The end of September marks the official date for area county fairs to wrap things up and start looking forward to next year. The Holly Fair is the crowning glory that helps us say goodbye to summer.

When covering rodeos and the western lifestyle, I love to highlight the human rodeo athletes and the equine rodeo athletes, as well as the workers that make the competitions happen. However, the folks in the grandstands show up year after year, month after month, and week after week to cheer for the contestants, admire the stock, and be entertained by the awesomeness of the rodeo cowboys and cowgirls.

The Kiowa County Fair, which has been rich in tradition and activities since 1910, continued to host a variety of events for fairgoers to enjoy. I like that it seems to be a reunion of sorts for rodeo people, racehorse people, agriculture people, and good wholesome small-town folks.

I have known a few stock contractors in my life that raise or buy their bucking horses or bucking bulls. They pride themselves in finding outstanding mares and sires to carry on the bloodlines of great bucking stock.

Rodeo at the college level is a whole different beast than any other form of rodeo. It is broken down into regions throughout the United States.