Here are a few more images from this past weekend’s Montana High School Rodeo Association Finals, held in Bozeman. (The portfolio will be updated soon!) Young men and women from across the state of Montana turned up and put in four days of rousing performances, enduring unseasonably wet and cold weather while out in the arena.
The Montana High School Rodeo Association is a member of the National High School Rodeo Association, a society that includes forty-one states, five Canadian provinces, and the country of Australia. Every year over 10,500 students compete in nearly 1,100 sanctioned rodeos across the globe, hoping to earn the chance to make the trip to the National Finals Rodeo, to be held this year in Gillette, Wyoming. Students must present passing school grades to the association before they are allowed to compete in any event, making sure that the priority is as scholarly and it is athletic.
The top four contestants in each event at the state level are permitted to make the trip to the National Finals Rodeo. Many students compete in more than one event, earning them the moniker “all around” cowboy or cowgirl. Event choices begin with the rough stock events – saddle bronc, bareback, and bull riding, where the courage and mettle of each rider is tested. The rough stock events are limited to male riders only, as are steer wrestling and tie-down roping. Never fear, ladies, the girls have their own events as well. Barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, and breakaway roping test a wide range of skill levels and keep both horse and rider on their toes. Both boys and girls may compete in the team roping event, often forming mixed teams to complete the task of roping the calf both on the hind feet and the head.
It’s rare to find a gathering of patriotic, hard-working youth like you’ll find at a rodeo. Many of the young men and women present act like their adult counterparts, used to the weight of responsibility – taking care of their stock, planning trips across state, budgeting for veterinarian and farrier. This is the future generation of America. The heritage of America. Well done, cowboys and cowgirls. Keep up the good work.
Tags: Events
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