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Yes, if your child has grown up exploring Vegas while dad works the annual rodeo personnel convention at the NFR, you just might be a rodeo wife. This has been one of the funniest things to learn; read on for more.
I’ve always been a country girl with a love for horses, cows, a good dog, and the outdoors, I honestly didn’t know much about the sport of rodeo until I met my husband, Dave, who, as many of you know, is a professional rodeo clown known as "Danger Dave".
Since then, I’ve learned quite a lot about the sport! Now that the girls and I are travelling with Dave to more of the big events, I thought it would be fun to share some of that with you, but first I want to brag on my husband for just a second.
Back in our early days when Dave and I first met, he was the most underrated rodeo entertainer in the business, working only small amateur rodeos. Looking back, I remember how often he would share with me his vision of one day working the large PRCA rodeos and top-level events of the PBR. Today, his schedule is full of them. I'm so proud of him. He's worked hard and now is in heavy rotation at some of the biggest events in the country!
Now, on to the most important thing to know: rodeo is not just a sport—it’s a way of life. It requires grit, dedication, flexibility, extensive logistical planning, love for our Western heritage, and a lot of sacrifice. For most rodeo families like mine, life is a constant balancing act between raising children, managing a ranch/farm and businesses, and keeping up with a heavy travel schedule – Dave’s schedule requires us to live a third of our lives apart!
Rodeo can be a bit like a travelling circus. Thankfully, at the level Dave is working now, a great show runs like a well-oiled machine and the extent of technical organization is truly impressive. Equipped with the best professionals in the business from the entertainer, announcer, and sound technicians to the chute boss, secretary, timers, stock contractor and, of course, the contestants, they all come together to produce the best show on dirt!
In my opinion, the most important professionals in the arena are the animal athletes and those who care for them. Whether it’s bucking stock, timed event stock, or competition horses, the animals are simply magnificent.
There are common misconceptions pushed by nay-sayers who claim rodeo stock are poorly treated, claiming their lives are spent in a tiny pen and they only buck because they are in pain (blah, blah, blah). This is nonsense. I’ve been behind the scenes of countless rodeos now and know such sweeping claims are false, and from a business standpoint, they defy logic. Consider the health and athleticism required of a 2000-lb bucking bull to perform like this one in the video below (as seen from Dave's view from the dirt)!
Bucking stock receive better care than the athletes who compete on them. They enjoy most their life on large ranches where they’re free to roam about, they’re very well fed, receive scientifically developed supplements, and are closely watched to ensure their joints are in great shape. Like true professional athletes, they couldn’t perform at the level they do if they were unhealthy and abused. Anyone who knows anything at all about bovine or equine mannerisms can see that most in the arena know their job and enjoy it.
Whether watching from behind the scenes or in the stands, I love to see Dave perform and he still makes me laugh after all these years. But honestly, my favorite of the rodeo personnel are the pickup men. They're unsung heroes and absolutely the most skilled cowboys in the arena. Vital to the safety of the rough stock cowboys, they're masters of horsemanship, roping, knowing animal behavior and anticipating what could go wrong.
I also admire the grit, courage and athleticism of the bullfighters. These “cowboy lifesavers”, as they’re called, truly are willing to lay down their life for the sake of their cowboy brothers. One of the very best of them lives right here in the Bitterroot!
And last, but not least, I admire the contestants, without whom there'd be no sport at all. No matter the level of competition, whether it's high school, amateur, or professional, rodeo requires a ton of time on the time on the road, intense dedication, and commitment to year-round training to keep themselves and their equine partners in competition-shape, constantly honing their technique, form and horsemanship skills.
Hopefully rodeo is about to take its rightful place in Montana as the state's official sport. Recently, Dave shared testimony at the state Capitol in support of a bill that has passed the House and is now on its way to the Senate to make rodeo the official sport of Montana. This is a huge step for our sport, and if passed, it not only honors the rich tradition of rodeo in Montana but can benefit local communities and high school students across the state, and it will preserve the spirit of the west and the American cowboy.
If you've never been to a rodeo, let me know - I would love to bring you as my guest to the next one here in the Bitterroot Valley!
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