Even though I live in a farming community, I was not around farm life growing up. I have a few friends and family members who are farmers now, so I’m on farms a bit more frequently now.
Still, I had never been to a rodeo or seen any sort of live cowboy action. When I saw there was a Sorting & Cattle Drive in a nearby tiny town. I thought it sounded like fun.
It was. There were six teams of three. They were on horseback. A group of cattle were put in a pen. The team was given three numbers. They had to find the cows wearing those numbers and try to keep the other cows in the open pen. Often cows that weren’t “theirs” would have to be taken back to the open corral. When just their three cows were out, they had to put them through one gate on each side of the arena, then put them in another pen at the other end of arena. Once they did that their time stopped.
It was fun to watch. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to cheer for the teams of cowboys and cowgirls, or the wayward cows. I am a rebel after all.
We left before the evening was over. The bugs were getting to us.
A few things I learned to make it better next time (and I suspect there will be a next time.)
* Bring bug spray, sunscreen, and a sweater for when the sun goes down.
* Wear good shoes that handle uneven terrain; and
* Bring a blanket or a chair or chair pad for more comfy seating.
There were two rounds and we just watched one. One team got a “redo” – I still don’t know why.
But it was a fun evening. And free! Next time I think I’ll try the rodeo. And I need to do a post on the town where it occurred. Love Valley is definitely an interesting place!
In the Box, Out of the Box 