Sunday, March 11, 2012

Arcadia Rodeo

(Avon Park, FL) Hi 81 Lo 64 -- The time change wasn’t too bad this morning. I’m glad we’re retired, it really makes no difference.

Today was the Florida Championship Rodeo at Arcadia. We went last year and really enjoyed it, so we got tickets real early this year so we could get better seats. We parked in the same private lot as last year. It’s funny, as we got near the rodeo arena they were charging $10 to park about 3-4 blocks away, and right across the street it was $5. Jim figured if you’re from out of town you would be likely to park in the first lot you came to and wouldn’t know to keep going to where it’s cheaper.

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We were there an hour early, so we got to see the Shootout Show. The characters were all in costumes from the Old West. The announcer told a full story while they acted it out. There was basically a lot of shooting. :)

(Click on pictures to make them larger.)
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The rodeo started at 2pm. The first event was mutton busting with little kids riding on the backs of sheep. They didn’t stay on long enough to get pictures, but it sure was cute.

Second event was bareback bronco riding.  Almost all the riders stayed on the required eight seconds. The horses can really rear up!
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Team roping was next, with two riders trying to rope the head and legs. Several of them missed the calf entirely.
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The highlight of the day was and appearance by the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales. That was a real surprise! We're real familiar with the Clydesdales from spending so many years living near St. Louis. They never fail to thrill us when we see them. Such majestic creatures! They did some fancy maneuvering with all eight horses.
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Barrel racing was a chance for the girls to show off their horses' speed and maneuverability. 
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I’m not fond of the calf roping. The rider lassos the calf around the neck, and the poor thing is jerked backwards. The rider then dismounts and ties up three of the calf's legs. It seems a little cruel but they seem to get up and walk away just fine.
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After a fifteen minute break they had the kids' "Capture the ribbon." All kids 12 and under came to the center of the arena and then they let loose three calves with colored ribbons on their tails. The kids who grabbed a ribbon won a prize. It seems like it would be dangerous, but it really wasn't. And it sure was fun to watch. There were LOTS of kids running after the calves.
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They ended the day with bull riding. I like bronco riding a lot better. There were very few who could stay on a bull for the required eight seconds. They leave the chute and go flying off.
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This poor guy was caught between the clown in the barrel and the fence.
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It threatened to rain but it held off until the end. It rained all around the area, but not during the show. We were lucky.

I love rodeos and I'm hoping we can see some big ones out west this summer. Another great day in paradise!

3 comments:

Jim and Sandie said...

Great pictures. The kids and the calves must have been so much fun.

Donna W. said...

I agree I love rodeos..when I was in high school big rodeo at the arena and a friend was a barrel racer so we got to go "backstage" what a thrill..Ed Ames, remember him, was the guest celebrity and we got to have our picture taken with him.....such fun.

squawmama said...

Looks like a fun day... we use to have a rodeo that came to town every year when I was a kid ~ I use to hang out there and they would let me guide the calves out of the shoots... Glad you had a fun day!
Travel safe
Donna

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