Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo!!

This past Saturday Justine and I experienced a true cowboy event: The annual stock show and rodeo. Yeeeeeehah! Warning: Rodeo videos featured are not for animal lovers viewing.

'Nuff said.

The photo of the western saddles is for Andy!

Local stock show law enforcement

Local stock show fire fighters.....they were seriously busy. Not.

Stock on show. Someone told the breed of the cow on the left, but "camel-cow" stuck in my mind for some reason.

The International Suite. Friendly folk organised our rodeo tickets (separate to the stock show), when everything was sold out! Pays to be a foreigner in the South.

We got to pin our city, as there was so many Cape Town pins, we pinned Durb's for Justine's home town!

Very awesome name badges they gave us......made us look like prize ponies with that blue ribbon - loved it!! They also gave us horse pins with the American flag......I felt special!

I did not see a single person wearing anything other than cowboy boots.

Mom - I am definitely not bringing one of these home for you! It was rock solid - i.e. would not travel well! But so awesome : )

This was an auction. Turn the volume up when you watch it, as there isn't much to see, but boy did that guy speak fast!!!!!

Justine, myself and Alvin (senior partner at GT). Alvin was our tour guide for the event, taught us the rodeo rules, pointed out the cow crap we were about to stand in - we wouldn't have survived without him!

Warm caramel pecans!

Gallon size hats on pint size cowboys/girls! So cute!

Rodeo time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Grand entry"

"Saddle Bronc Riding", otherwise known as "how to destroy your back riding"

"Bareback Bronc Riding", otherwise known as "the most uncomfortable sport known to mankind"

"Steer wrestling", participants of this event are not to be angered, as you have seen what they can do to a steer.......eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Kiss-Cam.

One of the funniest things I have ever seen: "Calf scramble". Teenager's let loose on a bunch of calves. Aim: to get the calf into the white block. As Justine would say: the result of loose parenting!

Belle's of the rodeo ball: The only women's event, "Barrel racing". These ladies are my heroes!

"Bull riding", otherwise known as "stupid". But the most exciting event & saved for last. Good thing my camera battery had all but run out, as the swearing (from Justine and I) on the video footage would have been excessive.......this is by far the craziest thing I have ever seen an individual do.

Stubborn bull. Had to be roped by two horses to get back into his pen. Those horses were the real stars. If I was a horse being commanded to drag a bull, I would have jumped into the crowds to get away from that chunk of mean-ass muscle!!

Photo of the day (by Justine).