LOOK INTO MY EYES

"A cat will look down to you.

A dog will look up to you.

But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal."

Winston Churchill

ONE MORE PINK SHIRT AND TWO GRAY HORSES

Kyzer Stoddard is a young man who lives down the road a few miles.  

He is only eighteen, but in his young life he’s racked up an impressive amount of rodeo awards.  His name is on the top of the list of area,state and national high school rodeo competition for events such as bareback, roping, team roping, cattle cutting and all around cowboy.

He made his entrance into the Madison County Fair Rodeo on two grays.

 He rode those two beauties around and around the arena at a gallop.

Then over a jump.

 At least twice this team casually went up and over.

 Then one gray took a bow and was led out.  Sorry the photo is blurred, but you get the idea.

 Then Kyzer did this!  And his pony acted like nothing unusual was happening.  This cowboy is just too handsome and too skilled for words.

 But wait!  There’s more!

 Hanging off on the left, then over to the right then off the back (at this point I couldn’t help wondering who did his laundry, sorry).

Back up on the horse to go around again.

 Back in the saddle.

 Then over the saddle.  This guy has GOT to have a gorgeous set of abs!

 A bounce off the ground and

 up and back and out of the arena to cheers and applause.  We’ve not heard the last of this cowboy!

He never lost his hat and he’s Tough Enough To Wear Pink?™

HOMETOWN RODEO

The rodeo we went to the other night was for local wranglers, no admission ticket for the crowd, and everybody in the stands was a neighbor.

We got to there a little late so we missed the Mutton Busting event.

But Evil Erin’s photo from the Pullman, Washington rodeo pretty much tells the story.

Pole Bending is a sort of timed slalom course.

A challenge for both horse and rider.

The junior wranglers and their friends get to hang out behind the gates like the big guys.

 

It’s all business in the prep for the big ride on the calf.

They come banging out of the gate just like the professional riders.

The kids wear a protective vest.

Because danger is part of the game.  I hope the only thing this rider hurt was his pride.

Bigger rider, bigger calf.

Bigger fall.

Ribbon Roping is a timed team event.  The roper catches the calf.

The runner removes a ribbon tied to its tail and runs it back. The skilled horse is an important part of the team.

This is just a photo of the handsome buckskin and his rider.

In a casual setting like this, rules can be stretched.  This ribbon team is dad and son with a promise to grandma that the baby doesn’t get hurt.

Dad ropes the calf.

Grandpa runs in to snag the calf.

“Quick! Grab the ribbon, Son!”

Go! Go! Go!

By convincing rodeo cowboys and cowgirls to sport the color pink during competition, a creative and unlikely breast cancer awareness campaign is celebrating a great deal of success.  In the  Tough Enough To Wear Pink?™ campaign the rodeo competitors and fans alike are wearing pink to rodeos and western events across America to raise funds for cancer research.