Should anyone ever wonder… Are there are still Cowboys and Cowgirls in this world? The answer is a resounding Yes! Lots of them, right here in South Dakota. Alice and I just spent two nights at the Hart Ranch Rodeo watching them… riding Broncs, Bucking horses, Barrel racing, Steers, and Bulls. We were close enough to hear the horses wheezing as they bucked… and the Bulls snorting as they easily threw ALL comers… Bulls 10, Cowboys 0!The Cowboys held on to their mounts for dear life. Alice & I, being up close to these Bulls & Broncs, could only think… these Cowboys are sure brave to ride these beasts. Of course, its been a working tradition out here for over a hundred years. South Dakota is a land of mountains & prairies, perfect for cattle ranching and horses… and rodeo. It is easy to see when driving the back roads – every house seems to have horses, cattle… and a family rodeo arena. Indeed, the Hart Ranch rodeo featured contestants that were local, and some just out of High School. The livestock Bulls, steers, horses… were from a ranch that breeds the best stock for the National Rodeo Competition. I never knew that a horse or a bull could jump as high as these creatures did.
Here are a few pictures that we took during the three nights of Rodeo… With a Slideshow at the end of this post. Click on pictures to expand. The cowboy hats, boots, ropes, horses are real… it is how people live out here. Manners were impeccable… “Yes sir” and “Yes Ma’m” are heard as a matter of course. A little bit of the old West still lives on!
The Rodeo always opens up with a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and a uniquely Western display of colors.
- Start of Rodeo. Display of National Colors… and national Anthem.
And then the first ‘Gate’ opens… and a Rider comes out. Alice & I were close enough to clearly hear this Bronc wheezing… and huffing… you could almost hear this horse snorting… Cowboy…you will NOT stay on my back! 
- Bucking Bronc Rider… being thrown!
In between riders, the other gates are set up in preparation for the next rider… this gate (below) had a particularly ‘vigorous’ Bronc that suddenly started kicking & rearing up… forcing this Cowboy to quickly ‘jump the fence’! Later events showed this horse to be a particularly beautiful & spirited animal.
- This ‘Bucking Bronco’ is rearing up on his hind legs… forcing the Cowboy on the fence (blue shirt) to jump off.
The next event was Barrel Riding. Several Riders with varying degrees of riding skills competed to ride their mounts in a ‘clover leaf’ configuration, circling three barrels placed in a diamond shape within the rodeo arena….
- This Cowgirl eventually won this event with her smooth & masterful riding of her horse.
The Barrel racing event allowed some young cowboys to enter… this young cowboy started his race out of the gate, got past the first barrel, and then his horse slowed… and the cowboy fell head-over-heels off his horse. After a quick checkout by Dad… he climbed back on his horse, and finished the race to great applause by the audience.
- This young man… participated in the Barrel Race, fell… got back up and completed the race. He may not have won, but he is certainly a winner.
Following the Barrel riding was round 2 of the Bareback Bronco riding. The ferociousness of these horses was amazing to see. This horse below has all four feet off the ground in trying to throw this Cowboy.
- These horses were most ferocious… notice this animal has all four feet off the ground in the process of throwing this Cowboy.
The last event of the evening was the Bull Riding. You could tell that these animals are dangerous… The preparation in the gate for the ride was made meticulously… once the gate was opened, The Cowboy was completely focused on staying on the Bull. 
- Note the grit & determination on this Cowboy’s face… I have never seen an animal jump so ‘vertical’ as these Bulls could do.
The above pictures are the main highlights of our Rodeo… For a few more pictures, watch the slideshow below. Rodeo in South Dakota is truly a Family thing… and many of these pictures show the families that participated in the rodeo… Young & Old.
Slideshow… Hart Ranch 2013 Rodeo
To view a full-screen, high resolution slideshow of the Hart Ranch Rodeo Pictures, click the ‘curved arrow’ just below the picture on the right. To return to normal display, hit [Esc] key. Otherwise, place cursor over the picture to display the slideshow contol buttons. Comments are Welcomed!