state fair ranch rodeo

here area a few of the photos i took sunday afternoon when i was in douglas for the ranch rodeo at the state fair. this is what ranch people in wyoming do for fun, and it's not all games. it's a chance to test your horsemanship against other riders, prove your horse is the fastest and practice everyday ranch skills in a different setting.

classic team roping set-up in the team tying event, where the steer is team-roped and the header dismounts and runs to the steer while the heeler keeps him down. the header ties the steer's hind legs together and throws his hands up, which stops the clock.



team sorting, where the riders sort a cow, steer and calf from the herd of cattle that's collected in the arena from the other events. each animal has a number painted on its back, and when the team crosses the start line they're given a number and must go find all those animals.



american flags are key to any rodeo event.

ribbon roping. the guys are the muggers. one team member ropes the calf, several of them mug it and the last one (usually the girl, when there is one) grabs the ribbon off the tail and runs for the finish line, but they can't cross the finish until the muggers have taken the rope off the calf.


running in arena dirt in chinks and spurs is not the easiest thing to do.


ready, set, go.

larry bentley lives at thermopolis and works for wyo dept of ag and judges a lot of rodeos around the state.

getting ready to start the hide race.