Rodeos & Cancer in Okeechobee, Florida

Saturday, January 2, 2016

When most people from up north think of Florida, they think of sunny beaches, palm trees, and fresh citrus fruits.  Well, you may not know that Florida has some of the largest cattle ranches in the country as well as some impressive horse ranches.  You don't have to travel out west to see real cowboys.  We see them all the time here in Okeechobee.  They're in restaurants, shopping areas, or traveling on U.S. Highway 441 with their saddled horses and slickers in their horse trailers.  So, Florida is a great place to see a rodeo!  What better reason does one need to see a real rodeo, than to help fight cancer?

The "Ride For The Fight" rodeo is in Okeechobee this weekend.  The proceeds from this rodeo go towards supporting local cancer patients and their helpers with their fight against cancer with help for expenses not covered by insurance.  What better way can you support a worthy cause, and enjoy a lot of fun and excitement, too?

This here Northerner has never seen a rodeo in person, only on TV.  You simply can't see all of the excitement, skill, and danger unless you're there in person.  While this rodeo was by no means the largest rodeo, it certainly was huge on skill, fun, and excitement.  I am sure you will agree when you see the pictures below.

We attended this rodeo with some friends and we're not only all very impressed with the skill and courage of the cowboys, but, also, the "pick up men" and their horses.  The pick up men must have excellent horsemanship skills and they play a critical role in keeping the cowboys safe.  When the cowboy finishes his ride on a bucking bull or  bronco, the pick up men ride along side and help the cowboy dismount safely.  If the cowboy is bucked off, they immediately secure the bucking bull or bronco to prevent additional injuries to the cowboy.  The pick up men and their horses work in tandem with the "clowns" to keep the cowboys safe.  This requires an impressive amount of skill, experience, and courage as they often place themselves in harms way to protect the cowboys.

These are the expert pick up men and their well trained horses resting between events.  In addition to their horsemanship, they are excellent at roping a bucking bull or bronco.  

Here's the pick up men assisting the cowboy off his bucking bronco.  You can't really tell from this still shot, but that bronco was really kicking up his hooves.  The pick up men and their horses were undaunted in their efforts to get that cowboy to safety.

Here's the pick up men in action again getting this rider safely off the bronco and the bronco safely back to the pen.  That bronco was kicking and bucking the whole time.

This bucking bull is doing everything it can to get that rider off his back.

No, this cowboy is not trying to get on this bull!   He's in the process of being thrown off.  The clown on the left is right in the middle of the action directing this crazy bull away from the rider when he falls off the bull.

All of the bull riders wear helmets and vests for their safety.

This cowboy had the wind knocked out of him.  He's obviously in some pain.

After a couple of minutes, he got to his feet and waved to the crowd as he walk out of the arena.  These guys have to be tough to do this, or maybe they're slightly nuts!

This rider is in trouble as you will see why in the next picture!

The bucking bronco found another way to get this cowboy off his back.  The horse fell and landed on top of the cowboy pinning his leg under the horse.

The only way to get him out from under the horse was to remove the saddle.  Thanks to all of the expert assistance, neither the horse nor rider were hurt.

The cowboy on the ground actually flew off that bucking bronco!

This guy makes it look easy!  Just another ride in the park!

This almost looks like fun!

I like this picture because it shows the clowns getting this bulls attention.  The clowns may look like they're clowning around, but they know exactly what they're doing taking calculated risks to protect the riders!

Ouch!  That has to hurt when you land on your face!

This cowboy looks like he's kicking the bull while laying on his back! It's time for some cowboy revenge!

There's no clowning around with this bull!  Those hind legs can do some serious damage!

This is not a very good picture.  But, it's the best I could do while I was running for my life from this angry snorting bull!  I had forgotten I was standing behind a steel fence!

The cowboy on the left (wearing a helmet) is trying to get out of the way of this deranged bull while the clown behind him is directly in front of the bull placing himself in grave danger.  He's so close he can almost grab the bulls horn.  I am betting that the old saying, "taking the bull by the horns" originated from a rodeo!

More bronco riders.

I think this bull rider is trying to fly!  Can't say that I'd blame him!  The only problem with flying is the abrupt stop upon landing!

We all enjoyed this rodeo and plan to attend a few more rodeos this year.  The cowboys, clowns, pick up men and their horses, the bucking bull and broncos makes for an exciting event!   One thing I have learned throughout my experiences in life is to never say never.  But, I guarantee you'll never see me on one of these bucking bulls!  Never!  Never ever!