TABLE OF CONTENTS
Rodeo Events
What makes up a rodeo? Learn the basics of how each event works. Sometimes you’re against an animal, and sometimes you’re against the clock.
7
Hey, Rookie
This is their first rodeo… but not really. Before competing on the pro rodeo circuit, cowboys and cowgirls must win a certain amount of money before earning rookie status. Read about some “rookies” here in Jackson.
9
Rodeo Reading
Looking to scratch that rodeo itch after watching at the Teton County Fairgrounds? Here’s a list of books that will give you all you need.
12
Last Call: 2024 Standings
Tonight’s contenders might be reigning champs here at the Jackson Hole Rodeo. Check out last year’s leaderboards.
13 ..................... Queen of the crop
Being the Rodeo Queen isn’t about just looking the prettiest and sparkliest. The two-day pageant in the heart of summer brings in the most well-rounded young women from Teton County to compete for the crown.
14
Fair-weather Cowboys
Summer is prime time for the Jackson Hole Rodeo cowboys. But when the snow starts falling, the pro riders need a place to go.
17 ..................... Cowboy character
Superstitions and luck won’t get you anywhere in the rodeo. Determination will.
18 ............................................. FAST Facts
Read more about dragging the arena, picking the bulls and judging.
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Rodeo BASICS
Get the Gist of all the events
By Kyle Leverone
In the span of a 24-hour day, there are 86,400 seconds. But summers here at the Teton County Fairgrounds, some cowboys care about only 8 of them. Welcome to the rodeo, folks. There’s a little bit of everything here: bucking broncs, racing horses, roping cowboys and cowgirls, and toddlers holding onto sheep. If you’ve never been to a rodeo, it might be a bit of a whirlwind — your head clouded by the smell of hot dogs, beer and dirt and the sound of the roaring crowd and loud buzzers.
It’s going to be OK. Take a deep breath of that crisp Wyoming air, and read on. This is the rodeo, and these are the rules:
Roughstock vs. Timed Events
There are two types of events available to cowboys and cowgirls, and those are roughstock and timed. In roughstock events, contestants’ scores are equally dependent upon their riding performance and the animal’s effort, as the former tries for dear life to hold onto the latter for eight seconds. Two judges each score a cowboy’s ride from 0 to 25 for both rider’s performance and animal’s effort. A perfect score is 100. Timed events are a bit more simple. Whatever event it is, the goal is to be the quickest. If you’re roping a calf, wrestling a steer or racing a horse around barrels, be the fastest one to do it. In steer wrestling and roping events, calves and steers have a head start, and the first competitor to catch them wins.
Saddle Bronc Riding
In this first roughstock event, there are a couple of essential rules. Riders must start with their feet above the horse’s shoulders when the horse’s feet hit the ground out of the box. This is considered “marking the horse out.” If a cowboy fails to do so, the ride is disqualified. While on the bronc, riders must hold onto a rope attached to the horse’s halter, and the free hand must not touch the rider’s body or the horse at any time in the eight seconds that the rider attempts to
stay on. This is that perfect rodeo picture you see all the time where it looks like a cowboy is riding a rodeo rollercoaster and hanging on for dear life. This event has its roots in the art of horse breaking but has evolved into a highly stylized competition that utilizes strong and agile broncs.
Bareback Bronc Riding
Can you guess what the difference is between this event and saddle bronc riding? Yep, it’s just a little nuttier. There is no saddle. Both events are among the most physically demanding in rodeo. There are other intricacies, however, in bareback. A cowboy must mark out his horse but must also have his spurs touch the horse on every jump for the full time required to earn a qualifying ride, which is then judged by regular roughstock scoring.
Bull Riding
There’s no sugarcoating this one. Notoriously known as “the most dangerous eight seconds in sports,” bull riding is one of rodeo’s main events. From within the bucking chute, the rider secures a grip on a flat-braided rope, nods to signal that he is ready and then holds on. Marking out the animal is not necessary because it’s a bull, and riding that is hard enough. The enormous animal does all it can to shake the rider off, and throughout the ride, bullfighters stay
MORGAN TIMMS / NEWS&GUIDE
Coulter Verharen rides “Kmart Special” in the bareback bronc riding event during the Jackson Hole Rodeo at the Teton County Fairgrounds.
MORGAN TIMMS / NEWS&GUIDE
Kinzie Castagno, riding Jojo, competes in the barrel race during the Jackson Hole Rodeo.
MEG POTTER / NEWS&GUIDE
Garret Upton competes in the bull riding contest during the Jackson Hole Rodeo.
close by to aid the rider if necessary and to distract the bull from the rider after time is up. Judges will award points based on control and rhythm of the rider in matching the bull’s movements. Points will be deducted if a rider appears off-balance — God forbid.
Team Roping
As one of the timed rodeo events, this competition requires a pair of horse riders attempting to wrangle a racing steer. The event is also known as heading and heeling. The first roper, or the “header,” goes for the front of the steer, usually around the horns; and the second, the “heeler,” ropes the steer by its hind feet. The clock stops when both riders have roped the steer, their lines are pulled tight and their horses are facing each other.
Cowboys and cowgirls compete together in this one, and the fastest to wrangle the steer wins. Teams can be assessed time penalties, though. If the header breaks before the steer reaches the advantage point, or if the heeler ropes only one hind leg, 10- and 5-second penalties are assessed, respectively.
Calf Roping
Similar to team roping, the objective here is to rope an animal as quickly as possible, although the rider is all by their lonesome this time. The rider must throw a loop around the calf’s neck, dismount from their horse and restrain it by tying three legs together. Ten-second penalties are added to final times if the rider and horse break their barrier before the calf is released.
Barrel Racing
This is one of the few events in which human and animal are a team.
Barrels are set up in a triangle in the arena, and the horse-rider team attempts to complete the cloverleaf pattern as quickly as possible, keeping tight to each barrel for the quick-
Ride
est turns, and charging through the straightaway to finish. Because they work in conjunction, this event requires athletic ability from the horse in addition to horsemanship skills from the rider.
The timer begins when the pair crosses the start line, and it ends when the team completes the barrel pattern and comes back through the finish line. If a rider knocks down a barrel, a time penalty is assessed to their final time. The team to make it through the course with the fastest time wins.
Traditionally, barrel racing was a sport for only cowgirls, but today,
according to the International Barrel Racers Association, barrel racing is open to girls, boys, men and women of all ages and levels of experience.
’
Mutton Bustin
This timed event is just like bull riding, except instead of giant death machines with horns, the animals are soft and cuddly sheep, and instead of grown cowboys riding them, it’s little kids. Hugging and hanging on as tight as one can, the little ones are not judged on style points, spurring or marking out the animal. The wee sheep riders must stay on for only six seconds, and if more than
one manages to hang on for that long, the judges will determine a winner.
Mini Bull Riding
How does one become a rodeo cowboy? Well, this is it. After mutton bustin’ from ages 4 to 7, older children are properly introduced to roughstock events through mini bull riding. Teen riders mount full-grown 500-pound mini bulls and attempt to hold on for a full eight seconds. Pee Wee riders, usually aged between 8 and 10, are required to stay on for just six.
Father Rob Hardeman and Hailey Hardeman compete in the Parent-Child roping competition during the Teton County Fair Rodeo.
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Rodeo rookies
‘Rookie’ status harder to get than most people would think
By Christina MacIntosh
This ain’t their first rodeo, truly.
Contrary to the term’s more common definition, rodeo competitors must earn official “rookie” status, by first competing on a pro rodeo circuit permit and winning at least $1,000 in a season.
Hailey Hardeman, 23, of Wilson, completed her permit in 2024. She graduated from the University of Wyoming last spring after competing in breakaway roping on the school’s rodeo team. Now that she’s out of school, she’ll be able to compete more in the Jackson Hole Rodeo.
In the past, the cowgirl never missed a Jackson summer rodeo, but she hasn’t attended as many recently. After a few years of college and pro rodeoing, however, Hardeman has realized a newfound appreciation of her hometown rodeo.
“This summer, for the first time, I’m like ‘Man, I miss the local rodeo and the simplicity of it,’” she said. “It’s just funny how you’re drawn back to that” after some time away.
For Hardeman and other Teton County rookies and permit holders, the Jackson Hole Rodeo is the place where they got their start and a place they return to for training and rodeoing with family and friends. Hardeman is looking forward to competing this
summer alongside her younger sister, boyfriend and dad.
“It’s such a good place to get started, and it’s also a good place to end,” she said.
“And that’s pretty special because there’s not many rodeo productions that are friendly when you’re young and friendly when you’re old.”
Hardeman is an aspiring professional cowgirl — “every little girl’s dream” — though she’s also witnessed the difficulties firsthand. She knows
what she’s getting into.
“It’s a super hard and stressful career to try to make a living out of,” she said. “I’ve seen it with so many other cowboys and cowgirls.”
Kasey Carr, 19, of Jackson, just finished her freshman year competing in college rodeo at Kansas State University. She, too, hopes to continue on to the pro circuit but is waiting to get her permit before she can vie for Rookie of the Year.
She’ll be back in Jackson for the summer, using the rodeo to keep up on her breakaway roping, just like Hardeman.
“I do it more for practice, because it’s just such good practice, because they have the competitiveness, and there’s money involved, so you’re under pressure,” Carr said. “It’s a perfect way for me to stay in competitive shape.”
Though Carr will have to return to school before the end of the rodeo season, making
it difficult to win a year-end title, she’s planning to get to the rodeo as much as she can.
Eian Smith, 18, of Pinedale, is currently working on securing his permit, but has been competing in rodeo since he was 5 years old.
“I showed up to this rodeo once, and my mom kind of just threw me in it, and I’ve done it ever since,” he said.
He started on sheep before moving onto bigger things, much bigger things: steers. At first, “I hated getting on steers,” Smith said.
Tucker Wilson, 20, of Jackson, is on his permit and hoping to start his rookie season shortly. He’s been riding bulls since his freshman year of high school and wants to go pro. He spent the winter in Texas training for the rodeo.
“Bull riding has been my passion since I was a little kid,” he said. “There’s just nothing like it.”
Wilson’s family runs the Jackson Hole Rodeo, and his whole life has been “rodeo-centered,” he said. He’s been runner-up for the year-end title twice and wants to win it this year.
Wilson has dealt with injuries for the past two years, including one he suffered at a Jackson Hole Rodeo last year, but he’s not feeling apprehensive about this summer.
“Any chance I can get on a bull, it’s a great day for me,” he said. “I really don’t have nerves about it.”
REBECCA NOBLE / NEWS&GUIDE
Tucker Wilson, left, has his elbow taped by his father, Buskin, before the bull riding competition during a Jackson Hole Rodeo.
COURTESY PHOTO
Eian Smith, an aspiring rookie from Pinedale, rides a bucking bronc. “I showed up to this rodeo once, and my mom kind of just threw me in it,” he said.
Lasso up some rodeo titles
Are you kicking for more rodeo (see what we did there)? These books will help keep your appetite growing for the sport that is integral to the American West.
By Whitney Royster
“A Home for Steamboat,” by Casey Rislov
This children’s book is about the horse with an indefatigable spirit that became the symbol of Wyoming.
“Moving On,” by Larry McMurtry
Set in the 1960s, this book follows a newlywed couple in Houston, Texas, with rodeo life as a central character. From the author of “Lonesome Dove.”
“West: The American Cowboy,” by Anou Krantz
In this coffee table book, images capture the pioneering spirit and the “strength and dignity” of America’s cowboys and cowgirls and their Western homes.
— From Valley Bookstore, 140 E. Broadway Ave., Jackson, (307) 733-4533, ValleyBookstore.com
“Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West,” by Christopher Knowlton
This book looks at the cattle industry from the 1860s and the impact it has had on American identity; by a writer who spends time in Jackson.
“Citizen Cowboy: Will Rogers and the American People,” by Steven Watts
This is a biography of the cultural icon and his roots in the Cherokee Indian Territory of Oklahoma.
— From the Wilson Book Gallery, 3465 N Pines Way Suite 101, Wilson, (307) 201-5891, WilsonBookGallery.com
“Rodeo Stories: A Collection of True Cowboy Tales,” by Chimp Robertson
A more personal look at the lives of people in rodeo, this book contains stories written by rodeo riders — from funny to heartfelt to “glad it wasn’t me.”
“Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World’s Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West,” by David Wolman and Julian Smith
This popular book is about men from Hawaii arriving in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1908 to compete against the West’s biggest rodeo stars.
“Black Cowboys of Rodeo: Unsung Heroes from Harlem to Hollywood and the American West,” by Keith Ryan Cartwright
A story of Black cowboys and how their work in rodeo intersects with struggles for racial justice and human rights.
“Cowgirl Up!: A History of Rodeoing Women,” by Heidi Thomas
What does it mean to “Cowgirl Up”? This book explores some of the first women involved (publicly) in competition rodeo.
— From Jackson Hole Book Trader, 970 W. Broadway A, Jackson, (307) 734-6001, JHBookTrader.com
“Think Like a Horse: Lessons in Life, Leadership and Empathy from an Unconventional Cowboy,” by Grant Golliher
This book by “horse whisperer” Golliher threads a narrative that travels from pastures and corrals to life in the 21st century.
MORGAN TIMMS / NEWS&GUIDE
Dillon Bazzle rides “Joker” during the Jackson Hole Rodeo.
Glitz, glamour & grit
The life of a rodeo queen
TBy Kyle Leverone
here’s a lot more to being a rodeo queen than meets the eye.
“We’re not just girls on horses in sparkly outfits,” said Bailey Chamberland, this year’s Teton County Fair and Rodeo Queen. “We’re cowgirls.”
Since 1969, young women ages 10 to 25 from Teton County have come together each summer to compete for crowns in the Teton County Fair and Rodeo Royalty Pageant. Yes, there are sparkles, dresses and hairspray. But there are also cowgirl hats, riding skills and interviews.
Winners of each title — Queen (ages 19-25), Senior Princess (1518), Junior Princess (11-14) and Pee Wee Princess (7-10) — are enrolled in the year-long royalty program and required to attend rodeo events, sing the national anthem at sporting events, and be a friendly face at the senior center and preschools, among other responsibilities. And then to complete the year, the queen goes off to Douglas in August to compete in the statewide pageant for the Miss Rodeo Wyoming title, which was last held by a Teton County queen in 2014.
“I think that the most important thing is these girls are becoming really well-rounded individuals in our community,” said Amy Renova, Teton County Fair Board’s royalty coordinator. “Their biggest thing is they’re ambassadors for the sport of rodeo. They’re trying to keep that Western heritage and Western culture alive in our county and across the nation.”
In June 2024, Chamberland took home the Queen’s title, Mattie Dornan was named Senior Princess, and her sister Ruthie Dornan won Junior
Princess. Some categories include a “second attendant,” who must also attend events all year with the title’s first winner. Lucila Scharp was Ruthie’s second attendant for 2024.
The two-day contest begins with “the princess portion.” This is where the glamour and manners are judged with sharp eyes as the young women go through modeling, speeches and interviews. For the speech section, the girls must come with a prepared one, be ready to give another impromptu one, go through a personal interview and then complete a written test.
The second day is when competitors mount their steeds for the horsemanship portion inside the Heritage Arena.
The girls straighten their backs, rest one hand on a thigh, hold the reins with the other and go through three rounds of riding. The first is judged on how deftly riders and their horses can go through a specific pattern around the arena, and the second one is a lap with the Teton County Fair flag. Then, of course, there’s the final “queen wave” lap.
Upon dismounting their horses, the competitors face a series of questions regarding their horse and equipment.
After the two days are up, other awards are given out for best Western apparel, best queen hair, most photogenic and a Miss Congeniality award, voted by the contestants for behindthe-scenes sportsmanship and morale. The Dornan sisters were both given Miss Congeniality titles.
This year’s pageant will take place June 20-21.
So, when you look up and see the queen galloping around on her trusty steed tonight, parading the American flag around the arena, just know that it’s not that easy.
It’s not easy being queen.
ERIN BURK / NEWS&GUIDE
The Teton County Rodeo Royalty waves to spectators during the annual Fourth of July Parade in downtown Jackson.
ERIN BURK / NEWS&GUIDE
Bailey Chamberland tears up while being crowned Teton County Fair and Rodeo Queen in 2024 at the Royalty Pageant.
Cowboys go south for winter
By Charley Sutherland
Zac Dallas, a professional bronc rider who got his start in Jackson Hole, seeks warmer weather and indoor venues in the winter to stay sharp and fit and to compete.
When Jackson Hole is covered in snow, Dallas rides in the “Texas Swing,” a series of rodeos with notable stops in San Antonio, Houston and San Angelo, and indoor rodeos like the National Western Stock Show in Denver. That means long, unglamorous hours on the road, but for Dallas, the cowboy, it’s worth it.
“We just drive all over hell and back,” Dallas said. “Basically it’s a truck with a Capri camper on the back or an RV and then we got a metal box on the back to fit all our saddles.”
Dallas grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he hunted, fished and did just about anything outside with his dad. That sparked his interest in the “cowboy lifestyle.” In high school, some of Dallas’ friends were ranchers. He was interested and picked up a job with a hunting outfitter between Hoback and Pinedale. That’s when he started riding bro ncs in Jackson Hole. Over time, Dallas has
Zac Dallas in the saddle bronc of the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March.
Wyatt Phelps is a western Wyoming native from Pinedale who rides bulls in the rodeo, which he says many people don’t see as a real sport. Some think that rodeo cowboys are super old school and don’t care about their bodies, but that’s not the case according to Phelps, who trains hard. “I go to the gym, and I just try and stay fit,” he said.
Training also means getting on a bull whenever possible. Phelps can call up members of the Wilson family, who have run the Jackson Hole Rodeo for generations, and ride one from its 20 head of bulls at its Texas ranch.
“You’re not going to out-muscle a bull,” Phelps said. “A lot of it is technique.”
The Pinedale cowboy won Rookie of the Year in the mountain states circuit last year. Phelps’ cross-country vehicle of choice: a minivan equipped with a bed in the back. Full-day, multi-state drives aren’t uncommon.
“It’s not always super glamorous or romantic,” Phelps said. “But at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.”
Even as Phelps and Dallas have grown as rodeo cowboys and left Jackson Hole for brighter lights and bigger venues, Jackson’s rodeo will continue to hold a special place in the hearts of these rodeo cowboys.
“It’s awesome,” Dallas said. Jackson Hole’s is an amateur rodeo, which means anyone can participate. “It just gives those people a chance to go rodeo and have fun.”
How hard a cowboy has to rodeo in the winter depends on how the rest of his season has gone. Cowboys can participate in a maximum of 100 rodeos from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, Dallas said, and the better the cowboy does
in the summer the more likely he is to make it to bigger rodeos. “A guy who’s on the up-and-coming, he’s got to rodeo harder” in the winter, Dallas said.
To be a good bronc rider, a cowboy has to let go of fear, seeing that they might be getting tossed up to six feet off the ground.
“You got to be relaxed,” Dallas said. “You also have to be aggressive to make a spur ride and flash that horse up, so you can get a good score. It’s controlled aggression.”
Bronc riding has been Dallas’ focus nonstop for the last five years, and for him, it’s been all or nothing. Thus far, he’s found a way to work everything out and keep it going.
“There’s plenty of times I had about five bucks in my bank account going to the rodeo — just enough to pay my entry fees,” Dallas said. “Usually when you’re getting down to your last dollar, you get a win.”
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17 Rocking Chair
Getting ready for the rodeo
By Jasmine Hall
There are very few superstitions that have stuck with veteran rider Mark Nelson.
When pressed, he could only remember being told not to wear the color yellow and to never put his hat on a bed. But that guidance never really mattered: Nelson’s system for getting ready for the rodeo, practiced between 1982 and 2018, came down to preparation and practice. And his favorite shirt was yellow.
“I don’t really think it’s so much of a mindset as it’s a schedule,” he explained, about what he did to prepare to ride a bucking bronc or bull.
Nelson, now 60, grew up in Jackson and started rodeoing his sophomore year of high school. He said he was basically helpless despite thinking of himself as a cowboy, even though he “pretty much fell off everything.” But, he said, there’s a big difference between being a cowboy and being a bronc rider. It wasn’t until he moved to Riverton halfway through his high school career that he started getting a knack for riding.
Nelson had access to 800 head of horses through a family connection and was getting practice on three or four broncs every other day. By the time he
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MORGAN TIMMS / NEWS&GUIDE
A saddle bronc rider takes a moment to himself before his ride at the Jackson Hole Rodeo.
graduated from Wind River High School on the Wind River Reservation, he was the bronc riding state champion and had placed 10th in the nation. He said his success wasn’t due to the natural ability that he saw in other riders. For him, it was all practice and hard work.
From there, he was hooked for life. “If you want beautiful women and beer and the good life, you’ve got to learn how to ride bucking horses really good,” he joked.
Nelson traveled across the country chasing rodeos, riding horses and testing out his limits with bulls, while finding other ways to pay the bills, like shoeing horses. But he took some pauses from competing in the rodeo, too, like when he broke a leg or hurt his ankle. Nelson even ended up learning how to play hockey after watching the Moose play during a return visit to Jackson. He’d worn himself out, was staying with his mom, and started
Rodeo superstitions
While Mark Nelson didn’t lean into the superstitions during his own rodeo career, there are still a few floating around the West:
It’s considered bad luck to wear yellow because someone who is a coward is called “yellow-bellied.”
It’s good luck to find a feather inside the arena because it means angels are watching over the cowboys and cowgirls.
Never eat chicken because it could mean you act like a chicken when hopping on a bucking bronc or bull.
Always shave before competing to “clean yourself up for Lady Luck.”
Don’t compete with change in your pocket, or else it might be all that you take home with you.
judging at the Jackson Rodeo just to be around the arena.
The love of rodeo never faded after he retired in 2018.
“I was too old,” he said. “It’s hard because you get hurt easier. When you’re old, you’re slower, and so I was laid up. And in order to be good at it, you have to get on a lot of them.”
He said it was difficult to walk away, and seven years out of the arena, he can still recall his prep process before every rodeo.
When he first started, Nelson had to call in from a pay phone to get his specific event time. Then he’d arrive at the rodeo early enough to pay his entry dues and make sure he had at least a
half an hour to an hour to change out of street clothes. He’d grab everything he needed out of his “hot rod” and head to the back of the chutes.
He emphasized the need to bring a change of clothes. Nelson said you can’t go to the bar with your pants dirty or torn up after being stepped on. Although not every guy was as spiffy as him.
“I was a clean freak,” he admitted. He said at the very least, one’s underwear and socks had to be clean just in case a bone broke and they had to be hauled to the hospital. Other items on his travel list included rope, boots, shafts, spurs, ties for his boots, a vest, gloves, and a mouthpiece.
Nelson said that by the end of his career he was only ever thinking about the steps to get ready, and not messing up for eight seconds. But in the beginning, there was definitely fear to overcome.
“If you’re a high school kid getting on your first one and you crawl in the chute, it’s like crawling into a coffin and have them start pounding nails,” he said.
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Rodeo Facts
A look behind those chutes
ABy Kyle Leverone
rodeo is like a well-oiled machine. Or a well-run ship. There are a lot of moving parts, and many of them go unnoticed in order to let the cowboys and cowgirls shine every Wednesday and Saturday night throughout the summer. Here are some background facts about all of the goings-on at the Teton County Fairgrounds.
The Dirt
So forgotten. So overlooked. So unnoticed.
Dirt often gets treated like, well, dirt. But on rodeo days, it gets treated like royalty. Rodeo Arena Director Phil Wilson oversees preparations in the early morning, starting by spraying 3,000 gallons of water on the arena floor. Afterward, a tractor drags a heavy rake to break up clumps and level it all out.
Several times throughout the day, the process is repeated. Spray the water, rake the dirt. Spray the water, rake the dirt. On average, 10,000 to 14,000 gallons of water gets sprayed on the dirt throughout a rodeo day.
“If we don’t get it right, then what happens is the barrel racers have trouble with it. The team ropers have trouble. It has to be good for the contestants, the animals and the cowboys,” Wilson said in 2019.
Choosing a Bull Cowboys are drawn to the rodeo. Bulls are chosen. But what exactly
cruiter watches videos and tapes of bulls buck ing for at least four to five rounds before they know if one is Jackson Hole Rodeo material.
it’s packy,” Buskin Wilson said in 2021, meaning he wants an animal that packs a punch in a controlled way.
But once in a location, it’s not a given that Buskin will be walking away with the bull he has his eye on; he has to bid on them against half a dozen con -
ERIN BURK / NEWS&GUIDE
Jeff and Cooper Olaveson prepare a bronc to be ridden by Olaveson at the Teton County Fair Rodeo.
“You’re just crossing your fingers hoping that it works out,” Wilson said
Hometown Hero
Jackson Hole is home to a Rodeo Hall of Famer. His name was Joe Alexander, sometimes known by journalists as “Alexander the Great.” He was born in 1943 and grew up about 60 miles southeast of here on a ranch near Cora. He went on to win the Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s bareback riding championship in 1966 as a part of the Casper College rodeo team. Alexander hit the pro rodeo circuit in 1970 and achieved immediate success. In 1974, he set the bareback riding world record with a 93-point ride in Cheyenne, a mark that stood until October 2002.
Judging
riders’ control.
“Like a dance partner, they’re matching every move the animal makes, and they’re in control — not of the animal — but of what their body is doing,” said rodeo judge Joe Young in 2019. “Everything the animal throws at them, they’ve got something to counter it.” Or so they hope.
Fashion 101
Just as there are fashion rules in every sector of society, rodeo fashion rules also exist.
“Like a dance partner, they’re matching every move the animal makes, and they’re in control — not of the animal — but of what their body is doing.”
— Joe Young, rodeo judge
The biggest component of bull or bronc riding is hanging on for those seemingly never-ending eight seconds. If a rider can’t hold on for that long, their ride does not qualify for a score. If a rider does stick with his animal, it’s up to the judges to determine how many points they deserve for their ride.
Two judges each reward up to 25 points for the rider and 25 points for the animal for a possible total of 100. Animals are judged on their athleticism and how hard a ride they put out for the human. A bull that jumps up and spins is going to score higher points.
While tracking the animal’s showing, judges must also keep an eye on the human, mostly critiquing the
Old-fashioned Western style originated with practical elements in mind — to protect cowboys and cowgirls from tough conditions during a work day in addition to staying comfortable while riding a horse. Parts of rodeo fashion have changed over time, but still, many original aspects remain. Belt buckles are among the more glamorous fe atures of the rodeo outfit and are worn as functional trophies. This bling is earned, not bought. Some competitors are superstitious about their buckles and will wear the same one all season long.
Straw hats are for summer, felt hats are for the winter, but whichever someone is wearing, never touch another cowboy’s hat. Jeans tie everything together, and the most important part is to keep them long enough and pressed down the middle. Chaps used to accompany the denim in order to protect bull riders from wooden bucking chutes, but now they’re more of a fashion stateme nt.
