Little Britches

Living where we do we see the life and culture of agriculture all around us.  While not as prevalent here as one might find out west in places like Nebraska, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and the eastern side of the Cascades, every now and then you find a amateur rodeo.

Coming back from fixing a broken ankle yesterday morning I saw the pasture surrounding Tom's Western Store filled with trailers, campers, and horses.  The reader board sign on the store read: MLBRA Finals July 9.  I wasn't sure what those initials stood for but I was pretty certain it involved rodeo.

In another life I lived out in Yakima, Washington.  Rodeo had real presence out there and I got to enjoy an occasional hot summer afternoon sitting on a sun soaked well worn bleacher seat, the smell of horses, the tight jeans, bloused shirts, buckles, hats and boots.  I still have the hat and boots to prove it.  I was, and am, what was pitifully referred to as, "all hat and no horse." But it was fun to hang out and watch.  As is said these days, it was an "authentic experience."

Anyway, a quick call to Tom's informed me the Little Britches Rodeo would start at 5. "Wow," I thought, "this will be great."  Ev and Tam would be home soon and we could all head out around 4:30, settle into the bleacher seats and I could turn them on to one of rural America's great pass-times.  Brilliant.

Little Britches Rodeo is for kids learning to do rodeo and it can be a whole lotta fun.  On video. Without commercials. With none of the lengthy pauses between the action. Without the sun directly in your face.

We found the bleacher seats okay. I still love my boots and Ev and Tam looked like a million bucks in theirs.  But after 50 minutes sitting in the hot sun and seeing only about 1 performance every 6 to 8 minutes, I thought it might be closing on time to go.  And then the young teen came racing out on his high performance cow horse, roped a calf, dismounted, and tied the calf's legs all in less than 20 seconds.  What a show stopper! Literally.  "Wow!  What a ya think of that, Ev?"  "That's sad." he answered, somewhat disappointed and concerned with animal welfare.

On that note, we mounted our vehicle, headed to town, and lassoed three ice cream cones in under 20 minutes. More fun but nothing whatsoever to do with keeping britches little.