“There’s nothing in life that’s worth doin’ if it cain’t be done from a horse.”
–Cowboy Poet Red Steagall
One of my favorite events of the year is attending the Californios Ranch Roping and Stock Horse Contest in Red Bluff, California every April. This is a competition based on real life working situations for a cowboy who follows the Vaquero style of handling cattle. It’s not a ranch rodeo and events are not timed. It’s all about the horsemanship, size of the loop, distance thrown, control of the slack and the dally. A leather reata is required, no nylon ropes here! Teams of 2-3 cowboys rope and then lay down specific cattle. They are judged on how well they handle the cattle (quietly!) as well as the overall quality of their roping and horse control. There are also horse evaluation and youth events as well as a vendor show with some top quality tack. Put on by my friends David Weaver and Gwynn Turnbull Weaver (pictured above), you’ll get three days of some of the best cowboying you’ll ever see. And ticket prices are very reasonable. Hope you can attend this year!
Do you compete? I am very interested in this event, but have never heard anyone talk of it. I want to make the drive and check this out, but its quite a drive for me. What can you tell me of the vendor show?
I don’t compete at this event – not nearly good enough roper! The vendor show is relatively small compared to other rodeo type events but the quality of the items is very high and all of the “makers” are there in their booths so you can talk with them. Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.