Patricia Rodeo 2026

After a terrific summer of travel….and a stop at home to chop down the triffid population in the yard……the time for Patricia Rodeo swung around again. One of the high points of our year….Labour Day weekend for the last five years has become all about this event.

This year we purchased extra equipment to deal with the herbivorous invasion that happens while we are away.

Once the place looks less apocalyptic…it’s time to load up Xolo again and off we go.

Our usual spot on the Patricia Rodeo grounds…..

we arrive early before the main rush of trailers gather……and this year Scott was able to pitch in to help tarp the bleachers…

The other reason for arriving early is to have the chance to enjoy dinner at the Patricia Hotel before it gets too crazy busy…..

And a lovely walk home after a couple of adult beverages….

The rodeo kicks of with the chucks and chariots on the Friday evening….

Mr Blogtographer tries to find a different angle each year…

…and sometimes gets himself into the ‘eat dirt’ position …lol

As the daylight fades we get a little action with some team roping under the lights…

Something new was this funny looking dog that someone brought long….

Saturday morning has all the heavy horse events…..these beautiful big beasts doing the tasks they were designed for…..and they are amazing….

One of my favourite things about this rodeo is their use of the horses to harrow the arena between events….

And then we get going with all the traditional events….

The cowboy sequences make the best dramatic slideshows……

……and then there is the craziness that is the Wild Horse race….

Where everything is happening all at once…..

It can be hard to focus on just one team……

As one team successfully wrangles their steed…..another one bites the dust…

The yellow shirt team had it all together…

….and get their guy up there…that’s when the real fun begins…..as the horse runs straight at the fence intent on scraping him off……

To his credit….he stayed on there….and made it all the way around the track….

This year had its share of drama…the real hazards of those cowboy games…as this guy came off in less than textbook style…

……..and CRUNCH….!!!

There was a spontaneous groan from the crowd…and the EMS team were there in seconds….

I am happy to report that no serious injuries resulted…we got the news a little later that he had been MRI-ed and given the medical all clear….

Of course …sometimes it goes EXACTLY according to the textbook….

With some terrific coordinated work from the pick up guys to boot…

We had some marvelous demonstrations of skill in calf roping…..

It’s great to see these things so well done……

………especially having had the opportunity to see it actually being used this spring at the branding….

We had another spectacular display of skill …this time from the rodeo clowns ….first one that went according to plan…..

…and then the one that didn’t,,,,

….as the kid comes off the steer…you can see his hand trapped under the rope…

Those rodeo clowns are sprinting at top speed….but you can see how calm their faces are…and then the one reaches in and releases the cowboys trapped hand….

Remarkable…..skillfully done……

Then…there was the escaping bull which ran straight at the gate….and punched a hole right through the plastic fencing covering it……then jumped the rail into the infield…..high drama…..

He was recaptured by a group of cowboys fairly quickly….but I’m not sure anyone had seen that happen before…..

Another round of the wild horse race…this time its the blue shirt guys…

It all seems to be working….and then….

I’m telling you those guys are tough…..!!!

The weather for the rodeo this year was a less than stellar forecast…..with torrential rain having been forecast for the Sunday, we made the hard decision to bail…and pull out for home on the Saturday evening. It was a tough choice cos all of our favourite events are in the Little Britches rodeo on the Sunday….but the prospect of becoming stranded axel deep in mud made it seem the more sensible option.

Even with missing the Sunday…..our love for this rodeo has not waned….see you guys next year……😁

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