Patricia – OsteoPraxis on the road

For anyone who knows us, or has been following us…you know that one of our high points of the year is always the Patricia Rodeo. Not that I think we are ‘rodeo people’…whatever that may mean….but this small town Alberta event is something very special…..and that brings us joyfully back here every year.

It’s a combination of the warmth of this community that welcomes us back each time…and the event itself, which is a glorious combination of real stockmen cowboys demonstrating skills with an incredible, palpable respect for the animals they are working with, and the grit and determination of kids growing up not afraid to get dirty, fall over and take a few knocks…while the hands behind them make sure nobody gets badly hurt.

Not only are the competitors are impressive, but also the fantastic pick up men retrieving stock and protecting riders, the rodeo ‘clowns’ who are in there in a flash doing their thing distracting the massive bulls and steers, allowing the competitors to safely exit the arena …

..and the unseen stock handlers behind the chutes looking after these beasts and making sure no one or no animal comes to harm.

With the weekend admission fee of CAD$50 camping on the grounds is free…..and the trailers started arriving even before we did this year. We arrived on the Wednesday in plenty of time to claim our regular spot and greet all the familiar faces….but as the weekend approached more and more RV’s arrived and set up in circles of families and friends, gathering together for the highlight of the year. We get to know a few more faces each year.

The rodeo itself starts Friday evening with chuckwagons, chariots and also bulls and broncs….I think the blogtographer came and sat in the stands for that tho…!!!

The first big highlight of Saturday is the Wild Horse race……a bit different this year as Patricia is now an official stop in the Championship Wild Horse Racing. So 12 teams this year instead of the usual 6. Same bedlam tho…..

i have tried to put the sequence of the event in slideshows…..click or touch the arrow on the right hand side of the picture to see the next one.

Similar format…..the buzzer goes…the giant wild horses are released from the chutes wearing a halter and a short rope. Teams must wrangle their horse, get a saddle on him…then get a rider up there. The rider then presumably says a few extra prayers and hopes that the horse takes off around the track.

This next sequence is also a slideshow.

The winner makes it around and back through the north gate in the fastest time…..all under 6 minutes. It always seems like a lot longer than 6 minutes. (this link click is a video taken by one of the official photographers)

The barrel racing is a show of skill ….and some beautiful horses…..

We gained a whole new appreciation for the team roping after the Writing-on-Stone mini rodeo a couple of years ago.

The first roper goes….to rope the horns….

Then the second roper has to get both heels…..in one throw of his rope.

It amazes me every time they get it……and often very fast.

The next heat of the wild horse race……here’s a good sequence…another slideshow……(click/touch the arrow on the right.)

And while that’s happening …there are five other teams of guys trying to do the same. (and one girl….this year one of the teams had some girl power with a saddle.)

Always an event that gives us hope for the grit of future generations…..mutton busting……

So does the sequence work better as a gallery (above) or a slideshow (below)?

This next one was terrific….Darrel Robertson…the regular Patricia clown/entertainer had to run after this one to get him to let go….real tough cowboy in the making here….!!!

Darrel has been the head clown guy at this rodeo for many years….he is definitely one of the features that makes this event such a classic.

The last few years has seen the hard-working core of experienced volunteers who make this thing possible dwindle somewhat. To keep it alive, Rugged Rodeo was brought in to make it manageable…..this also brought new lighting to the arena which in turn made more evening events possible.

Bulls and broncs under the lights…..

Even a bit of team roping…….

…….and that’s only the first part of the story……

Extra Pix

I couldn’t resist putting this sequence in…..its just too cute…….same deal on the slideshow….look for the arrow on the right side of the picture and click/touch it to move through.

The Patricia Rodeo has become one of our favourite events of the year to attend, with travel plans always worked around being available for Labour Day weekend. Fortunately it’s not far from where we live now.

This year we had also recruited another friend from Ontario to come camp with us ….. so we had our Russian Airstream friends, the youngest daughter and now one more camper in our circle. Should anyone else wish to join, this weekend does not disappoint.

This was the second year with the Rugged Rodeo crew involved….and with the new permanent lights in the arena (replacing the smaller portable ones running off generators) the order of events now extends into the evening on Saturday.

The flavour has changed slightly with less volunteers available as the experienced old guys age out of many essential positions and the shrinking numbers of young ones filling their spots.

Stock handling is not a job for those without experience or feint of heart, but an important skill set for the safety of the animals and the competitors. (would you take a rope off a bull or a bronco as it leaves the arena..!!!??)

There are so many great pictures Scott takes, often rolling around in grass and muck to get ‘the shot’, it’s difficult to select those to include….and worse (for me) which ones don’t make the cut.

Here we go with a bit of bull riding, bronc riding……….

…….wagons and chariots…..

…and, always a fan favourite….the mini’s…….

Those mini horses have no idea they are mini…….they run hard…..!!!!

This whole calf roping thing just blows my mind……how do you catch a running calf, with a rope…from the back of a running horse…….and without hurting the calf……The whole thing is impressive…!!!

Then we get to the Wild Horse race…….it begins in a very orderly fashion…….

….then quickly descends into chaos…….

The girls barrel racing….. those horses are amazing……and the teamwork between rider and horse…..wow…..

Of course there has to be a bit of mutton busting……

….and my oh my….those little itty bitty kids on those big horses……those are some tough kids….

The kids are fantastic with the roping as well…..

…and just in case the wild horse race wasn’t crazy enough….the kids have a go at the wild ponies. They don’t have to ride them around the track….just get a body on the back of the pony….but the tenacity of some of those kids hanging onto those ropes……..!!!!

There are four rounds of the wild horse race…there’s a 6 minute time limit to saddle the horse, attach a rider and round the track. Fastest one wins……it’s surprising how many of them make it. …….but there’s always a bit of trampling too….!!!