The Day of the Rodeo

by Lisa Woodland


The day of the rodeo is here! As a mom, secretary, and often times a rodeo timer I have observed so many things that caused stress and a poor performance. These could have been avoided with a few simple things. So here are some things to help make your rodeo less stressful.


• First, take the time to plan. How are you going to get there? When are you going to leave? What do you need to take with you? A little bit of planning will relieve a lot of unnecessary stress.


• Second make sure you load your trailer properly. Is this a one day rodeo? Then all you need is the gear or equipment for each event. If you are staying overnight make sure you have cloths, a place to stay, food, money, etc.


• Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the rodeo. Rodeos generally require you to check in.


• Schedule of events and Draws are usually posted prior to the rodeo. It is a good idea to be there at least an hour before this gives you and your horses plenty of time to relax and prepare for the rodeo. If you are up in a later event and can’t be there when the rodeo starts it is still a good idea to call and make sure that the order of events is correct and find out what your draw is.


• Checking the draw can be an important step in making a game plan. You want to know how the animal bucks if you are a rough stock rider or how the cattle run if you are a roper. It is always a good idea to look at the previous times or scores of your draw. This can give you some information on how they did. You can always talk to those in charge to see what information they can give you about your draw.


• Another important step in a successful performance is looking at the arena setup. You need to look at the score in the roping events, checkout the chutes, or look over the ground conditions. All of these things give you valuable information needed to put together a winning performance.


• It can beneficial to watch the competition that goes before you. It may give you times you need to beat or mistakes made that you can avoid to give you the upper edge.

These are just some simple tips and ideas to help you get up and down the rodeo trail

Good luck and may all your belt buckles be big and your saddles be trophies.