No matter where you are in the country, springtime brings about Rodeo season! We think a rodeo circuit is a perfect excuse for a fun, family outing in your RV! Rodeo occupies a unique position in modern sports. Rodeo is a window into our past, while at the same time offering a unique and fully modern sport with an exciting and interesting atmosphere. The history of rodeo goes way back… According to rodeo.about.com, “The beginnings of rodeo can be traced back to the ranches of the early 1700’s, when the Spanish ruled The West. The Spanish cattlemen, known as vaqueros, would influence the American cowboy with their clothing, language, traditions and equipment which would in turn influence the modern sport of rodeo. Duties on these early ranches included roping, horse breaking, riding, herding, branding, and much more. These activities remain the same today on modern ranches all-be-it with modern methods and equipment. These ranch chores would evolve directly into the rodeo events of tie-down roping, team roping, and bronc riding with the other events expanding on the ideas of these early events. The early 1800’s saw the westward expansion of Americas border with Manifest Destiny as the prevalent government policy. Americans from the East came into contact with Spanish, Mexican, Californio, and Texican cowboys and began to copy and adapt their styles and traditions of working the ranches. Eventually the American cattle barons would begin to rival their earlier counterparts in new states like Texas, California, and the New Mexico Territories. Cattle from the West fed the massive population in the Eastern United States, and the cattle business boomed, especially after the Civil War. Ranchers from the Southwest would organize long cattle drives, to bring cattle to the stockyards in towns like Kansas City, where trains would carry the cattle east. This was the golden age of the cowhand, who made their living on the many ranches and cattle trails such as the Chisum, Goodnight-Loving, and the Santa-Fe. At the end of the long trails, these new American “Cowboys” would often hold informal competitions among themselves and the various different outfits to see which group had the best riders, ropers and all-around best drovers. It would be from these competitions that modern rodeo would eventually be born. The 1st recorded event took place at this time.” Rodeo is a popular sport today, drawing huge crowds from all across the country. If it has been awhile since you’ve gone to a rodeo, why not pack up the family in the RV and make a weekend out of it? We looked on ProRodeo.com and sure enough, there’s an event in every state from now through summertime! So plan some good old fashioned family fun… load up those little buckaroos and hit the trail for a doggone good time! And don’t forget yer boots, ya’ll!
