The Western Web

Texas
Women’s Finals Rodeo in Fort Worth
San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with attendance approaching nearly two million visitors per year, is the world’s largest livestock exhibition as well as the world’s largest rodeo event, and requires the support of sixteen thousand volunteers.

The three-week long event is held at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas and features bull riding, livestock judging, concerts, a parade, a carnival, trail rides, barbecue and wine competitions, shopping, sales, and auctions.

It has drawn some of the world’s biggest stars and music legends: Elvis Presley, Selena, Gloria Estefan, George Strait, Jessica Simpson, and Enrique and Julio Iglesias, to name a few.

Mesquite Championship Rodeo

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is a rodeo located in Mesquite, Texas that operates during rodeo season (roughly April through September).

Founded in 1958 by Neal Gay as a permanent rodeo (as opposed to many other rodeos that would move from town to town), the rodeo struggled in the early years, but grew as the city of Mesquite grew. By 1970, Interstate 635 was constructed, allowing everybody in the Dallas area to be able to visit the rodeo easily.

By the mid 1980s, rodeo performances at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo began to be broadcast on ESPN and then later TNN and Fox Sports Net Southwest. On Fox Sports Net Southwest, the rodeo has reached over 8.3 million households, to date, the most televised rodeo in the world next to the NHSRA 20X Rodeo High telecast on RFD-TV.

In 1985, ground was broken for the Mesquite Arena (now Resistol Arena), a new facility for the Mesquite Rodeo, located near Interstate 635 and Scyene Road. By 1998, the facility was expanded to include a Convention Center, Exhibition Hall and a Hampton Inn & Suites.

In 1999, Tom Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars, purchased Mesquite Championship Rodeo. By 2001, attendance had grown to 200,000 during the season. The facility has hosted Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo

The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, USA is one of the largest Livestock Shows & Rodeos in the country. Started in 1950, the annual event takes place over two-weeks in February. The rodeo’s permanent home was the Joe & Harry Freeman Coliseum until 2003 when its primary events moved into the AT&T Center.

Since its inception the Stock Show & Rodeo has grown and developed over the years. In 1984 the Rodeo began a scholarship program for students interested in pursuing agricultural degrees. Since then the association has committed over $64 million dollars through scholarships, grants, endowments, cattle auctions and other means. In 2003, with the addition of the AT&T Center, the adjacent Freeman Coliseum became available to add on-site access for retailers to sell western wear, furniture and other items during the annual rodeo. The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo is one of the top five The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeos in the nation. In 2003 it received special recognition by the PRCA Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame. Attendance at the 56th Annual (2005) Rodeo reached 1.1 million, about $500,000 in prizes are awarded to winning rodeo participants and the grand champion steer was auctioned off for over $110,000.

Production of the event requires over 4,000 volunteers and the NBA Spurs and AHL Rampage to play and extended away game schedule.

Wyoming

Cheyenne Frontier Days, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is the largest rodeo and western celebration in the world. The event, which always occurs in the last week of July, draws over 300,000 people to the area every year. During the event, the population of Cheyenne is increased by over 600 percent.

Frontier Days lasts 10 days and features a fair-like atmosphere, including a midway with rides, games, and food vendors, concerts, wild west shows, an Indian village, and the largest rodeo in the world, known fondly as ‘The Daddy of em All’ The event also features a free pancake breakfast, and nearly 40,000 people take advantage of this every year. In one week, over 100,000 pancakes will be served along with 3,000 pounds of ham. The 5,000 pounds of pancake batter are mixed in cement trucks. The event is in its 110th year, and will be held on July 21-30, 2006.

The rodeo draws thousands of people from different parts of the United States and from some parts of the world, although the majority of the people at Frontier Days are locals and ranchers. A friendly environment cloaks the entire stadium and the people; not only a friendly environment, but also usually ninety-degree weather with the accompaniment of glorious sunshine. Many local have began adapting to these conditions by bringing lots of water and cooling systems that chill the body. People can also purchase items at the food stores located throughout the compound.

The carnival at Frontier Days is also a spectacular event. This carnival stays for the entire ten days and provides people with endless fun. The carnival is a safe environment because of the many medical stations posted throughout the park and the law enforcement. The law enforcement sometimes helps manage the variety of games and rides. During the night the carnival lights up and lots of food stores are revealed. Overall Frontier Days is an amazing experience, and if you haven’t already gone you should.

São Paulo Brazil
Festa do Peão de Boiadeiro is the most famous and largest rodeo festival in Brazil. It is held every year in August in Barretos, and is organized by Os Independentes.

Australian Professional Rodeo Association
The Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) is a national governing body for the sport of professional rodeo in Australia. it was founded in 1944 in Sydney at a coffee shop by rodeo contestants. APRA has been setting the standards for rodeo in Australia for over 50 years.

The Australian Rodeo consists of many events some of which are junior and ladies’ (open) barrel race, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, bareback bronc riding, rope and tie, steer wrestling, team roping and the steer ride. Males, females and kids are all involved in the Australian rodeo circuit.