That is some mighty fine cowboying right there.
Growing up in the western/horse world, many of us often forget the risks associated with sports in this field. It’s not for the faint of heart. Of course, when you are younger and made up of mostly cartilage, it’s easy to bounce back from a bad fall, an accident, or even a kick and get back in the saddle… literally.
But as I’ve gotten older and entered my adult amateur phase of life, I have come to realize that I was knocking on death’s door more than once as a young child riding half-feral horses. And while I might have grown out of that adrenaline-chasing phase, the cowboys that participate in rodeo activities never outgrow that and are constantly chasing the high of an eight-second ride.
These seasoned professionals put their lives on the line every time they ease down onto a bucking bronc or get on the back of that bull. Most of these cowboys are trained professionals who have learned to protect themselves as best they can if they come off the animal they are riding, but that does not mean accidents don’t occur. At the end of the day, they are on the backs of animals who are trained to get them off their backs, no matter the cost.
And when those unexpected moments occur at the rodeo, it’s imperative that the catch riders, and other rodeo staff, know how to jump in to de-escalate the situation. A recent Florida rodeo is going viral for showing how important it is to have experienced cowboys on site to make sure these breath-holding moments are short-lived.
At a rodeo in Penney Farms, Florida, a bronc rider has his life flash before his eyes when he is hung from his saddle after his mount bucks, sending him to the ground. But instead of hitting the ground, rolling to safety, and thanking the crowd for cheering him on, he found that his saddle hooked his chaps, putting him in a very unsafe situation.
It took no time for the catch riders, rodeo clowns, and officials to jump in to make sure this man was not dragged around the rodeo arena. To be honest, I’ve never seen cowboys try to flip a 1,400-pound stock horse into its side, but these cowboys jumped on this horse like a spider monkey to get it to stop moving almost immediately.
While part of the crew handled getting the horse to stand still, another portion of the cowboys on site jumped into action, lifting the cowboy off the ground so that they could unhook his chaps from the saddle.
Thankfully, in the end, it appears that the horse and the cowboy were safe and sound. The social media user who shared the tense moment noted that in moments like this, it’s so important to have trained cowboys who are ready to jump in to help at a moment’s notice.
“Accidents happen, but this is just your Monday reminder, it DOES matter who you hire to protect your contestants, and thankfully some pretty dang good ones saved what could have been a very bad accident by staying calm under pressure and getting him to safety!!”
Amen to that. Check it out:
@mobrucebruce20 Accidents happen but this is just your Monday reminder it DOES matter who you hire to protect ur contestants and thankfully some pretty dang good ones saved what could have been a very bad accident by staying calm under pressure and getting him to safety!! #cowboyswin #protectioncrew #rodeowrecks #rodeo #fyp ♬ suara asli – A F R I D A
