Cal Expo hosted the Sac-Town Rodeo on Sept. 20 as the first stop of the National Bullriding Championship Tour.
Since 1995, the tour host Diamond Productions has organized some of the biggest bull riding competitions in Northern California. This was the first time that I’ve attended one, and it was nothing short of exciting.
As a city kid growing up in New York City, I was never exposed to this type of entertainment. After moving to California a couple years ago, I’ve been to diesel truck competitions and drag racing, but never anything like a rodeo. The closest was Unleash the Beast, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) national tour that showcases the talent of the world’s top-ranked bull riders. But even the email that attendees receive explains that PBR isn’t a rodeo, so I knew that I was entering an entirely different territory.
The lines were packed, the energy was high and I knew that I was in for a good time. I grabbed some food (a hotdog that came out to $12), headed into the arena, and found a spot to stand in just as the action started.
The first piece of the rodeo was mutton-busting. This is a sport performed by children between the ages of 4 and 7. Their goal was to climb on the back of a sheep and ride for as long as possible. A couple of the competitors were able to hold on for a while, some longer than 10 seconds! I knew that I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do something like that at their age.
Performing twice throughout the rodeo, The Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers displayed their talents. Established in 1993, this equestrian drill team brought the crowd to their feet, showcasing patriotism through their synchronicity. Not only did I find their performances spectacular, their purpose stood out to me as well. In 2022, they created a non-profit called Painted Ladies Foundation, whose mission is to help grieving children and young adults going through loss or trauma with animal therapy.
A staple of this event, as I came to learn, was bronc riding. The riders were required to stay on the back of a bucking horse for a total of eight seconds and judged on their control, body position, and spurring technique. Horses get scored too based on their displayed difficulty and the power of their movements. At SacTown Rodeo, there were two different types of bronc riding: saddle and bareback. Bareback riders are required to hold onto a single handhold called a “riggin”using a significant amount of upper-body strength in order to stay atop their horse. In contrast, saddle bronc riders use specialized saddles and bucking straps to match the bucks of their horses.
While capturing photos during this portion of the rodeo, the horses kicked up dust straight at the crowd — thank goodness for lens filters.
Bull riding was by far the loudest portion of the rodeo; people were on the edges of their seats, the stands filled with anticipation. Riding 2,000-pound bulls, the athletes received a qualified ride if they were able to withstand the power of their bull for eight seconds. Both the rider and the bull are judged for their performances. Some of the riders were high school students, the youngest competitor being 16. I questioned why these riders would take on such a daring sport, but that $6,000 prize mentioned by the announcer was tempting.
The aspect of the rodeo that I enjoyed most was crowd participation. The rodeo clown hosted different games that allowed attendees to compete for prizes. There was a sheep scramble, where children chased sheep in order to grab ribbons that’d win them free cotton candy; steer riding, where five teams of three would try to catch and ride a steer and win $100 per person; and a blindfolded race, where two teams wore an inflatable horse costume. The person in the front of the costume wore a blindfold, and the teams were required to race through cones to win $75.
Overall, the Sac-Town Rodeo was incredible, despite the fact that I ended up covered in dirt. If they bring it back next year, I’ll definitely be in attendance.
