Gearing up for Ranch Rodeo

Time's up, better mosey along. Photo by Judy Wells.

Buses, trucks and trailers are nothing new to civic centers that host traveling shows, but one doesn't expect to see cowboys parked in 30 minutes-only spots or checking their horse's hooves on the sidewalk.

A little TLC to the leg. Photo by Judy Wells.

When ranchers and cowboys converge, those who cater to their needs are never far away. The Amarillo Civic Center Complex is large and we found them all. Actually it was hard to miss.

Photo by Judy Wells.

The Budweiser Clydesdales and their spotted Dalmation pal were stabled at one end of a large display room  for close-ups with their fans.

Photo by Debi Lander.

The Ranch Expo filled the middle with trailers, cattle chutes, portable corrals, animal health products, feeds, ag investment firms, chemicals and heavy equipment. At the opposite end a portable corral teemed with buckaroos trying out miniature versions of the pens, trailers and heavy equipment. Cowgirls were putting together stalls for their horses and farm animals.

Photo by Judy Wells.

At a nearby table, indulgent dads were buying miniature versions to keep their buckaroos happy at home.

Bits and bridles and saddles, oh my. Photo by Judy Wells.

The Cowboy Collectible and Trappings Show, 150 hand-picked cowboy craftsmen and collectors, filled an adjacent room with bridles, bits, braided reins, handmade knives, saddles, saddle blankets and halters for starters.

Some shoppers were looking for tack to use, others for collectibles.

 

Boots in every color of the rainbow with customized-while-you-wait hats to match, shirts with pearl snaps, fringed jackets and purses, jewelry, apres round-up or rodeo attire and even high-end ranch-style furniture and decor. Hand-tooled belts, custom buckles and leather chaps could be overlooked amid the merchandise.

Debi even found the perfect vest for a travel writer; no one else in the world is likely to have one like it. She calls it her "yak vest" because it resembles the white yak she rode in China.

Photo by Judy Wells.

Photo by Judy Wells.

There was so much we kept thinking we had found an unexplored area only to discover midway in that it suddenly looked familiar.

Randy Norris ran the show. Photo by Judy Wells.

We caught a cowboy musician's performance, chowed downed with the volunteers and contestants, admired the silver mustache of WRCA President Randy Norris of New Mexico and watched young cowboys-to-be practice roping plastic calves.

Photo by Judy Wells.

It was all we could do to keep from buying a horse so we could outfit it and ourselves in style. You couldn't ask for a better first act for the rodeo that night.