It’s the bulls and blood, dust and mud, and
the roar of a Sunday crowd.
The Ski Hi Stampede, Colorado’s Oldest Professional Rodeo, will be held July 28-31, 2011, in Monte Vista, Colorado, located in the beautiful San Luis Valley. This year marks the 90th annual Stampede. The four days are packed full of parades, rodeos, dances, BBQs, a concert, and a pancake breakfast. Ski Hi is the single, largest event in the San Luis Valley and boasts one of the largest carnivals in the state of Colorado.
Stace Smith, seven-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year, will once again provide exciting rodeo livestock for our competitors – which is sure to attract some of the nation’s top cowboys and cowgirls. Announcing all the action is PRCA’s Boyd Polhamus.
This year’s concert features two time Grammy winner Travis Tritt. Tritt’s received numerous awards and been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992. Travis’ bluesy Southern rock performance is sure to be a hit. So come by, grab a bite to eat at the Rotary Chuckwagon BBQ, and then head on over for the two-hour concert.
The Ski Hi Stampede is a unifying community event blending ethnic and cultural diversities in a common celebration of our San Luis Valley Western heritage. The “cowboy ethics code” guides our daily activities with principals of honesty, integrity, loyalty, responsibility, and courage.
For more information visit: www.skihistampede.com
Manassa Pioneer Days Celebratiom
Enjoy one of the oldest rodeos in Colorado; the Manassa Pioneer Days. Come down to the Manassa Fairgrounds for a fun-filled weekend and participate in activities from the carnival, parade, free entertainment, and motocross. Of course you can’t miss the rodeo, which includes horse races, bareback and saddle bronc, barrel racing, and Youth Bull Riding. This rodeo is a New Mexico Rodeo Association (NMRA) qualifier—you’re guaranteed to have a good time!
For more information visit www.themanassaproject.org/celebration/
Origins of the Rodeo
Rodeo is a Spanish word that joined the English language back when US settlers lived in the old Mexican regions of the West. Rodeo referred to the area used for corralling cattle and later came to describe the informal, competitive events that took place there.
Popular Rodeo Sayings
By Dustin Williams
Pulling Leather – When a cowboy says he was “pulling leather,” this means he held tight to the saddle horn to keep from getting bucked off his horse. Another similar term is “grabbin’ the apple.”
Crow Hop – Describes a horse jumping with stiff legs. Usually this happens after a bucking bronco stops trying to buck his cowboy. This term is also known as “frog walking.”
Arm Jerker – Ever wonder what cowboys call the meanest bull out there? Heard the term, “arm jerker”? Arm jerker is often used to describe the most powerful bucking rodeo animals.
