Rodeo
We had been in Weatherford, Texas for almost 8 months. Coming from rural California we were no strangers to rodeo. Just a few weeks back the wife and I had attended the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo with our 5 year-old son, Dylan. I asked Dylan, “so what do you think?” and Dylan said, “I can do that, I want to be a bull rider.” I thought to myself, wow! Is my boy being serious? Watching the rest of the rodeo was such a joy seeing my son light up and talk about all the cowboys.
Once we settled in at home that night, my wife and I were talking about the nights’ events, and how fascinated Dylan was with the cowboys. I told my wife, “we should get him into Mutton Busting,” and after showing her a few videos on the internet, she was …show more content…
As I am looking for my son, I see a group of boys probably between the ages of 4 and 6 sitting up on the fence between the corral and chute. All are focused on the sheep and what they came to do, and right in the middle of them is my Dylan. I call to Dylan, “hey cowboy, come on down here. You need to get in line, you are riding third”. Dylan jumps down landing in the fresh dirt and runs over with the biggest smile on his face. I put on his flak jacket and helmet while telling him, “all you need to do is lean forward and hang on to the sheep’s wool” He gave me a thumbs up. Since we are riding third, there is one boy in the bucking chute already and one on up on the deck ready to get in. Just as Dylan and I are climbing up onto the chute deck, the first rider takes off, only lasting a couple of seconds before he falls off his sheep and lands hard onto the corrals’ sandy soil. Now it’s rider number twos turn, but he seems scared and not wanting to climb into the chute with the sheep. Oh man I wonder if this is his first time too and if Dylan is going to get scared. I look over at Dylan and I can see a little hint of fear in his eyes and can see the nervousness setting in. I bent down too so I can look directly in Dylan’s eyes and tell him, “it’s ok to be nervous and have fear, but it’s what you do next that will make you a cowboy. Having fear is completely normal, even I still have fear when I get into my race car”. As all of this was going on the second rider chose not to ride this day, and I sure hope he overcomes that fear next time. Wait, now it’s Dylan’s turn! I yell down to the man who had been helping the riders onto the sheep. “First time rider, can I climb in the chute with him?” He gives me a nod. So now, Dylan and I are in the
We had been in Weatherford, Texas for almost 8 months. Coming from rural California we were no strangers to rodeo. Just a few weeks back the wife and I had attended the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo with our 5 year-old son, Dylan. I asked Dylan, “so what do you think?” and Dylan said, “I can do that, I want to be a bull rider.” I thought to myself, wow! Is my boy being serious? Watching the rest of the rodeo was such a joy seeing my son light up and talk about all the cowboys.
Once we settled in at home that night, my wife and I were talking about the nights’ events, and how fascinated Dylan was with the cowboys. I told my wife, “we should get him into Mutton Busting,” and after showing her a few videos on the internet, she was …show more content…
As I am looking for my son, I see a group of boys probably between the ages of 4 and 6 sitting up on the fence between the corral and chute. All are focused on the sheep and what they came to do, and right in the middle of them is my Dylan. I call to Dylan, “hey cowboy, come on down here. You need to get in line, you are riding third”. Dylan jumps down landing in the fresh dirt and runs over with the biggest smile on his face. I put on his flak jacket and helmet while telling him, “all you need to do is lean forward and hang on to the sheep’s wool” He gave me a thumbs up. Since we are riding third, there is one boy in the bucking chute already and one on up on the deck ready to get in. Just as Dylan and I are climbing up onto the chute deck, the first rider takes off, only lasting a couple of seconds before he falls off his sheep and lands hard onto the corrals’ sandy soil. Now it’s rider number twos turn, but he seems scared and not wanting to climb into the chute with the sheep. Oh man I wonder if this is his first time too and if Dylan is going to get scared. I look over at Dylan and I can see a little hint of fear in his eyes and can see the nervousness setting in. I bent down too so I can look directly in Dylan’s eyes and tell him, “it’s ok to be nervous and have fear, but it’s what you do next that will make you a cowboy. Having fear is completely normal, even I still have fear when I get into my race car”. As all of this was going on the second rider chose not to ride this day, and I sure hope he overcomes that fear next time. Wait, now it’s Dylan’s turn! I yell down to the man who had been helping the riders onto the sheep. “First time rider, can I climb in the chute with him?” He gives me a nod. So now, Dylan and I are in the