Eight Second Ride

Well it's bulls and blood
It's dust and mud
It's the roar of a Sunday crowd
It's the white in his knuckles
The gold in the buckle
He'll win the next go 'round
It's boots and chaps
It's cowboy hats
It's spurs and latigo
It's the ropes and the reins
And the joy and the pain
And they call the thing rodeo.

Despite my affinity for cowboy boots, cowboy hats and two steppin', I had never been to a rodeo. Until now. And it was a full on Aussie country event.

 

I saw all the events: steer wrestling, barrel racing, bareback, saddle bronc and of course the marquee event: bull riding. And now I understand why. That bull can be pretty intimidating and spastic. Except for the bull that didn't buck for one cowboy the first time. Or the second time (on another bull). He was clearly the bull whisperer.

Mullewa is in the country. Everyone who I told I was going to the rodeo in Mullewa, they said "That will be an experience". Mullewa is out in the C.O.U.N.T.R.Y. Bogan country. (Bogan is the aussie word for redneck). Luckily we didn't need to travel on any dirt roads to get there, but we did have some 50k stretches of single lane roads. Not one lane in both direction. One lane. Period. 

The "cultural experience" spectacle did not disappoint. There were boys and girls of all ages and all types out for the festivities. Lots of flannel and some of the best mullets I've ever seen in real life.

 And the cowboys in their colored chaps didn't look half bad either.

I winced and covered my eyes every time someone fell off (yes I'm such a girl). Luckily no one was seriously hurt that day due to the talent and skill of the rodeo clowns, but one man did get his hand stuck and was dragged behind a horse for what seemed like forever.

The rodeo isn't just for cowboys. The cowgirls got in the action with cattle roping, barrel racing and "undecorating". Undecorating was the most uneventful event. They take about 2 seconds to pull a ribbon of a little cow. If you blink, you miss it. But those girls have got one thing right: the bling. They have bejeweled jeans, rhinestone crowns on their hats, and sequined shirts. Shine on cowgirl.

Following the rodeo, there was a country concert complete with beer and bundy before everyone rolled out their swags in the parking lot. A silent night under the country starts, apart from the cool kids practicing cracking their whip (seriously), that got everyone riled up. I believe at one point there was a "Shut up! Or at least learn how to do it!"

And in case you forgot what a swag is...

 

And that thing the swag is behind is a ute. But that's a whole other story...