Western Stock Show and Rodeo

by Mr. New to Denver on Jan.15, 2010, under Activities

I went to the Western Stock Show & Rodeo yesterday. I never would have thought of going to a rodeo, but I had a blast. A friend of mine worked on a farm. She made the perfect tour guide. She actually has the ability to distinguish between the smell of cow, horse and pig shit. I haven’t decided if that is impressive or scary.

Mutton Busting – This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Take a 3 to 5 year old, put a helmet on him or her, and see how long the kid can ride on the back of a running sheep. As the kid falls off there is a tendency for the sheep’s back legs to trample the child. For the record the kids all seemed to enjoy it and they were wearing chest protectors.

It makes me wonder why I like seeing young kids doing dangerous things. I was at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn once for some white collar boxing. One of the matches was between two girls. One was 7 years old and the other was turning 7 the next day. These two little girls clobbered each other with punches and kicks for three, two minute rounds. It was one of the most exciting, action packed matches of the night.

Here are some of the pictures from the stock show & rodeo. Considering the lighting I’m happy with how these pictures came out. To keep a fast shutter speed I had to shoot wide open (f 2.8) at an ISO 800 or 1600, which is well past what I am typically comfortable with. The pictures are noisy and grainy, but all things considered not bad.