State Fair, Part 1: {Rodeos and Cowboys}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I went to our state fair for the first time with my family a few days ago, and got TONS of pictures! Because obviously. 😉 I have far too many to stuff into one post, so I’ll do at least one more collection after this. For now, enjoy some action photography of horses, lassos, and cute little cowboys 😀

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My main fair experience has been with the county fair where we used to live. It was quite large and well-done, so I was a little underwhelmed by how the state fair compared. I’d say there weren’t that many more rides. But we didn’t go on any, so. 😛

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However, there were WAY more people than at the county fair! It was honestly pretty exhilarating (and exhausting) to be surrounded by so many people! Particularly when you’re used to living way out in the country. Which I still vastly prefer, don’t worry. XD

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Aww, isn’t this little guy so cute? He looks like he’s having a blast.

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The ticket lines were ginormous! They extended past what the picture shows.

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My, that’s quite the blue hair. O.o I saw another lady with the brightest pink hair I’d ever seen, but since she was far away I didn’t get a picture. 😛

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Once we got our tickets, the boys went off to look at equipment (of course) and the girls headed toward the livestock.

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After some walking, we decided to watch a highschool rodeo that had just started. I had actually never seen a rodeo, so it was really interesting! They started out with a long introduction of horseback riding with flags and singing and talking. 😛

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After that, they did “mutton busting,” where little boys tried to stay on a sheep’s back as long as they could. It was rather amusing, but I didn’t get any good pictures because they were too far away. I did get a picture of the sheep, though.

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After the mutton busting, they did something similar, except with calves. This was even more interesting; one little guy stayed on for quite a while even though the calf bucked and jumped all over the place! As you can see:

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Apparently they couldn’t get enough of jumping around, so the boy who won (I think the one in the picture above) started galloping around in the dust, presumably pretending to be a calf. XD

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Just a warning: I took a bunch of pictures of these guys since 1) they were right close to me, and 2) they were so CUTE! An amusing mix of hardened cowboy and carefree little boy. Also how great are their bright pink shirts/uniforms? :’D

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After a few more rounds, they moved on to participants trying to lasso a calf while on horseback. It must have been as hard as it looked since not everyone was successful in the time limit allotted.

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HAHA, the horse looks like it’s thinking “WHATAMIDOINGWHATAMIDOING” in this picture. :’D

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We didn’t see them lasso any horned steers (or bulls), so maybe they used these guys after we left.

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AHA! Mission completed! It was amazing to see them actually hit their mark!

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I must say, the calves were quite sprightly and maybe even cuter than the Holstein calves we used to raise. 😛

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Someone please tell me if pineapple shirts and bright blue knee socks are required clothing for rodeo assistants…?

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Ooh, I love this one! So dramatic.

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Aww, isn’t this little spectator adorable??

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I really wish that gate wasn’t in the way of my pictures… I mean no, I don’t, because that would be bad, but YOU know. XD

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Time for a meeting of the junior cowboys with… I dunno, probably someone’s mother? (Yep, that’s a pretty good guess, huh? 😛 )

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The boys were pretty unfazed by whatever was going on, but occasionally the stampede came a little too close for comfort…

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Ooh, a perfect lasso shot! 😀

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Annnd we’ll end with one of my favorite pictures. I was going to make it all black and white, but I couldn’t resist keeping in their bright pink shirts. Something about the style plus the color fits their serious little man-ness. Also notice the Monster energy drink in the left boy’s hand. :’D

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Welp, that’s it for the first installment! I hope you enjoyed those shots as much as I did. 🙂 I’d love to hear…

Which photo did you like best? Have you been to a rodeo? Do you like action photography? Is your fair big or small?

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D3400 and a 35mm lens. Edited with picmonkey.com.

42 thoughts on “State Fair, Part 1: {Rodeos and Cowboys}”

  3. It always seemed WAY too hot to go to the fairs around here (whoever thought of having them in the middle of JUNE!?). I’ve only been to two local rodeo’s here but I was volunteering each time and didn’t get to see much of the actual riding. But who can resist hanging out with cute cowboys! 🙂

    Oh, and I LOVE the last black and white shot where you kept the shirts pink, that was my favorite! – Except for the sports drink, as a mom that made me cringe a little! 🙂

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    1. Heh heh, yeah – our old fair was in August, when it was really hot. Heh heh, neat!
      AHH, THANKS! That was one of my favorites too! Heh heh yeah, the sports drink made me cringe a little too. :’D

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  6. The monster energy drink reminds me of a debate I once had on whether caffeine should be regulated. I said it probably should be. (apparently it is in some instant oatmeal)
    Also where did Megan get her boots?

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  7. Awww those little junior boys are so cute! Haha!! The pineapple and blue socks picture was the BEST, and I definitely love the style of the last one!!
    I can’t wait for part 2!

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  10. your people photography *flails* it’s so beautiful

    it’s funny, i always wanted to go see a rodeo/fair since i even heard of them existing XD it’s so cool to see pictures of them here!
    and that poor rodeo assistant. *dies* i think he’s obnoxiously dressed to attract the bull if said bull becomes mad? idk?

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  11. Allison thank You for the tour of the Rodeo. We attended Rodeos when the had them in Madison Square Garden.
    Marion,Joan and Marilyn

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  13. Awe your state fair has a real roller coaster! Lucky! I LOVE roller coasters but ours only has baby ones. XD I haven’t really been to a rodeo, but I really like your lasso action shots! 😀
    I heard that Alaska’s state fair is the biggest in the whole country apparently? Idk it feels pretty big. XD

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  14. RODEO!!! One of my favorite things. 😀 I compete in barrel racing with my horse, and I did our state’s all-girl rodeos last year, and in 2020 I’m going to do them again, as well as our state’s high school rodeos. I’m so excited!! I can’t believe you had never been to a rodeo before. Going as a spectator, and as a competitor, is always thrilling. What event was your favorite?

    Aww, the cute little cowboys! I love their pink shirts; was it a day themed for breast cancer awareness? A lot of rodeos have those.

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    1. WOW, really? That’s super neat, Kendra! Heh heh, I know! It’s pretty strange that I’d never been, but it was a lot of fun! I literally have no idea what this event was called, but I liked the one where the contestant rode horseback while trying to lasso a calf… XD
      I know, they were adorable! And hey, you’re right! I kind of forgot about it, but it was.

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      1. Oh, that must have been breakaway-calf-roping. I’ve thought about trying that! Did they have tie-down roping (where the guy ropes a calf, jumps off his horse, throws down the calf and ties three of its legs together)?

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  15. Yay!!! I always look forward to your fair photos!! 😀 Those boys are so funny! XD And that pineapple shirt guy’s outfit. XD XD I have been to a rodeo once and it was really fun! 😀 Also, that is some REALLY blue hair! O_O I guess go big or go home when you are dying your hair! XD That little girl is SO CUTE!! ❤ Delightful and dazzling photos!! ❤

    -Laura ❤ 🙂

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  19. Pingback: State Fair, Part 1: {Rodeos and Cowboys} — A Farm Girl’s Life – Truth Troubles

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