The New Mexico State University Rodeo Team, in collaboration with Blue Moon Bar & Grill, hosted the County Limits Music Fest & NMSU Rodeo, featuring two nights of rodeo and country music on April 10 and 11.
The rodeo started with a celebration of its graduating members before moving on to the main event, lassoing and bronc riding, before ending the night with live country music.
Night one featured two local bands, Back in the Saddle and The Yarbrough Band, while night two brought local band West Texas along with country artists Summer Dean and Aaron Watson.
Despite the windy weather, the crowd arrived on theme, filling the stands with cowboy hats, boots, and denim. The distinctly western atmosphere highlighted a unique part of southwestern tradition.
An attendee, Alysha Deleo, said the tradition and culture is what keeps her coming back to rodeos.
“I like the culture that surrounds it, especially because I grew up with it, so I feel more at home around rodeo,” Deleo said.
Rodeo as an event has been around since the late 1800’s. Along with being a current longstanding practice for many, it’s something attendees said they looked forward to passing on to their children.
Attendee Marlene Walker shared her own plans to share the event with future generations.
“When my daughter was pregnant…we wanted to pass down the tradition,” Marlene Walker said. “We would see videos of girls barrel racing, ‘This is what the baby’s gonna do.’”
Participants also shared that they or someone they know had gotten into the tradition of dressing in western wear and attending rodeos themselves.
For such a high-risk sport – with an average of up to 16 injuries per 1,000 competitive exposures, according to Science Direct – there continues to be a high amount of local interest in rodeo.
Attendees made it clear that the draw to the sport outweighs the risk of danger.
“There’s always that risk and stuff, like getting kicked off the horse, getting kicked by the horse, or my sister, she used to get bit by the horse,” attendee Mark Walker said.
Regardless of the bad experiences, Mark Walker added that his sister continues in the sport, as does his support for her.
Deleo said she even uses the danger to her advantage.
“Just believing in yourself and letting go of the fear [helps get over the danger],” Deleo said. “…also learning how to deal with different situations and having to switch your technique on different horses.”
Even though the rodeo stands as a deep-set tradition, attendees included those new and old to the sport.
“You see everybody,” Marlene Walker said. “It’s not just farmers, ranchers – there’s so many different genres of people that are interested in it, love it. They love the culture. They want to be a part of it. That’s the great thing.”
Information on future rodeos and the team can be found on their website.
