The theme of the rodeo in Sheridan this year was cowboys and Indians and the Indians were quite well represented. Slack rodeo in the mornings was a good time to avoid the crowds. I have always adored the Budweiser Clydesdales and spent some time in their stable area. Chip seemed to have the run of the place.
The Clydesdales were treated like royalty by their keepers. Bath time coming up. This girl is 5'10" so you can imagine how tall this horse is.
Then they get walked around the area for exercise and visiting. This group came from Ft. Collins, Co. Another group is on the east coast and one in St. Louis.
In the meantime Chip rested for his evening performance, and perform they did. The Clydesdales could turn that beer wagon on a dime. It was late for my camera to pick up the action.
On Thursday night everyone lines their chairs up for Friday's parade. What a sight to see. That is my yellow chair at the end. I say do like the locals do.
After a visit to the YMCA we enjoyed the pancake breakfast and the bed parade. These were the winners of the fast paced bed race where someone lay on the bed while the guys raced down the street.
The rodeo parade followed and what a parade it was including cowboys, Indians, the 7th Cavalry Drum and Bugle Corps, lots of floats and kids and horses.
Following the parade the powwow took place with a large group from Yakima, Washington and a group from the Crow Nation in Montana. I visited with some of the Crows. They all seemed so friendly.
This ribbon dancer was graceful and elegant. The last dance invites anyone to join in.
The 7th Cavalry Drum and Bugle Corps is a favorite in the town and we saw them perform at the Vaudeville Show on Thursday night. They got Congressional permission to wear the uniform of the 7th Cavalry of Custer and Little Big Horn fame and they perform all over the country. Everyone goes a little crazy during rodeo days and after the parade they march around town stopping in to entertain and visit with the crowds at the restaurants and bars around town. Lots of folks join in and follow them from bar to bar. Hello!
And then there was a first class rodeo! The weather for this day is often 100 degrees and sunny but we were fortunate to enjoy overcast skies and cooler temperatures. Our favorite of the evening was the Indian relay which involved races around a track by Indians who switched horses each lap for three laps. The switching of horses was no easy feat. The horses acted as if they hadn't been broken but I don't know the story; however, to leap on one bareback seemed a challenge.
The Clydesdales put on a fine performance showing how they could maneuver the beer wagon with some beautiful footwork and some fancy sidestepping. It got too dark for my camera to catch the action! And then of course there was all of the normal rodeo action which included many world class performers.
Well, woman's work is never done. It is time to move on and plan the next adventure.
1 comment:
I do love bed races and obviously these people really went all out with the bicycle wheels, but I would have loved to see the Indian Relay. I'm afraid I would have taken pictures anyway. My thinking is that they just don't want flashes going off.
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