The Rodeo Circuit

Homer, Tim and Fabian Alexis, Okanagan from Head of the Lake Reserve, British Columbia, compete in the penning events on the ranch rodeo circuit, 1996 Photograph by Leslie Tepper

The Ranch Rodeo

One form of rodeo that never travelled very far from its roots is the ranch rodeo. This type of rodeo is still being held today, particularly in small communities on special holidays and at gatherings. The participants, drawn from the local ranches, are almost all working cowboys, and the events closely reflect daily activities on the ranch. In "team penning", for example, competitors must separate a selected number of cattle from a small herd, then move them across the arena into a pen. Sometimes dogs assist cowboys in this event. In another timed event, participants must rope and mark a calf with a chalk-covered branding iron. Some of the old-time races, like the rawhide race, are still held at these community rodeos.

Penning, ranch rodeo at O'Keefe Ranch, Vernon, British Columbia, 1997 Photograph by Leslie Tepper

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Introduction | What makes Native Rodeo Different? | History of Rodeo Associations | Rodeo Heroes | The Rodeo Arena | The Rodeo Circuit | Rodeo Events | Down the Road

SACRED BEINGS | RANCHING | ENTERTAINMENT | RODEO | ARTS AND INDUSTRIES