For the past 3 years we have been raising livestock show animals as part of Bowie High School’s FFA program. The learning curve for this new adventure was a little steep at times. What started out with a few chickens in our backyard, ended up with a second place in class finishing with a chorlee heifer at one of the largest rodeos in the World.
This was our second trip to the Houston Rodeo, held in one of the largest stadium complexes on earth. NGR stadium. The site is also home to the OG of indoor football stadiums, the Astrodome. The convention center that hosts the Livestock show is the biggest building I have ever seen. Unlike other livestock shows, it’s also air conditioned and has a nice HVAC.
All Texas major rodeos come with a carnival, the state fair of Texas is the biggest. But Hostons is pretty over the top as well. The food is a mix of traditional carny fair, tex mex and BBQ stands. They even had a few pop up high end sit down steak joints. The beer garden and free live music scene is also nice.
The rodeo happens every night and they pack the Texasn’s football stadium. They have all sorts of rodeo competitions like bronco and bull riding, calf roping, and crazy events for the kids including mutton riding and the calf scramble
What is mutton riding?
Muten riding is a contest at the rodeo where little kids, about 7-8 years old, put on a helmet and crash gear, then hop on the back of a full grown sheep and hold on for dear life as the sheep is let out of the shoot and runs to the finish line. I shit you not, this is a real thing.
What is a Texas Rodeo Calf Scramble?
A bunch of FFA kids try to run down and capture a calf, rope it up and drag it back into the starting area. If they do, they get a free cattle project for there next year in FFA.
A few nights in Houston and 2 shows, one for our sheet and one for the Heifer. The sheep did not place, but the heifer got 2 second in class. A fine end to 3 years of showing animals all over the state of Texas.
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