Yucca Valley Grubstakes Days Rodeo
I'll start off with a tamer photo. This event is called Saddle Bronc Riding. I'll guarantee you these horse are far from tame. When the horse comes out of the chute and the cowboy starts getting banged around you'll ask yourself "Why would anybody want to earn  a living this way?". These photos were taken at the Yucca Valley Grubstakes Days Rodeo. We found it to be a very nice rodeo. The arena was smaller then some we have been to and the crowd not to large.
When they start the bull riding you'll know why they want to earn a living this way. They are all nuts!
In the few years it's been since we saw our first rodeo I notice more and more cowboys wearing protective gear when riding the bulls. This guy has on a protective vest made to protect vital organs and a steel cage helmet.
Then there is always the rodeo clowns whose job is to protect the cowboy from the bull when he is down. The object of the event is to ride the bull for 8 seconds. While that may not seem long, to these cowboys I think it may be an eternity. You'll notice this bull lost his rider. Sometimes when they lose their rider they like to go back to pick them up... with their horns.
This guy is holding on for dear life and the bull is giving him quite a ride. He made it all 8 seconds.
Here the clowns are distracting the bull. The cowboy is behind the bull struggling to get up. So, next time you think your job is hard think about these guys. Yeah there job only last 8 seconds a week but it is an awful rough and dangerous 8 seconds.