You might be used to watching old western movies with your grandparents, featuring cowboys "breaking" (also known as taming or domesticating) wild broncs or chasing and roping stray cattle back to their herd. It all may seem lost in the past to most people but, for some Americans, this is just their average Thursday. Rodeos in Florida, as well as much of the western United States, have been a source of entertainment for generations, often instilling a sense of tradition that their kids and grandkids will then pass on to their children. Since 1944, the Silver Spurs Rodeo has evolved from good friends showing off their horsemanship skill in a grassy field to bringing top name contestants from across the nation to a sold-out arena and an awestruck crowd. On this blog, we'll go over the hard work and long hours that go into putting on a rodeo in the 21st Century.

Securing athletes for rodeo performances, and not just the two-legged kind

‍In the rodeo events of bull riding, saddle bronc riding, and bareback riding, both the cowboy and the livestock are scored on their performance. For most contestants, they will ultimately have the final say on which rodeos they plan on competing in. However, for the roughstock, they will need to be transported to the arena. For the Silver Spurs Rodeo, all of the roughstock used during these events are located at the Silver Spurs Ranch down in Kenansville. However, for other rodeos that don't have their own roughstock, or want to bring in more experienced bulls and broncs, stock contractors will often need to reach out to other stock contractors to see if they can supply the amount of livestock they need in time for their rodeo.

‍Putting on a seamless night of rodeo action and entertainment

‍Like any major modern sporting event, the sport of rodeo recognizes the fact that fans love the action that goes on before, during, and after each rodeo event. To ensure the action doesn't stop, rodeo production teams work closely with light and cameramen, pyrotechnicians, the rodeo clown, and the rodeo announcer to create a seamless timeline between the action of each rodeo event, the pyrotechnic show, and the halftime acts from our rodeo clown. One unique aspect of the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee is that we hold peewee and junior quadrille performances throughout the night to share a part of our tradition with our fans.

Organizing food, drinks, and rodeo vendors people will love

‍If you love food as much as we do, you'll know how well it goes with pretty much anything. Weddings, corporate meetings, football games, and even rodeo performances. For the Silver Spurs Rodeo, the food and drink committee will ban together with other Silver Spurs Rodeo volunteers and serve traditional cookout dishes like hot dogs and hamburgers. However, for other rodeos, an event organizer will have to secure third-party food and drink vendors for the night of their event. An event organizer will also have to reach out to local businesses to purchase branded merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, and koozies, to be sold at their event.

Even though these three points give just a broad overview of all the hard work put into organizing a rodeo, it's important to highlight the workers and volunteers working together to put on a good show. And while most rodeos put on a good show to make a profit at the end of the day, the Silver Spurs Rodeo does it for its community. As a 503(c) non-profit, the Silver Spurs Club donates a portion of the funds raised during each rodeo performance to a local charity. With all this in mind, make sure to save the date for our next rodeo this October! Like us on our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter to be the first to learn more about this event and when tickets go on sale. Hope to see you there!