MUD, BLOOD, GUTS & GLORY

PHOTOS & INTERVIEWS ON LIFE IN THE RODEO

Independent Photo Book Publication Available for Purchase: Mud, Blood, Guts & Glory

BROKEN HORN RODEO

LOST NATIONS RODEO

Ryan Eyler on Bull Riding:

“I think the biggest thing that stuck in my head from rodeo that I’ll never forget was when I was just starting to really ride bulls, I was kind of losing my head, losing focus on why I was there. I was chasing money and buckles, and then I talked to a friend of mine who was another bull rider and goes, “Hey, man, it’s not about the money. It’s not about the buckles. You’re doing it because you love it. It’s not about winning.” And that really humbled me. And then after that, I didn’t care about winning any money. I didn’t care about any buckles. I just was riding bulls to ride bulls. The rodeo in my life... it was a dream. It was obviously a dream, and I got to live that dream for several years and just be wild and free to live that cowboy lifestyle for that weekend rodeo. It was like nothing else.”

MIDWEST INVITATIONAL RODEO

The Midwest Invitational Rodeo tours around the nation, featuring many of America’s best African-American rodeo cowboys and cowgirls with the aim to not just entertain the fans in the grandstands, but to also educate upon the history and culture of the Black Cowboy.

Staci Russel on Barrel Racing and Representing Culture:

“All that I am experiencing is an adrenaline rush, I would say, prior to when we’re warming up, I’m pretty calm and Reese is pretty calm, but I swear he knows when it is time to run. I’m sure when hears my name that comes over the PA, he gets amped up and you just have to focus. Like, it’s almost like you have tunnel vision and you are in the zone and I don’t really hear anything. It’s just like you are completely at one with the horse and you’re just focused on what it is that you have to do. Once you are coming home from the third barrel, then it’s like you start to hear something. Sometimes I feel like I may not even be breathing even though I know that I am, but it’s like I’m so winded afterwards. It’s very exciting, it’s truly exciting.”

“I would say the moment that sticks out the most... the Finals when I actually made the Mid State Rodeo Association Finals and I was the first African American to win a barrel racing title. I was the 2017 Barrel Racing Champion that year for the Mid States Rodeo Association and that was an accomplishment, it was a milestone.”

“Sometimes I’m the only me there, and it’s been more than a few rodeos where I was the only me. When I say that I’m the only me out of the entire crowd and out of all of its competitors, I was the only African American person there. Sometimes or oftentimes, I feel like I have to represent my city, that I have to represent my culture, but also represent the perspective and perception of an African American female entering a sport where you see very few African American competitors, especially in the Midwest.”

“It is a sport that makes a lifelong impression. Once you get sucked into it, it’s very hard to get out of it. It’s something that teaches kids just in terms of owning an animal, it teaches kids a lot about themselves, and it helps build confidence in children. That, I would say, is one of the bright spots of rodeo and why it should be, or why I would want as many kids as possible, or even adults, to get involved in the sport.”

MINT FESTIVAL RODEO PRESENTED BY TWISTED P RODEO COMPANY

Carter Agal on Bronc Riding:

“It’s like duct taping yourself to a freight train on purpose. When you’re on the back of a bucking horse, it’s kill or be killed no matter what. It’s going to fight all the way ‘til you’re off.”

SUPER KICKER RODEO

Jonathon Dommisse on the Risks of Bull Riding:

“I’d say it was January, probably right after Christmas, I ended up getting my first serious injury where I actually had to go in for. I would always just ride cowboy hat down. I was thinking I was cool and doing this and that, whatever and think nothing of it, didn’t think I’d get hurt or nothing. I ended up falling forward on the bull and right as I was coming down, he was jumping up in the front, threw his head back and my head came down right on top of his bull horn. Ended up taking a horn right across the side of my face, I didn’t get knocked out or nothing but I was out of it. Foot flying over the front of him and he’s sitting there spinning and stomping on my leg and stuff like that so I can’t really get up. Finally I get out of the arena and everything kind of starts going dark. Sit down and everything, thinking it really wasn’t that bad. Funny part about that was it was actually the first time my parents ever came to watch me ride so that kind of left a real good taste in their mouth... They kind of told me it wasn’t looking good and stuff like that and I think nothing of it, they showed me a picture of my face and it was just blood gushing down. My left eye was swollen shut. I was in a decent amount of pain but nothing crazy.”

“So they were like we should probably go in and went to the hospital, got some x-rays and I ended up pretty much shattering my whole cheekbone. My eye socket had a few things broken in there, something broken in my jaw and my eye was kind of sagging low. So then we had surgery, I think it was about a week and a half after that. They were thinking it would be like a two hour surgery to stick two, maybe three plates in my face and maybe a little bit of nerve damage and I’d be on my way. Come go to the surgery, it ended up being about 6 hours long. Nerve damage was a lot worse than they expected and then they ended up throwing five plates in there because the damage was a bit more than we thought. I think it was a week and a half or two weeks after that, I actually ended up going back to that same ranch, hopping on that bull that broke my face open and riding him for 8 seconds just to say, “hey, screw you, I got you back for that.” So I was kind of first getting started, had a little rocky start there with that little injury. Everybody was kind of thinking I’ll just quit off from that, but that’s not how I was raised. I don’t really quit that easy. So then we were practicing, me and my buddy’s were for a couple more weeks and they had some smaller rodeos at that ranch we always practice at. I hit up a few of those, won a little bit of money off that, nothing crazy.”

TWISTED P RODEO COMPANY

Kalleena VanHouten on Family and the Community of Rodeo:

“My parents, Garrett and Kelly, introduced me to rodeo. I’ve done it my whole life. My dad picked up and roped and my mom and myself both barrel raced, and my brother also team roped, so just a family event. My dad would enter me in rodeos even when I really wasn’t ready, just to get me the exposure and to learn how to compete and win and lose. I mean, it’s hard, but it’s what makes you want to be better. My mom and my brother, too, he always pushed me to be better, we’d compete. And now my husband, he’s great, he took a whole summer of traveling for me to make the IFR (International Finals Rodeo). We had to go all the way to Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, just all over. The family that I have is the most supportive and truly the close circle of friends that I have. If we have a bad run or just questions, they’re always there to pick you up and make you feel better. The support circle you have is huge.”

“I think something that just sticks out to me the most in rodeo is the togetherness, the family. My husband picks up and ropes and my kids rope and bull ride. What sticks out to me most is just all of us being together and we all travel together, we compete together, the ups and downs. It’s just really neat being there for each other, I guess, all the time in every aspect. We get to travel the United States together and that part sticks out to me most.”

“As much as we compete, if you’re in the right circle, your circles the biggest cheerleaders for you, you want them to win, and we all help each other get better, but when you’re out there, you want to win. Everybody’s kind of cheering for each other. That’s kind of cool.”