The Canon Cowgirl

Tips for A Properly Accessorized Goat

So I (hopefully) will be headed out to shoot the NJRA event in Port Angeles when it comes. For those of you who don’t know the NJRA is the Northwest Jr Rodeo Association. I’ll be there just for practice trying to stay out of the way of the official photographer while at the same time taking note on how he’s shooting the event. This will be a great learning opportunity for me and in fact they’ve already taught me plenty.

Embarrassingly enough I looked at their line up and realized I didn’t know half of the events that they were talking about. Chute dogging, steer daubing, goat tail tying? I knew for sure these weren’t included in the Kitsap Stampede, and was pretty sure OLN wasn’t having primetime specials on goat tail tying. It’s a small hole that I live in so research was necessary.

Here’s what I found out:

Chute dogging and steer daubing have their roots in bulldogging (steer wrestling). For chute dogging the idea is to wrestle the steer just as with bulldogging, except you start in a chute like one would use for the rough stock events, instead of on horseback. For steer daubing you are on horseback and start in the same manor as steer wrestling, only instead of leaping off your horse to the steer, you mark it with a special stick (usually a stick with a chalk covered tennis ball, it looks like)

Goat tail tying is the far back starting point to calf roping, just as mutton busting is the starting point for bull riding (mutton busting is kids riding on sheep if you didn’t know). Its for the littlest of the little ones who may eventually go on to goat tying and on from there. For this event the goat is tied to a stake, they run up, grab it and tie a bow on its tail. It has got to be the worlds most adorable rodeo event (which isn’t all that hard of a title to come by come to think of it, I don’t hear anyone referring to bull riding as “adorable”)

All of these are awesome starting points to the big time, although I have to say (mostly in jest) that they kind of lack some of their originating events … well, point. Calf roping originated from the need to catch calves and immobilize them for branding, medical care ect. In fact, most rodeo events started with some sort of ranch chore nesessity. All except, I think, for bull riding which came from guys needs to do things that are stupid. (flashback to the old west) “Hey Eddie, betcha couldn’t get on that bull and live to tell about it.”…… “I’ll bet I could!!”

Lets share a moment of silence for Eddie the first bull rider.

Alright that’s enough of that

So as I was saying, these starter events don’t seem to have any practical ranch life uses…but lets pretend they did.

Chute Dogging: On a cattle drive, a cocky steer tries to steal your sandwich. You wrestle him a few feet out and drop his ass in front of all his cow friends. Its like prison, if you take down the big ones every now and then, it keeps the rest in line - less hassling, more sandwich.

Goat Tail Tying: Your goat is leaving for a date when you realize it doesn’t have the proper accessories to match its outfit! You make a mad dash, ribbon in hand, and make the tie. That dumb goat would never get any if it weren’t for you.

Steer Daubing: Honestly I’ve got nothing for this one. Although it kind of reminds me of the kid I saw poking a dead opossum with a stick yesterday, only at high speeds.

All in all, despite being a great way to advance into the big-time events, I think I’m glad that the jr rodeo events haven’t made their way into the PRCA, tying ribbons on goats just isn’t as cute when a full grown man is doing it…especially when he’s wearing the pigtails….never mind.

Anyway, it looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me. I’ve only been at this whole rodeo photographer thing a couple weeks and suddenly there’s a dozen more events than I originally thought. Poor ignorant me. It’s a great big rodeo world out there….this is gonna be fun ;)

Liz

Oh and PS: for a real kick Google “goat dressing”. It involves two guys, a goat and a pair of panties… the “practical ranch life” use of that one I’m leaving well enough alone.