Looking for that quintessential Texas experience during your visit? We’ve got just the rodeo for you, each offering up much more than the typical bull riding.
Supposedly baseball is America’s pastime, but the rodeo is the only truly American sport. It came from the true daily work of ranch hands in the Southwest. The hard-at-work farmers started competing with one another for fun, “our ranch against yours.” From there, it has grown into a major industry and a must-see, namely in Texas. To really immerse oneself in the Lone Star State experience, attending a rodeo is non-negotiable. Here is our guide to the best rodeos across our hotel destinations and some useful tips to keep you from sounding like a tenderfoot (rodeo slang for a newcomer).
Our Favorite Go-Rounds:
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
Starts: Second Week of February
For two weeks every February, the AT&T Center in San Antonio transforms into the biggest indoor rodeo in the country. The event includes the country’s best rodeo stars competing across seven different events, including the crowd favorite – bull riding. Along with adrenaline-filled bareback antics, there is shopping, local wine and craft beer tents, food from all over the state, petting zoos, parades, and five stages for live music, including the main stage at the AT&T Center where the likes of Brett Eldridge, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Brad Paisley will perform.
Know Before You Go
There are two types of events: timed and rough stock. Timed events include steer wresting (also known as bull dogging), barrel racing, and all forms of roping. The rough stock events are the high-adrenaline events like saddle bronc, bareback, and bull riding.
Stay with Us:
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Starts: Last Week of February
The next major Texas rodeo event is also the biggest in the country. For almost a month, Houston becomes the rodeo capital of the US, with both men and women competing. The event is kicked off with the World Championship BBQ cook-off that you can smell from a mile away. But this rodeo isn’t just about the food. From barrel racing and saddle bronc to the horse show that runs alongside the main rodeo for the month, this is the most equestrian-centered event of the year. Competitors battle it out in hundreds of events including “English performance”(when horses and riders effortlessly run through a predetermined set of movements) where the rider is even wearing a tailcoat or a top hat. This rodeo also pulls some notable entertainers for its live music performances, previously hosting Jason Aldean, Beyoncé, Miranda Lambert, and LL Cool J.
Know Before You Go
Rough stock events are judged, though to get a score you have to first avoid getting disqualified. Disqualification can come from a time less than eight seconds, touching yourself or the animal with your free hand (that one where the riders are waving their arm around over their heads), or misplacing your feet.
Stay with Us:
Hotel Alessandra | Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE
Rodeo Austin
Starts: Second Week of March
Rounding out the peak season, Rodeo Austin comes at the end of March. This two-week event is more than just a rodeo and stock show. The grounds always house a full-size fair, complete with Austin’s largest annual carnival full of rides, games, deep-fried confections, a “taste of Texas” area full of local food trucks (what else would you expect from the food truck capital?), and, to wash it all down, the beer gardens hosted by local craft brewers. You can also expect pig races, old-school Wild West shows, and mutton busting, a southwestern tradition where kids ride bareback on a sheep in the comical version of a bull ride.
Know Before You Go
The riders aren’t the only ones getting scored during rough stock events. The animal also receives a score for its performance. The power and the intensity of its bucking is scored by two judges. They combine their numbers and it makes up half of a competitor’s overall score.
Stay with Us:
Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo
Starts: Third Weekend of October
To prove the old adage that “every season is rodeo season in Texas,” College Station hosts the Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo for a weekend every October. The weekend is jam-packed with five acres of carnival rides, kid-friendly shows, and concerts by artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Charlie Daniels. Of course, there are also three days of action-packed rodeo events for the area’s best competitors, like local favorites, the Texas A&M rodeo team. While the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association has slightly different rules than the International Professional Rodeo Association, these college athletes are expected to compete with the same standards as the other competitors.
Know Before You Go
Timed events aren’t just about getting the job done in the shortest amount of time. Competitors have just as many rules as their rough stock counterparts. Animals have to be given enough of a head start and the well-being of the animal always has to be taken into consideration. If a competitor does something that might hurt the animal, such as yanking it off its feet while roping, this results in immediate disqualification.
