By Gavin McGough

Building on a long tradition of horse handling and ranching, the San Miguel Rodeo came through Norwood this weekend for its 117th year. While crowds traveled from across the county, rodeo competitors and workers came from all over the west. KOTO’s Gavin McGough brings an audio postcard from the event.

Down beside the grandstands at the San Miguel Basin Rodeo, competitors in Saturday evening’s barrel race are awaiting their turn to sprint around the ring. In a test of horse handling and athletic power, the steed and rider race in a cloverleaf pattern around four barrels set up in the arena. Coming out of her turn in the ring, Harley Zehnder, a barrel racer from Norwood, is unphased by what she says was a lackluster result.

“It wasn’t my best year, but sometimes that happens. It’s my favorite event of the year, everyone shows up and has a great time. They love watching the rodeo and it’s fun getting to see your family and friends. It’s a super fun event,” Zehnder says.

I ask another competitor, Taylor Hildreth, the secret to a good barrel race.

“Oh, I wish we all knew the answer to that! I train barrel horses for a living and I’m still trying to figure that out. I think the biggest thing is having one that has a lot of try and heart and wants to be a team player,” says Hildreth.

Harley Zehnder agrees that much of the magic comes from the spirit of the horse. She’s riding a speckled gray mare.

“My horse’s name is Penny, and she’s super gritty and tough and she loves to work,” Zehnder says.

Back in the grandstand, below a huge western sunset above the Norwood mesa, the final event of the weekend kicks off. One of rodeo’s iconic competitions, it's bull-riding. The animals, weighing it a ton apiece, rip out of the gates as cowboys hold on for life. The event is nail-biting, eight seconds of danger and suspense.

In the ring right beside the bull and the cowboy, rodeo workers are face to face with the action. Once the cowboy loses their grip and falls from the animal, their job is to corral the bull and separate the kicking beast from the fallen rider. After the event, the cowboy protection team Edward Huffman and Devin Cisneros say that an empty mind is key to working face-to-face with such danger.

“Breathing helps big time. And adrenaline! Adrenaline is huge. It’s just such an adrenaline rush. To keep your cool while it’s happening and you’re in a situation is to pretty much turn your brain off. Don’t let it tell you you can’t,” Cisneros reports.

“Yeah, you just react,” agrees Huffman.

A far cry from the driven and well-groomed mares of barrel racing, the bulls have a personality of their own.

“When I stopped riding bulls — that was like the eighth grade — I just picked up fighting bulls right there,” Huffman says. He says he grew up comfortable around animals, but can only sometimes tell what’s going on in their head.

“They have a different mind; they show one thing and are thinking another,” Cisneros agrees.

“Their smart animals, that's for sure,” adds Huffman.

After Saturday night, the fairgrounds fall silent for another year. The rodeo company, however, bulls and all, move on to their next competition of the season. Cisneros says he’s already excited for the next one.

“It’s phenomenal. This is my first time fighting [bulls] with Ed, and I can’t wait for the next one,” Cisneros says.