BARBOURSVILLE ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Professional outdoor rodeo has found a niche here in the Tri-State as Barboursville Pro Rodeo returns to Barboursville Park this weekend.
The Barboursville Pro Rodeo, sponsored and hosted by the Cabell County Fair, will take place Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17, beginning at 8 p.m. on both days. The venue will be the horse pen located just past the baseball fields at 1 Park Road in Barboursville Park.
The Barboursville Pro Rodeo is operated by the Revenge Roughstock Company based in Boones Mill, Virginia, just south of Roanoke. The companyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s rodeos are sanctioned by the American Roughstock Association and they feature professional cowboys and cowgirls going for the prize money in the categories of bull riding, bronc riding and barrel racing.
The Revenge Roughstock Company is operated by the father and son team of Zack and Martin Towery, who run things by the organizational motto of, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe desire to create a unique opportunity for a family atmosphere at our events, and we strive to maintain those experiences for both spectators and competitors. We want our competitors to feel safe, comfortable and confident when they climb on our bulls to become better athletes. We aim to provide a new understanding of the value of rodeo and the western lifestyle, as well as the unique and honed skillsets of our human and animal athletes.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Martin Towery said heÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been in the rodeo business for roughly 13 years.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI have been riding bulls and doing rodeo since I was a kid, so I have been around it my whole life,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThen, my dad, Zack, and I decided to partner up and create this company together. Since then, we have been working with the American Roughstock Association ... and these rodeos all lead up to the Finals competition at the end of the year.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The origins of all things rodeo can be traced back to human nature and the connection from humans to horses and bulls. At some point, as cows and horses were domesticated, there were situations when bravado and upmanship kicked in and someone was dared to hop on the back of a bull to prove their mettle, or money was bet on the act.
In the Old West era of the 1800s, however, the solidification of the cowboy lifestyle was etched in the minds of the rest of the country and the world. The old ways were still practiced in the west of our nation then as the Industrial Revolution inundated the eastern half of the U.S.
As the country entered the 20th Century, the love of the Old West never died down. Dime novels were written about that disappearing period of history and many songs, movies and TV shows were eventually created as well, based on the cowboy lifestyle and adventures.
Out of the Old West experience came the professional rodeo circuit in the 1930s. Now, we are over a century and a half removed from the heyday of the Old West, yet the appreciation of that lifestyle continues.
Tickets for the Barboursville Pro Rodeo are $15 for adults ahead of time and $20 on the day of the event, $10 for kids 6 to 12, and 5 and under are free. Tickets can be bought at . No dogs or coolers are allowed and food vendors will be there at this rain or shine event.
