Real Cowboys Abound at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo

For green horns and the cow-savvy alike, the 113th Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo boasts family-oriented entertainment and commercial exhibitions galore. If you are new to Texas, the stock show holds promise as an introduction to true cowboy culture. This impressive event, which boasts over more than 22,000 animals to be shown over 24 days, began over a hundred years ago on the banks of Marine Creek in North Fort Worth. From its earliest days it was billed as "the most opulent and dynamic livestock pavilion in the entire Western Hemisphere," and not much has changed since then.

Going to the show then and now provides an opportunity to make a Western fashion statement. Boots, hats, and cowboy garb from the most authentic to the most exotic are both on display and for sale in the extensive exhibition area. Meanwhile, livestock, horses, poultry, rabbits and pigeons of every possible sort and kind can be viewed in the stock yards. Local kids participating in 4-H and FFA also put their livestock on display in the livestock barns, and show their animals in the arenas. Check the schedule to see which animals are being shown.

If you tire of admiring steer who are having their tails combed and spritzed with hair spray prior to judging and auction, educational exhibits abound, not to mention the midway rides with that particular carny atmosphere so familiar to fairs the country over. There are rides a-plenty for all ages, and the ubiquitous funnel cakes and cotton candy to recharge flagging spirits.

The stock show includes a petting zoo for children, with freshly hatched or hatching chicks for them to watch and touch, goats, lambs, rabbits, and the like. Other kid-friendly fare includes milking exhibits, magic shows, and live music performances.

Not to be missed is the auctions themselves. This year boasts 11 major cattle auctions. For the uninitiated, the ambiance can be intense, with the auctioneer speaking in tongues, while ranchers and cowboys sit round the ring where a terrified steer runs knocking around the ring.

And not least among the entertainment offerings is the rodeo, with the "World's Original Indoor Rodeo" performing 30 times over the 24 day run. In 1918, Fort Worth hosted Wild West Show performers, who participated as contestants in what some claim as the first indoor rodeao spectacular. The initial Fort Worth Rodeo's contestants vied for a total purse of $3,000, and included contests from ladies bucking bronco to men's steer riding to wild horse racing.

Innovations to worldwide rodeo standards were made at this event, including the introduction of side release chutes for bucking stock in 1927 as well as Brahma bull riding. During World War II, Gene Autry became the first specialty act to appear in the Fort Worth Rodeo, another tradition that has gained in popularity nationally.

Tickets for the rodeo can be bought online -- $22 for Friday nights and weekend performances, and $16 for weekday performances.

If you are a rancher or farmer, you can check out the latest and greatest in farm and ranch equipment at the commercial exhibit show.

The Fort Worth Stock show is open from January 16 through February 8th at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Forth Worth, Texas.

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