Other contractors ride in the arena or pace the walkways behind the chutes, bossing the action, or hurrying the cowboys.
No matter their style, contractors get the work done. Those that have "personality" tend to attract cowboys to even the smallest rodeos, simply because that contractor is easy to work with and the cowboy simply like him. In other cases, cowboys may skip a less than pleasant contractor's rodeo unless the purse is too big to pass up.
However, big time stock contractors are fast becoming an extinct type of cowboy. With rising expenses -- higher transportation costs, higher feed costs, higher salaries and benefit packages; contractor operations have to scale down operations. Cost-cutting measures have taken their toll on rodeo. Trick riding teams, animal trainers, Mexican charros and rope trick artists, once a part of every rodeo, have been cut from man smaller rodeos, with clowns taking up the slack between events or during delays.
The locale often predetermines events. The audiences in rural areas of states such as Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming tend to be knowledgeable about rodeos. Because the love the competitive events, they'll sit through rodeo performances that may be low on other entertainment. However, rodeos in large cities, like on the West Coast and areas where rodeos don't have as large of a following, require more elaborate entertainment. Still, stock contractors and rodeo committees do their best to provide entertainment within their budgets.
Most contractors have adapted well to the changing times of rodeo. Mack Alitzer, a Sonora, Texas, stock contractor, owns the successful contracting outfit known as Bad Company Rodeo (www.badcompanyrodeo.com). The son of a champion calf roper, Mack combined his love of rock and roll with rodeo. His rodeos feature a party atmosphere featuring wild clown acts, but the most memorable acts of his rodeo are his stock. His bucking animals are named for a popular song, like "Bad to the Bone." Each bull or bronc shoots out of the chute to the tune of their "song" and bucks across the arena to a high powered and fun performance.
So next time, when you're sitting at the rodeo enjoying the show, remember not just the cowboys and cowgirls competing in the rodeo, but give an extra big hand to the stock contractors that provide the livestock and sometimes the entertainment to make your day enjoyable.
(Be sure to check out my newly added links for stock contractors--COMING SOON!!)
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