Ride 'em Cowboy - Rodeo School

Ride 'em Cowboy

by Jaimee Blocksom

Publication Date: June 1996

If I told you there is a rodeo school in central Illinois that is nationally renown, would you believe me? Ray Cox has been running the Lazy C Rodeo School for over 30 years. He teaches bull-riding, saddle bronc and bareback skills three days a week. Aspiring cowboys and professional rodeo cowboys alike can reserve any caliber horse or bull. For $35 a day, they can ride as many animals as they want of the 100 bulls and 175 horses that live on the grounds. Ray will watch their ride to advise them on technique and which equipment is best for them. Two mechanical bulls sit outside the school for those who want to get their first taste at what a bucking motion feels like, though Ray and staff recommend trying the real thing.

The Lazy C Rodeo School is open Wednesday evenings and weekends. The school has about eight staff members, including Ray's son Roger (also known as Boogie Boker, Rodeo Clown), who has been a professional rodeo clown for 25 years.

Bill Sauber has been a saddle bronc rider for 12 years. He averages 30 rodeos a year and rides in the Great Lakes Circuit Rodeo. For him, it is a way of life. If he's not working, he is thinking about rodeo. Like most endeavors, he says you get out of it what you put in. Like most athletes, even cowboys put time in at a gym weight training. Bill says that consistency helps: practice, practice, practice, which is what makes a rodeo school so important. Entering a rodeo can cost about $50 and you are only able to get in one eight second ride. Whereas at the school, you can try as many different animals out as you would like for a lot less money. If you are interested in trying out the sport, he recommends calling the high school rodeo association in your state.

For those finding the idea of rodeo sports appealing, it is important to realize that aside from plenty of adrenaline, timing, coordination and balance are requirements. Bareback riders must be prepared to hold onto a small handle reminiscent of a suitcase handle. Bull riders are literally strapped to their mount by a rope around their hand. While bull riding is arguably the most popular event because of the risk and the romanticizing of it, one must also account for economic appeal. The startup costs include special equipment for each event.

The gear necessary for saddle bronc riding, which requires chaps (the leather pant protectors), a saddle, and a rope, can cost around $1400. Bareback riders can expect to pay between $400-500 for their gear. Bull riding is the least expensive because it requires only a rope, which can cost from $100-150. (Chaps are optional for bull and bareback riding.)