THE SEARCH FOR ROUGH STOCK
For 77 years, Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Rodeo has celebrated Old Florida entertainment STORY A N D P HOTOS BY C HR I STO P H E R B A LO G H
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t’s nearly go time. A rodeo cowboy paces on the platform near the metal chute. Inside awaits a bucking horse that he’s never even met. The horse kicks wildly inside the close quarters, making high-pitched ringing noises with every pummel. The cowboy psychs himself up for the moment that he holds on for dear life in front of an audience of 4,000 at the 77th Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee, Florida. He slaps his face and chest to awaken that warrior spirit. His eyes focus on the horse, darting a look of superiority over the animal. “He’s got four hooves, two ears, two eyes and a brain. He can do absolutely whatever he wants,” says Lane Rowland, a 25-year-old cowboy based out of Dalton, Georgia. “You never know, but I’m going to try to best this animal.” On Rowland’s left arm, his riding arm, is a self-made shock absorber fashioned of tape and braces. It’s a preventative measure that has been years in the making, as he learned from teachers in his past, including his own father. “I grew up in it. My dad rode horses and fought bulls,” he says. “In my mind and from what I’ve been taught, it’s one of the best challenges of life.” Rowland steps inside the chute and sits bareback on the horse. He leans backward, lying nearly flat on the horse’s back. Crunched into these tight quarters, he waits for the gate to open, to get that shot of full-tilt adrenaline. The volunteer contractor — a wrangler of the show — tightens the flank strap, a thick piece of leather padding around the horse’s hindquarters. The horse will think he can kick off the strap, but that will not happen. The harder they kick, the harder the bucking. The gate is flung open. Rowland holds on. Eight seconds pass. He will later find out that he won $472 dollars in the bareback horse category in second place at this year’s summer Silver Spurs Rodeo, which took place on June 4 and 5. The 2021 rodeo hosted a slew of competitions from bronc and bull riding to barrel racing to steer wrestling, after missing a year in 2020. Just to be part of the history of this place can be considered an honor. Teens training for the Quadrille ‘scroll in the saddle’ CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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JUNE 30-JULY 6, 2021 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
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