Fans are one of the best things about rodeoing. I especially feel honored that young kids who grow up riding themselves look up to us cowboys. That’s why I get involved when I can to give back. April 3, I’ll be in Emerson, Ark. as part of the PRCA Championship Rodeo Camp Series. The camp is free for participants and teaches young cowboys and cowgirls the fundamentals of rodeo. Each time there are several PRCA cowboys on hand to teach, and I’m lucky enough to be able to help in Emerson next weekend.

This camp will focus on all the roughstock events: saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and bull riding. We’ll introduce the participants to these events while focusing on safety, fundamentals, chute procedures, and livestock safety. We’ll also provide an overview of riding equipment, injury prevention and management, fitness and nutrition, an introduction to PRCA business and goal setting.

Come by if you can or check this site for more information: http://prorodeo.com/youthrodeo.aspx. More to come including pictures and video from the camp!

A lot of people ask me what it’s like to ride a bucking horse. So, if you ever wanted to know…here’s your chance: saddle bronc from a ProRodeo cowboy’s point of view.

People describe riding saddle bronc as needing strength, agility, style and precise timing. But I think it’s mental even more than physical. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you’d like, and get in your own way thinking about bad rides or good rides. But to win, you’ve got to have your head on straight, keep focused and stay positive.

Trying to have a controlled ride on a bucking horse and staying focused can be a challenge! That’s why a lot of guys think it’s the toughest rodeo event to master. When I’m sitting there and the gate is about to open, I can’t think about anything. I just focus and let my body do what I’ve trained it to do. If I think about what comes next, by the time the horse makes its move and I need to react, its already too late. You just have to do it.

Once you’re ready, the horse is let out of the gate bucking at quick speeds. Those eight seconds are like a cross between BMX freestyle and a UFC match!

The goal is to have a smooth, rhythmic ride while the horse tries its best to throw you off and you try your best to synchronize your movements with the bucking. You have to start with your feet over the bronc’s shoulders to give the horse the advantage and then continue to mark the horse, a technique involving running your legs up and down as the horse bucks. At the same time, you’re holding onto the reins with one hand while the other hand is required to be up in the air. If a guy touches the horse, his equipment or even himself with the hand that should up, he is disqualified. That’s strength and agility there.

One of the biggest challenges is the horse you get assigned. That’s because half the score is determined by the horse and how much it bucks, and the other half is based on what the cowboy does. For each ride, four judges give a score of up to 25 points – two score the horse and two the cowboy. Those are combined for your total, with the highest possible score of 100. As you can imagine, a perfect score is hard to get. There’s not one documented 100 point score in the history of the PRCA. My career best is one that holds the Albuquerque, N.M., arena record at 90 points.

Now you know more about what goes into the event I think is the most exciting, bar none. Who’s ready to give it a go and try their own hand at riding a bucking horse?

I’ve heard you know you’ve made it big when your picture is on the side of a bus. Well, mine is on a trailer. Does that count?

I saw this competition shot pictured above on the Justin Sportsmedicine Team (http://justinboots.com/en/sportsmedicine.html) trailer last week and couldn’t be prouder. My family and I owe the Justin Sportsmedicine doctors big time. With my back injury at the Wrangler NFR and a ton more bumps and bruises along the road to get there, not to mention my brother’s torn knee ligament at the NFR, you can say we keep em busy.

Since cowboys don’t have the same medical care as other professional sports like the NFL, Justin Boots started sponsoring this traveling program in 1981 to give free injury prevention, sports medicine and emergency care help at ProRodeo events. To give you an idea of how many guys like us need this help, the Team has used more than 2,665 miles of athletic tape on athletes and has provided more than $23 million in free services. Over 125 doctors on staff are so dedicated they help prevent bad injuries more than they have to treat them. And that means a lot in a sport as tough as rodeo.

Thankfully I succeeded in not getting hurt at the San Antonio Rodeo last week. I’m looking forward to riding again this weekend in Tucson and San Angelo. There are a lot of big-name rodeos coming up and I’m especially excited for Houston. Any of you going to be there?

WHO DAT?! Yaaaa, Super Bowl XLIV champions! Anybody else a New Orleans fan? We’re such big fans around here, we wrote a song about it! My wife’s cousin Gemi Bordelon wrote “When the Saints Go Down to Miami” to the tune of Kenny Chesney’s “When the Sun Goes Down.”

Judd Bares is singing and he actually performed at our wedding. He’s got a great voice. If you’re in Louisiana you might of heard it on the radio already. What do you think?

And I’ve been doing some competing of my own. I’ve been in San Antonio and won the round for saddle bronc Thursday night. I rode my horse Flying Five Rodeo’s Cat Ballou pretty well and ended up qualifying for the semi-finals. I’ll compete again today. Wish me luck!

Well, here’s to my last weekend of relaxing til after Cowboy Christmas. I’ve been doing ranch work at home but next week I’m heading to Lake Charles and San Antonio to kick off my busy competition season.

San Anton is the first stop on the 2010 Wrangler Million Dollar Tour (http://www.prorodeo.com/Wrangler_Tour.aspx), one of the major PRCA tours that offers up a lot of chances to take home big prize money and can help you earn your way to the NFR. The Million Dollar Tour is made up of Gold rodeos with the largest purses, and the Silver stops also have good sized winnings up for grabs. I’ll be hitting all eight of the Gold stops and nearly all of the Silver. Then, if all goes as planned, I’ll make it to the Tour Playoffs and Championships in September!

San Anton has all the same horses from the NFR so it’s a great rodeo to compete at. You’re also guaranteed to compete on four days because it’s set up in tournament brackets, which also means there are more chances for winning and a lot of money up for grabs. You can listen live at www.prorodeolive.com – let me know what you think!

Since I last posted following the NFR, my back has been healing up just fine. It’s been a long month, but I’m up and riding again. Thanks to everyone who showed their support and I’m looking forward to kicking butt this year!

I’ve already been busy competing in Alexandria the 15th and Lafayette before that, where I got 85 points riding Bandito Gold and came in first place. The competition was tough since we were all up for a pretty good amount of prize money. So, it was a great way to start the season.

This week, I headed up to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for the Cowboy Downhill Race. For those of you who don’t know what this is, picture a whole lot of cowboy hats and chaps racing down a hill on skis. Between two races, cowboys run an obstacle course that includes having to jump big hills and lassoing a Denver Broncos cheerleader! It’s a big event in the ProRodeo world and has been since the All-Around World Champ Larry Mahan started the tradition 32 years ago. I couldn’t compete over the jumps because of my back, but I had a darn good time snowboarding and playing around in the snow with my boys.

I’ll keep y’all updated with the latest from my next ride.

My brother Cody won the 8th go round last night! We're all so proudd of him. Here's a picture of Hallie, Mr. Mike DeMoss and I at Cody's buckle presentation last night.

Getting ready for the 8th round. I drew Devil Lady from Big Bend Rodeo and I’m looking forward to a great ride! In the meantime, check out this video to see a little of what it’s like at the NFR.

With my family at the welcome reception last week where all the contestants received our back numbers, jackets, vests, rings, etc.