Section

Rodeo

Eight seconds & the roar of the chute

For ten days each July, Wyoming's capital hosts the world's largest outdoor rodeo — a spectacle more than a century in the making.

Far from the big arenas, humble weeknight rodeos are the beating heart of Wyoming's summer.

In rough stock riding, the clock runs only eight seconds — but few athletic feats pack more danger into so little time.

Behind every great ride stands a stock contractor who breeds and cares for bucking animals worth their weight in gold.

Before they can ride a bull, Wyoming kids test their grit clinging to a woolly sheep — to the crowd's delight.

The only true team event in rodeo asks two riders to catch a steer in seconds, their throws timed to a hair.