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Channel Your Inner Cowboy At Rodeo School

As we slowly creep towards spring, you might be thinking of getting more in touch with nature and maybe some wildlife. If that’s the case, then you’ll be the perfect candidate for a weekend at rodeo school.

Sankey Rodeo Schools offers classes across the country to get you more familiar with bull riding, bareback riding, and even being a rodeo clown. All the equipment, gear, and critters are provided, so just bring yourself—and a Xanax.

There’s no mechanical bulls here, only the real things full of horns and fur. The school caters to both the casual thrill seeker as well as those looking to make it a career, so you’ll get the full experience. Most classes offer a weekend adventure where you’ll be paired with a critter that’s in your league, and the instructors promise they are there for you to learn. If you’re looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day idea there’s even a class taking place in Summerville, Georgia this weekend. The bull riding classes here will set you back $410.

The school maintains high safety ratings and has been chosen to do the safety demonstrations for rodeo associations across the country, but that really doesn’t make us feel any more secure. There’s a definite risk here, and it’s a far cry from your dad’s dream vacation at the dude ranch. Best of all, if you really get into, the school offers more advanced classes that can make your cowboy dreams come true.

Related Stories:
·Sankey Rodeo Schools and Equipment [Official Site]
·Spain's Running of the Bulls Launches Feminist Debate [Jaunted]
·Rodeos coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Paul J Everett]

Tags: Museums / Cowboys / Political Travel / Barack Obama / President Bush / → All Tags

Summer Museum Travel: Cowboys and Presidents

With plenty of hip museums in and around LA, the Museum of the American West in Griffith Park is not usually high on the itinerary. Essentially a shrine to cowboy culture, the museum's drab permanent exhibits are far less interesting than the aging Will Rogers wannabes who show up dressed in full Western gear, right down to the boots and spurs.

But this year's election-themed special exhibit is worth a trip for both Wild West lovers and political junkies. The exhibit traces how the cowboy image has shaped US electoral politics, from Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders to George W. Bush and his brush clearing in Crawford. Visitors are left with the realization that you can't get to the White House without having at least a little John Wayne in you--hence Cowboy Obama, above).

Cowboys and Presidents is on display at the Museum of the American West through September 7, before heading off on a national tour.

Related Stories:
· Cowboys and Presidents [Official Site]
· National Cowboy Museum is a Hoot [Jaunted]

[Photo: throwthedamnthing]

Tags: Cowboys / Rodeos / Sports Travel / Videos / → All Tags

Rodeo Travel: Cowboys in the Bayou

This weekend marks the first Angola Prison Rodeo of 2008. And this isn't your average bull and bronco show: All the cowboys are inmates.

The Louisiana State Penitentiary sits 55 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, and it hosts the rodeo twice a year. It gives prisoners--many serving life--a chance to break the monotony of their sentences. The first rodeo was held back in 1965, and now the event draws close to 10,000 people.

The rodeo's even inspired a documentary called "Six Seconds of Freedom." The trailer is after the jump.

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Tags: Museums / Oklahoma City / Cowboys / Art / → All Tags

National Cowboy Museum is a Hoot

If you love watching Westerns, or are just into boots and hats, we have to recommend the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Located right in Oklahoma City, you'll find one of the most impressive collections of Frederic Remington sculptures in the country here, as well as tons of Native American Art, and of course a Fine Arms exhibit, featuring all the guns you dreamed about as a kid watching cartoons.

Don't miss the stunning End of the Trail: and 18-foot sculpture in the museum's entranceway, which it rescued from severe deterioration from a CA city park. Stroll the 18-acre grounds and check out the region-specific flower beds and fountains.

Plan to go the weekend of Oct 20-22, and you'll be there for the Rodeo Historical Society's Induction and Honors ceremony. It doesn't get much more cowboy than that.

[Image via nalilo/Flickr]