When you spend a good part of the year living in this, when the weather get's nice you play hard, real hard.
The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale is a major auction of rodeo stock held the third weekend every May in Miles City, Montana and the premier social event for the community. Accompanied by a parade, a horse racing meet, a bull riding rodeo and a number of social activities, it attracts rodeo stock contractors from the United States and Canada who are looking for saddle bronc, bareback bronc and bucking bull prospects.
Horses consigned to the sale are not "wild" horses or Mustangs which, under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, cannot be sold. Rather, consignments are horses selectively bred as bucking stock, excess or unsalable young horses from large ranches, and spoiled riding horses that have become particularly adept at bucking off riders. Likewise, most consigned bulls are bred specifically as bucking stock.
The Miles City Bucking Horse Sale was also the theme of a novelty country western song by Montana writer Greg Keeler, on the album Songs of Fishing, Sheep and Guns in Montana. The sale is held annually, regardless of weather.World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale Web Site
There are rodeos and then there are rodeos. The World Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale is in a category by itself. In fact, many rodeos have their roots right here in Miles City, as the Bucking Horse Sale annually debuts some of the finest bucking stock seen on the continent. Held the third full weekend in May each year, the BHS offers a special brand of rodeo action born right here in S.E. Montana.
The Bucking Horse Sale celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2000. Some of the best bucking stock in the nation have been showcased in Miles City since 1914, when the Miles City Roundup began. Today, top rodeo contractors come here to buy the stock they will use to entertain millions of Americans in years to come. The classic confrontations between cowboy and bronc start Friday evening and by the time Sunday afternoon draws to a close, several hundred ornery critters have given their first indications of whether or not they will join the bronc hall of fame with the likes of SkyRocket, High Roll, Big John, Dark Journey and Jake.
Still, there is much more to this annual extravaganza which celebrates the spring and escorts in the summer. Besides excellent bronc and bareback riding, the Bucking Horse Sale also offers a Thursday night concert, Friday night bull riding, pari-mutuel horse racing on Saturday and Sunday, the BHS Trade Exposition, a street dance on Friday and Saturday nights with 3 different bands playing all at once, a Saturday morning parade, lots of area entertainment and a Match Bronc Ride on Sunday that features some of the top saddle bronc riders in the world!
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7 comments:
It seems to me that the guys pushing "bull riding" have killed the goose that layed the golden egg. Now they have only bull riding in so many venues and on TV that they have elimated the overall "Rodeo" Very sad. They have just about eliminated "contract acts" that always were a big hit. Seems like over two hours of bull riding, one right after the other is too much. Just like an all clown show would run out of laughs.
John,
I don't think they killed the goose that laid the golden egg, I think they gave the public what they wanted, and the goose went into overproduction and laid millions of golden eggs. Christ, some those bull riders make more in a year then a "kinker" does in a life time. I wish the circus could have found a way to "jump start" their goose. As wonderful as the contract act's were, I think like a lot of similar type venture's they never changed, stayed the same, and the folks buying a ticker grew weary of them.
Wade
HIYA WADE!!
MANY THANKS!! Your research is great!
You are a high-tech historian!
You brought back many wonderful memories!!
In the "good olde days", on the outskirts of Miles City, along the Tongue River, there were three small one-story houses of ill repute known as the "Tongue River Clinic".
Judy's House was the cowboys' favorite!
Rumor has it that the Teddy Kennedy photo you, so thoughtfully, posted was hanging over her bar, in front of the "cribs".
Furthermore, it was said that when they outlawed the "Houses", the hunting seasons were not as successful as they had once been.
There was somethig that kick started the circus business - it was called Cirque du Soleil, but that too, it seems will be as oversaturated as bull riding in the next few years.
Anonymous,
Are you nut's? Cirque didn't jump start anything, except a rocket ship to the moon for cirque. Cirque and circus are as different as a dog and a cat.
Wade
Very well said Wade about the dog and cat !!!! I remember those houses on the Tongue River. To find out how to get there all you needed to do was ask any sheriff .
Casey,
I never recalled, ever, Solei claiming to be a circus even if to most intelligent people they weren't. The more successful they became the more folks attempted to cast aspersions at them claiming, "they are not a circus," as if that was some kind of bad thing. Even if the Solei people had been dumb enough to hang the name circus on their productions their great success would have made it quite obvious they were not, even without kinker's pointing out that they "weren't circus." Some would suggest that they "killed the goose that laid the golden egg" by changing and giving the public what they wanted.
Wade
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