Rodeo: Behind the Scenes at America's Most Exciting Sport

"Campion's photos and prose convey the gritty details of the sport, as well as the very American roots of rodeo. I urge anyone with an interest in rodeo to pick up a copy of this book. The photos alone are worth the price of the volume." -Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar

More than seventeen million people attended rodeos in the United States and Canada last year, and more than thirteen million viewers tuned in to ESPN to watch the National Finals Rodeo, where the top competitors battled for $4.6 million in prize money. Lynn Campion's RODEO is the perfect companion to the sport, sure to entertain and edify longtime fans and novices alike.

Campion traveled to various rodeos for this book, taking photographs and conducting interviews. She gives vivid accounts of the competitions, from the "roughstock" events, in which a cowboy must ride a wild bucking horse or bull for eight seconds, to the timed events, in which competitors must rope calves with split-second precision, leap from the backs of horses to wrestle steers to the ground, or race each other in a cloverleaf pattern around barrels at breakneck speed. The book provides the fascinating details viewers can't see-such as how cowboys train, and where the bucking animals come from (they're carefully bred for their abilities and are treated very well to ensure that they have long careers). Also included are profiles of top performers and listings of world records and annual rankings. Beautifully designed and illustrated, RODEO is a thrilling celebration of America's western heritage.