Beneath a hat the size of Texas like skies,
He wears a grin no tumble can disguise.
The bull may buck, the dust may fly,
But swagger rides higher than a frightened sigh.
One glance says, “That was all you've got?”
Though gravity recalls a different plot.
For every rodeo has one unwritten rule:
If you can smile afterward, you still look cool.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1131
The horse had plans to touch the moon,
The rider disagreed too soon.
One clung to leather, grit, and hope,
The other launched a gravity trope.
The crowd held breath, the dust took flight,
Man and beast debated right.
And somewhere in that airborne blur
The horse declared, "No passengers, sir."
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1130
Around the barrel, swift and bright,
Horse and rider carved the night.
The crowd saw speed, the dust saw art,
The barrel just hoped they'd miss its heart.
Hooves whispered, "Hold on," as they slid through the turn,
While gravity watched with professional concern.
For every great run at the rodeo track
Is a polite argument with physics—and usually talks it back
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1128
Hat tipped low and reins held tight,
She borrowed a corner from the night.
The horse dug deep, the dust took flight,
And both ignored the laws of fright.
The crowd saw speed; the horse saw glory.
The dirt wrote half the evening's story.
For every turn around the bend
Is just gravity trying—and failing—to offend.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1127
One wheel skyward, one wheel in doubt,
The crowd held its breath as dust billowed out.
A cowboy and machine performed their brief ballet
Proving gravity works, just not every day.
Balanced on a heartbeat, tilted toward disgrace,
Yet somehow wore disaster with remarkable grace.
For in rodeo arithmetic, strange though it may seem,
Almost crashing still counts as part of the dream.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1126
The bull said, “Gravity still works.”
The cowboy replied, “So does optimism.”
Between those competing theories,
dust exploded, boots pointed skyward,
and the crowd discovered that flying
is mostly a matter of losing negotiations.
For one glorious second,
man and beast agreed on nothing
except that the landing
would be memorable.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1125
With a sun-bleached hat and a practiced grin,
he spins a rope where the dust has been.
The horse looks patient, as horses do,
while the lasso sketches circles through blue.
Cowboys chase cattle, legends, and fame
he chases perfection in a swinging frame.
One missed throw? He'll simply say,
"I was just giving the air a good wrangle today."
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1214 and FACE OFF
Beneath a hat as broad as prairie sky,
a rodeo clown waits for the next wild try.
The bulls take breath, the crowd takes shade,
while hot food and cold drinks keep commerce paid.
His smile is painted, his timing keen
guardian of chaos in the arena scene.
For every cowboy chasing glory's ring,
there's a clown nearby, ready to dodge everything.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1214
Round the barrel, hard and fast,
horse and rider blur right past
while half the crowd wants rodeo glory,
and half just came for donuts.
The rider grins behind dark shades
like this was all completely planned.
The horse, mid-skid through flying dirt,
is reconsidering the partnership.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1212
Around the barrel in a blur of grace,
horse and rider wore the same fierce face.
The crowd held breath, the dust took flight,
and gravity lost the argument that night.
Hat tilted low with a gambler’s grin,
she rode that corner razor-thin.
For in the rodeo, so legends claim,
speed is simply courage with a better aim.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1209
He swung the rope with cowboy grace,
while the calf wore panic on its face.
The horse looked on as if to sigh,
“Here we go — another human trying to fly.”
The judges squinted, pens held tight,
pretending chaos could be scored just right.
And under the rodeo’s dusty spell,
even bad decisions photographed well.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1208
Under floodlights pale as ghosts at sea,
the cowboy ran on borrowed bravery.
The bull snorted once, as if to say,
“Nice hat, mate — but you’re in my way.”
Dust rose thick like outlaw smoke,
boots flew faster than the jokes.
And somewhere beyond the roaring din,
common sense refused to join in.
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8-4
Check out Candid 1207
Oars dip into the crowded water,
a slow pulse through floating lives.
Straw hats catch the hard noon light,
faces steady, practiced, unhurried.
Between wood and current,
the market breathes
voices, weight, and patience
moving forward, one stroke at a time.
Canon 20D
EF 70-200mm f2.8
Check out Candid 1092
Not sure what is there to pick up. There are no shells but plenty of rubbish.
Sony A7RIV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 282
Spotting him strolling in the water. Seen from the pedestrian walk
Sony A7RIV
FE 70-200mm f2.8 GM
Check out Candid 281
A little bit hand full there. I was stood up by my photography group - can you believe all got covid at the same time?
Mathias Track in Mount Dandenong
Panasonic G9
Leica 70-200mm f2.8
Check out Candid 71 and Face OFF
