🐎 I've been waiting to do a Blog about Panama Lasso competitions and last weekend I got my chance to swing by and take some pictures. Right in my Home Town, the only problem was I just spent 2 days drinking with a Canadian buddy at his house.
So I get home and hear the event taking place with loud music and the announcer talking continually. Already too drunk to have much sense left in me, took both the dogs and walked on over to cover the event and drink some more beer.
Lasso Competitions are big events in Panama, there are roping rings just about everywhere for events and practice. And they do practice almost daily in some places. Teams of 4 men compete against other teams for pride in their horsemanship plus there must be other prizes I'm not aware of.
Amazingly it's one of the few events where the men don't drink! they ride bull's drunk but are so serious about the roping they stay sober, And the whole family comes along. The spectators are another story ( Like me ) drink like fishes in the hot sun, we have no horses to fall off of. LOL
Most of these men are real Cowboys, riding the range looking after their herds and being a good roper is a tool of the trade. These Horses can be valued at 10's of thousands of dollars and are probably not used for work. More like a Ferrari parked in the garage for special events.
Above is 1 team waiting their turn to enter the ring, Just look at those rippling muscles on the horses.
100's of riders have multiple tries over the long weekend so this happens pretty much every minute, a real production line. This isn't like American roping where the Cowboy dismounts once roped and ties 3 legs together on the calf, but they are gauged on time to rope the calf and the control afterward as they take it down the field.
Panamanians Love their horses and when a horse isn't busy competing Pretty Daughters, Girlfriends and Wives are riding around showing off the western wear for fun too. These events are serious business and like I said very few people are there to get drunk.
This weekend was the Senior men's baseball tournament in a local city So almost all the locals were away there supporting our town's team. A bus leaves at 7 AM and doesn't get back until late. But I must have found a few drinking buddies because I drank till I could hardly walk.
My memory fails on many accounts. Our Dog Cheeta was glued to me the whole time with so many horses running around and Tigra her puppy refused to enter the grounds but was happy running around the bar and restaurant area eating scraps. That was the only horse free area. really dumb in hindsight bringing the dogs.
Johana was away thankgoodness because the walk home was a challenge and I only remember falling on my face once which split my lip, scratched my chin and chest. Must have been a few more tumbles judging by other damage on my old body. ( what an old fool, LOL ) But she had a great laugh at inspecting my injuries when she got home on Monday. And asking questions I had no answers to.
They say know your limit and live within it, I missed the mark this round.
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