Texas history flows through the veins of its rivers and into its dusty soil. No facet of Texas culture epitomizes the unique stories of its past like the cowboy.
In the late 19th century, cowboys wrestled bulls, bucked on wild broncos, and transported herds across the western plains to be sold to feed a growing country.
As the centuries turned, farmland overtook the open plains of the old West, and real estate swallowed that farmland like a rattlesnake does a mouse. Despite the ever-changing landscape of Texas pasture, the cowboy lives on.
Today, cowboys can be seen saddling up for the ride of their life at the Texas Rodeo. There are many events like bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, and even mutton busting for the kids. However, no event compares to bull riding.
Tuff Hedeman, an El Paso native, is considered one of the best bull riders ever. As a four-time bull-riding champion, he was a rodeo master and a true Texas cowboy.
The year is 1989. Hedeman wraps the bull rope around his left hand — his only connection to his dancing partner.
The bull knocks at the cage, ready for his debut in the dusty rodeo ring. Hedeman steadies himself, anxiously awaiting the ride.
The gate is pulled. The bull erupts into the ring bucking and kicking and twirling. Hedeman appears unphased like the eye of a Texas twister. His right-hand offsets the bull’s ballistics. Together, they perform a near-perfect ballet of sweat, grime, dust, and dirt.
The eight seconds expire, and the crowd erupts, but, still, Hedeman remains on the bull for an additional 10 seconds. He lifts his cowboy hat into the air with a flourish, jumps off, and throws his hat into the roaring stands.
As the years go by, much of Texas has changed and so has Hedeman. His face permanently altered, a result of his four-second face-crushing encounter with a bull named Bodacious, Hedeman has dedicated his life to the rodeo and organizes events for the next generation of cowboys.
Rino Moore, 21, is an emerging Texas cowboy. He walks with the swagger of those long before him and spits into the dirt in true John Wayne fashion.
“The only real things are you, the bull and the guy that’s gonna pull that gate open,” said Moore breathlessly after his Wolfe City, Texas debut.
The Paris, Texas native shares a lot in common with young Hedeman; mainly they are both crazy enough to risk injury for an eight-second affair with a 2,000-lb Texas beast.
However, the times have changed, and so have the crowds. No longer are rodeos strictly filled with Wrangler-wearing westerners. Nowadays, people from all walks of life head on down to the rodeo armed with a beer in one hand and barbecue in the other.
So, too, has Texas changed. The cities sprawl forward like wildfire. Land once used for cattle grazing soon makes way for sky-scraping.
The population in Texas has swelled immensely over the past couple of decades. Highways widen and the water supply tightens as Texas tries to accommodate newcomers.
North Texas, in particular, has seen a major shift in population. Once small towns like Frisco and Celina have grown rapidly. The population of Celina has doubled in the last three years from 18,000 to 36,000 residents.
Dallas businesses have exploded onto the scene. As a result, the city has become less about cattle ranching and more about number crunching. Increasingly, the term “Dallas Cowboys” only refers to a football team in everyday talk.
Pushed ever to the margins, cowboys have limited room to roam as once-open plains become engulfed by housing developments.
However, cowboys are used to holding on for dear life, even as chaos erupts around them. The spirit of Texas culture remains sewn into the fabric of their being much like the flax string that sews the sole onto a leather cowboy boot.
As our culture shifts and Texas becomes more urban, what makes a Texan? Perhaps it is that hot, summer sun, the sweltering humidity, or the mouth-watering barbecue. Maybe the answer is unclear.
Nonetheless, Texans face a challenge holding onto the culture that makes us unique. As we grasp onto the bull rope and steady ourselves for the ride ahead, we wonder how we will ever hold on.
In such times of wondering, perhaps think back to legendary bull rider Tuff Hedeman when he said, “Nine times out of 10, when a guy gets bucked off, it’s because of a weak heart.”
