Customer Reviews

Roughstock: The Toughest Events in Rodeo

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Roughstock:The Toughest Events in Rodeo joins a growing body of work by the photojournalist John Annerino that portrays the American western culture with a photographic passion and historical perspective. This book portrays "the cowboy" as a diverse and multiethnic persona not the traditional "Marboro Man" and conveys through his thoughtful and well researched essay that the traditional image was never in fact the case. Annerino's photographs show the action of the roughstock rodeo events and bring to life the men and women who participate in them. The images are full of action and the sense of danger and risks are coupled with an intimacy created by his use of light and in his portraits of the cowboys. There is a rhythm and dance to the photos that creates a timelessness to the action. The book is wonderfully edited and layed out and may be the author's finest work to date.

This book is a collection of 110 color photographs that capture the drama, tension, and excitement of the most dangerous rodeo events - bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding. Working out of his home base in Tucson, Arizona, photographer John Annerino has taken his camera behind the chutes, where he gets about as close as any observer can to the experience of riding roughstock.

This is a handsomely designed book, and the photographs are vividly reproduced, the images richly detailed, crisp and clear, often filling the pages. In a two-page spread, a cowboy flies to the ground from a bucking bull, while bull fighters in their clown costumes circle the animal, late afternoon sun casting long shadows and illuminating a cloud of dust kicked up around them. The gravel-strewn arena dirt is rough with the hoof marks of countless rides, and beyond a fence festooned with lite beer pennants, the stands are filled with hundreds of spectators, every face turned toward the action.

Annerino's camera reveals that in addition to the stereotypical cowboy, roughstock riders include Native Americans, African Americans, and women as well. And he writes a long essay at the beginning of the book tracing the arrival of the horse and horsemen at the start of the Spanish Conquest, the growth of the cattle industry and the evolution over centuries of the vaquero and in more recent times the emergence of the American cowboy. This is a fine book whose visual images offer an enthusiastic appreciation of the men and women who risk life and limb in rodeo's toughest events.

Annerino's pictures are a true testament to his total immersion on the subject! John rides the subject matter like no other. His images do the talking. They take the viewer with him all the way and back! Ride on, John!

Let me preface this review with a disclaimer: "I followed Amateur and College Rodeos in the late 60's." I've been in the Arena, behind the chutes, and gone down the road. 'Twas an addictive adventure and I loved it, and still do today. Pro Rodeo is one of the few sports I still follow. Hence, my expectations were high. I should have paid closer attention to the reviews. If you want flash over substance, the photos are nice, but if you want the real nitty gritty, opt for Greasepaint Matadors, On Down the Road by Bob St. John or Rodeo! by Fred Schnell. Much, much better choices.

The sport of rodeo is an incredible part of the American West, and John has captured the true intensity with his great photos and prose. This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to experience the life of a rodeo cowboy from the safety of their armchair.Dancing on the Edge of an Endangered Planet

A "riveting roundup of roughstock rodeo...readers will hail it as mighty worthwhile."- TRUE WEST