The 102nd California Rodeo Salinas inspires an attempt to corral all ideal cowboy qualities in one place.

*Cowgirls aren’t nearly as feasible to understand and equip. While barrel racers deserve their own diagram – and epic cowboy poem – they’d be far too complex for the burro-brains at the Weekly.


We are in the middle of a $3.3 million-dollar-purse “Cattle Christmas,” the period from June to July when rodeo contestants criss-cross the country for their shot at 31 rodeos’ worth of prize money and trophy belt buckles. Of those 31, a dozen reign as the most major, from Reno to Cheyenne. 


“There are 12 big rodeos,” says bull rider Josh Daries, “and Salinas is top.”


A blend of 102 years’ tradition, the prestige of beautiful buckles awarded to winners, the size of the arena and the scale of the events (plus the endlessly diverse week) all contribute to that reputation. 


“And it’s community pride, too,” adds event spokeswoman Mandy Linquist.


The best possible cowboy, meanwhile, must cultivate a similarly dynamic set of qualities – whether complex and technical like trick roping on the back of a moving horse or as baldly brave as standing in the path of a charging bull in clown pants. Here’s a look at what it takes: We are in the middle of a $3.3 million-dollar-purse “Cattle Christmas,” the period from June to July when rodeo contestants criss-cross the country for their shot at 31 rodeos’ worth of prize money and trophy belt buckles. Of those 31, a dozen reign as the most major, from Reno to Cheyenne. 


“There are 12 big rodeos,” says bull rider Josh Daries, “and Salinas is top.”


A blend of 102 years’ tradition, the prestige of beautiful buckles awarded to winners, the size of the arena and the scale of the events (plus the endlessly diverse week) all contribute to that reputation. 


“And it’s community pride, too,” adds event spokeswoman Mandy Linquist.


The best possible cowboy, meanwhile, must cultivate a similarly dynamic set of qualities – whether complex and technical like trick roping on the back of a moving horse or as baldly brave as standing in the path of a charging bull in clown pants. Here’s a look at what it takes:


(please refer to photo)


1. HAT A sun shield, a fashion statement and an enduring symbol, a cowboy hat is also vindication. “A cowboy without a cowboy hat?” says lifer Jim Violini with a laugh. “That’s not a cowboy. He’s a hothead.” That it looks cool is more than a bonus; it’s a boost. As Daries says, “If you look good, you ride good.” 


2. KERCHIEF More than a faceguard to keep out dust – or furnish a disguise – more than a versatile cloth to blow your nose, and more than a napkin to wipe the biscuit crumbs from your bazoo, the bandana is also a primary place to show a cowboy’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink, which is the theme of Thursday’s events, and a campaign that aims to up awareness of breast cancer at rodeo events nationwide.


3. COJONES It takes stones to drop onto the back of an animal like the 1,500-pound bucking bull known as Highway 12, as do the Professional Bull Riders who compete the Wednesday of each Salinas rodeo week – 12 drops his back luggage off in 4.04 seconds on average. But it takes even more to stand in front of a similar creature and jump over it, as do pro bullfighters. In freestyle bullfighting, balls come into play another way, adds longtime fighter and Salinas crowd favorite Andy Burrell: “You know when the hookin’ is over? When his balls hit you in the head.”


4. MUSTACHE A properly thick stash shoos away dust, saves flavors – of baked beans and cowboy-strong coffee – and allows for a distinguished look with a lot less shaving. But most importantly, as website The Art of Manliness reminds us, “There’s nothing manlier than facial hair.” The rodeo’s Whiskerino mustache contest gave contestants from April till July to grow theirs, with the winner earning reserve rodeo tickets and $600 cowboy boots. Salinas’ Adam Jacop took best in show with a beard carved in the shape of the rodeo emblem, and the Weekly’s Nic Coury won for best lip caterpillar. The effort also benefited the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.


5. HEART When animal rights groups challenged the ethics of all rodeos, CRS initiated their own health study and introduced a livestock welfare unit. “Bucking bulls and broncs live longer on the rodeo circuit than on the ranch,” past rodeo president Doc Etienne says, “thanks to great feed, care and exercise.” As the Salinas community wrestled with gangs, it was the rodeo that helped a $12 million multi-faceted sports facility rise next door, drawing 1 million youth a year.


6. DEEP LIMBIC SYSTEM At July 13’s Cowboy Poetry and Winetasting hoedown, a range of Old West prose reminded listeners of the depths cowboy reflection can find. The profound poetry of wide open prairies and stirring skies access the deep limbic system, which sets emotional states. Besides, as nationally beloved cowboy poet Dave Stamey points out, it beats “being stomped by angry horses.” Especially with lines like these from Stamey himself: “Come take a chance/ I’ll show you where the mountains touch the sky/ It’s a horseback dance/ We can ride forever if we try.”


7. SPINE At least one still-active bullfighter carries on even after a broken backbone. No part of a cowboy reflects resilience better. “When you get bucked off,” legendary rodeo announcer Wayne Brooks says, “you have to get back on.”


8. GLOVES A bull rider may use only one hand to stay “aboard” rides like Undertaker and Skunkbreath – and that hand stands little chance without a glove made of everything from deerskin to rubber (with grippy pads). 


9. MUSCLE Salinas’ Charles Harris prepares for steer wrestling with a ruthless training regimen. His job: He throws hay bales. He digs out heavy sprinkler pipes. And does jujitsu on the side. “You need brute strength,” says Harris. “You can’t ever tell how strong a steer is until you put a hand on him.” 


10. BELT BUCKLE Only nine of these are given out each year – for bullfighting, barrel-racing and each of the arena events – and they remain some of the most coveted buckles in the circuit. They’re worth an estimated $2,700 in precious metal handcrafted by Gist Silversmiths, but much more in pride. “Cowboys look at each others’ buckles,” Linquist says. “They see the Salinas one and think it’s pretty special.”


11. ROPE A good length of rope must be broken in before team-roping riders – who go after a small steer on two horses and have to tie it down in six (!) seconds – can take their precision aim. The rope is tied to a saddle and ridden in the dirt for a day, but once it’s broken in and waterproofed, a good cowboy’ll never leave it on the ground. 


12. HIPS Bare-back bronc riders are evaluated on fluidity above all else – which can be tricky when each horse kick packs 2 tons of force to absorb and redirect without looking like a rag doll. In other words, in this event the hips don’t lie. 


13. BOOTS A cowboy without his boots – well, that’s no cowboy either (see hat, above). And a cowboy with just his boots still has some ground to stand on. One year an organizer who will remain anonymous commissioned a cowboy to streak the stadium in nothing but his boots and spurs. 


14. SADDLE Sure the saddle bronc rider gets to use a saddle, but there’s no horn and only a simple rein braided from cotton (or polyester) tied to a leather halter on the horse. Spurring forward and backward with his feet gives a wise cowboy his best hope of finding a rhythm with the animal.


15. SPURS Long before there was a rodeo, the ancient Roman poet Ovid prophesied, “The love of fame puts spurs to the mind.” Having evolved since 43 B.C., the type of spur on a cowboy will tell you just where his ambitions lie. Star-shaped locking spurs are for gripping a bull, ropers use short-troweled ones for just a little grip, and a bronco rider’s are short and thick to “tickle” the horse’s shoulders. Bare-back bronc riders are judged on their “spurring” on the smaller, more wildly bucking horses, and their stylized spurs must run over the horse’s hide rather than drag.


16. CHAPS Much like the overall cowboy look itself, chaps are deployed for both function – protecting legs and pants from brush while riding along, for instance – and fashion. Like one lonely cowboy once said, “Boots, chaps and cowboy hats… nothing else matters.” Amen to you, buckaroo.