Showdown Rodeo~~Team

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Russell/Western Rodeos, Inc.
The sport of rodeo, the business of cattle, horses, and the

family name of Russell are an American tradition. In the

1960's, Dan Russell wanted to create a first class rodeo in

Folsom California, and from this rodeo, Western Rodeos was

born. 40 plus years later, the Russell family and Western

Rodeos take great pride in providing rodeo fans with the

best bucking stock in the business. Their stock program has

produced great animals that have won many prestigious

awards.
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Pro Rodeo Announcer Don Jesser and his wife Anita, from Twin Falls, Idaho, are a big part of the Showdown Rodeo Experience.
Jesser understands rodeo. He draws on his own experience as a saddle bronc rider, bareback rider, and team roper. When he makes his Grand entrance into the arena atop his paint horse “Crusher”, the crowd goes crazy.

His rodeo “know how” helps him describe each thrilling moment of the action and allows him to educate the fans about the events as they occur. Don is one of the very few in the elite category of Rodeo Announcers who actually call the action on horseback. Being inside the arena as the action is happening helps him connect the athletes to the audience.

His wife Anita’s state of the art sound system delivers his colorful descriptions of each event from the beginning to end. She has the unique ability to match her vast selection of music to each moment of the show adding another dimension of excitement.
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Pickup Men play an important role during the rodeo. They get riders safely off the bucking horse and remove the livestock from the arena. Pickup Men must be skilled horsemen and ropers. They bring a vast amount of rodeo knowledge and years of livestock experience to every rodeo.

Bareback and Saddle Bronc riders know that their ride is not over after the eight seconds have passed and the horn sounds – they still have to exit the horse safely. If the bronc rider becomes entailed in the rigging, Pickup Men may only have a split second to free him from his bucking mount. Once the Pickup Men have rescued the bronc rider and gotten him safely to the ground, they must remove the flankstrap from the horse and escort it out of the arena.

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Bullfighters and Barrelmen may look like clowns, but they are actually accomplished athletes and they are the first line of defense for the Bull Riders. Unlike other riding events, no Pickup Men are used because of the danger involved to the horse and rider. Putting their own lives on the line to distract a charging bull or to rescue a cowboy tangled in his bull rigging, the Bullfighter and Barrelmen can be the difference between life and death for the bull riding cowboy.

To a bull rider, the bullfighter is the most important man in the arena as there is no one else to save him from danger. Since bucking bulls are not known for their gentle nature, once off the bull’s back and on the ground, the rider is at the bull's mercy. It is the bullfighter’s responsibility to get the bulls attention and let the rider get to safety.
While the Bullfighter tends to distract the bull by running around, the Barrelman has his own distraction – “the barrel”. Placed in the proper position close to the bullriding action, when needed, the barrel can be rolled to block a bull from its fallen rider….sometimes with the Barrelman in it! The Barrelman also helps to entertain the crowd by interacting with the Rodeo Announcer and getting the crowd involved in the action.