I spent my 24th birthday in a way that I’m confident in saying not many people with my background have. A rodeo’s target demographic isn’t typically black people from the Philadelphia area. However, I feel like it’s a rite of passage for people now living in Idaho to go to a rodeo. So, here’s a 24 year old black guy from Philadelphia’s observations at his first ever rodeo, from the Snake River Stampede.

I don’t think there’s any way around this, the fact that the clown performing in the dirt rink was black was blatantly racist. It really did feel uncomfortable with a large number of tipsy white people looking inside a dirt ring and one of the few black people in the building is inside in a clown suit being an instrument for the white audience to laugh at. Nothing reminded me more that this event wasn’t created for me than this dynamic.

Once you get past the insult to black people, the rest of what went on inside the dirt ring was somewhat entertaining. Unless, you’re an animal lover, then you were likely offended with some of the events. I mean, there was one event where a dude had to jump off a horse and immediately tackle a bull. Like, what in the world is in it for the bull to sign up to be tackled. Outside the Lines is currently laughing an investigation examining bull brains for concussion damage. By the way, who was the first person to say “hey, let’s jump off a horse and tackle a bull, that sounds fun”. Just like I wonder who was the first person to say “hey, let’s drink the liquid that comes out of a cow’s utters”.

My favorite event was the barrel racing. I watch the important triple crown horse races on TV, and earlier this year I went to the horse track in Boise for the first time. In horse racing, you get to see the speed of the horses. In barrel racing, you get to see the horse’s agility. Seeing those big animals have those deft change in direction speeds was pretty striking. Plus, the event was strictly based on time, which made it easiest to follow.

The crowd in itself was another fun story line. I thought the crowd was pretty subdued most of the way. They looked like they were having fun in each other’s company and having a good time, just not always centered around the events. Then, somebody from Idaho had a turn riding a bull. Suddenly, it was as if somebody snapped their fingers, and the crowd got locked in. Loud cheers turned into loud roars when the Idahoans had success.

Speaking of the crowd, I’m not exactly sure I fit in with the fashion. I wore a pretty conservative black polo short with black jean shorts. Apparently, plaid was the theme. It was either a Polo Ralph Lauren fashion show, or a country boots plus cowboy hat competition. Unfortunately, my wardrobe doesn’t include any of these aspects. However, the most disturbing part of the event was the older gentleman sitting a row in front of me. This guy was sneaking pictures of every young adult fan wearing a plaid shirt and a cowboy had. Sneaking multiple pictures of them. Individuals as they were walking by. Groups that were huddled in his eyesight. I have no idea what he was doing with the pics, but he has nearly 200 pictures of people who did not know they were being photographed. Who knows, this might be a crime in some places.

Those are the big takeaways from my first rodeo experience. It might indeed be the most Idaho way to turn 24.