Calgary Stampede is often said to be the most thrilling rodeo in the world. Here is why it is critically acclaimed the most exciting rodeo.

Eight seconds. That’s all Zeb Lanham needs to earn a year’s salary of 100,000 dollars. Or to break every bone in his body. To collect the cash he has to ride a bull named Wranglers Rock Star, 500 kilogrammes of bucking, snorting muscle. For eight seconds. Duels like this make Calgary Stampede, held annually in the western Canadian province of Alberta, the most exciting rodeo in North America. This year it runs from July 4 to 13.

Lanham mounts the beast in the bucking chute and with just one hand, grips a rope wrapped around its girth. The gate is opened, letting the bull burst out into the arena. Lanham manages to hang on for just 4.7 seconds before being bucked off into the dirt. Disappointed, he scrambles to his feet. Read the rest of this entry »