Photo: Lyle Barwick

"If you want to understand ‘rodeo’, you need to understand its elements. This is not achieved by spending a season or two going to a couple of performances and thereby developing inferences; stay around long enough and all assumptions will be challenged."

Rodeo: The Last Ten Years brings readers an in depth look at the people and events that have shaped rodeo in the last 10 years. It illustrates with strong, emotive black and white photographs and succinct text, the men, the women and the animals and the spirit that define rodeo. Photographer Barwick and writer Lynes have over 20 years of working rodeo experience between them and share a special bond with the people that work the rodeos.

This is a sport whose lineage can be traced down through generations, both human and animal.

The strength and passion of the champions and the challengers have a very human face which Barwick and Lynes document. A celebration of all things rodeo, this book allows the reader entry and an understanding of this western sport and an intriguing look at the men and women that occupy this special niche in the sports world.

Photo: Lyle Barwick

A percentage of the book sales benefits the Canadian Professional Rodeo Sport Medicine Team who provide multi-disciplinary health care support to professional rodeo athletes from all over the world. Started in 1983, this non-profit society currently provides medical care for rodeo athletes for 16 weeks of the 30-week rodeo season. Certified athletic therapists, massage therapists, chiropractors teamed with physicians from the University of Calgary Sports Medicine Centre provide this unique form of healthcare, rodeo sport medicine.

Rodeo: The Last Ten Years is currently on sale at Lammle's Western Wear (at the Stampede and in stores in Calgary).