Brandon Harrison gathering a fellow cowboy's horse, at a Jackpot, at Eddie Byrd's family arena in Cheek, Tx.

A calf roper taking in the action and killing time at the Anahuac Saltgrass Rodeo Finals in Cheek.

Cowboys await the start of a Jackpot, at Eddie Byrd's family arena, Cheek.

Food stand, Laday Arena.

Cowboys preparing the chute at a local rodeo in Texas.

Leaping off a horse and wrestling a 600-pound steer to the ground on a dead run isn't for the faint of heart. Doing so after a night of heavy rain makes it all the more challenging, and the chance of injury that much greater.

Make no mistake, at the ends of the day, these cowboys are skilled and committed athletes.

Belt buckles, the trophies of rodeo.

Laday Arena, the morning after a heavy rain. The rodeo went on as scheduled.

Spectater, Laday Arena.

Rodeo cowboys await their turn as day turns into evening at Eddie Byrd's backyard arena.

Lloyd Goodman, a calf roper, watching the proceedings at a Jackpot, at "Bud" Simeon's family arena in Beaumont.

Every weekend, these small neighborhood rodeos are a chance to get together with fellow cowboys, talk a bit of trash, share some laughs and blow off steam after a week of nine-to-five jobs.

Leonard, a rodeo cowboy, at Elton Laday's Arena, in Cheek.

Honoring the flag, a ritual at most rodeos, New Caney, Texas.

Sunset at a rodeo in Cheek.

Thomas Herbert Jr., before a rodeo sponsored by the Anawack Saltgrass Association.

While many of the local rodeos are informal neighborhood affairs, others are more organized and formal, often kicked off with a flag ceremony, our national anthem, and a solemn prayer for the cowboys' safety.

On a single weekend, the cowboys I was with would sometimes travel with their horses 800 miles over the weekend to compete in three wide ranging rodeos. Here, steer wrestler Robert Goodman awaits the start of things at an evening rodeo in Athens, Louisiana, the third of three weekend events. Afterwards, a five-hour late night ride home.

The rodeo life often goes four or five generations deep, and the skills and discipline that come with it are taught from a very early age. At the Heritage Day Rodeo in Humble, Tx, Paiton Fullbright practices his calf roping while his dad competes inside the arena.

A practice steer out to pasture, in Beaumont, Tx.

Livestock holding area at Laday Arena, early morning.