Students in Mrs. Culbreth's class have been reading and learning about the first American Cowboys, the Mexican Vaqueros, and how they inspired the American Cowboy. Hundreds of years before there was the American Cowboy, there was the Vaquero, an expert horseman who could skillfully herd cattle and whose skills with a lasso were legendary. First trained by the Spaniards who arrived in 1519, on land later known as Mexico, the original Vaqueros were largely Indigenous American men who were trained to wrangle cattle on horseback.
To help students learn more about the cowboy way of life, Eli McClain, a former CTE student, came back to visit and share his knowledge about cowboys and all of his accomplishments as a modern day cowboy. Eli started rodeoing when he was 7 years old. He has been riding for 13 years. He is a rodeo team roper, calf roper, tie down roper and a bull rider. He has won over 30 buckles, 3 championship saddles, and over $50,000! Eli finished last year in the top 10 in the American Bull Riders Tour. He recently won All Around Cowboy in the Foothills Youth Rodeo Association. "Rodeoing is not just about winning though, I have made friends that I call my family and I have traveled to places that I never would have seen if it were not for rodeos."
