Just picking up the telephone directory sized programme for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo makes you realise that this is a very big event.

It turns out that this is the largest event of its kind in the world. Held over 20 days, the event has been running since 1932 and attracts close to 2 million visitors a year.

Many travel to the Houston Rodeo on one of the “trail rides” that end up in Houston just in time for the big parade which opens the event every year.

The first trail ride was started in 1952. Called the Salt Grass, it now gives its name to a chain of steak houses here. The Salt Grass is a fairly modest 85 miles. The longest trail ride, at 216 miles, is the Old Spanish Trail (which gives its name to a road by the Rodeo’s location at Reliant Park).

The Reliant stadium is normally home to the Houston Texans NFL team, and this houses the rodeo events which for us included:

• barrel racing - Which appeared to be the only event women were allowed to take part. This involved riding your horse as fast as possible round three barrels.
• bull riding - Sit on the back of an angry bull and try and stay on for 8 seconds. Not only that, but then you and the bull are scored by judges based on how much bucking goes on and how well you control things.
• tie-down roping - Lasso a calf from your horse, lay it down then tie its legs (any three count) as quickly as you can.
• bareback riding - Not as demonstrated by Coventry’s most famous lady. This is similar to bull riding but with an angry horse instead of a bull.
• team roping - Two riders attempt to catch a steer, one by the head and one by the hind legs, as quickly as possible.
• saddle bronc riding - Like bareback riding but with a saddle. No less easy as the horse is still pretty mad.
• steer wresting - Dive off your horse onto a running 450-750 pound steer (horns included) then wrestle it to the ground.

Steer wrestling, or bulldogging, was invented by Bill Pickett (or possibly a Canadian called John Ware - controversy as always). His technique included biting the steer on the lip although this doesn’t seem to be too popular these days (for cowboy or steer). Pickett was a cowboy entertainer along with Tom Mix, Buffalo Bill and others and was so famous he even had a stamp made with his picture on. Obviously he wasn’t that well known as the first version of the stamp had his brother on them by mistake. This is the corrected version.

Oh, and then there’s the daily event of the calf scramble shown above. 28 boys and girls chase after 14 calves to try and catch one, harness it and drag it back to “the winner’s square”. Those who succeed get a certificate to buy a heifer and have to raise it before bringing it back to the Rodeo the following year to show it.

There’s a live band every night at the rodeo. The first entertainer was Gene Autry, the singing cowboy and star of dozens of westerns. Since Gene Autry, many have played here, including Elvis Presley, but mainly they are of Country & Western extraction.

Our live act was Brooks and Dunn. Despite sounding like an old-fashioned tailor or shoe shop, they have the fifth highest attendance record at the rodeo (at just under 73,000 - This year’s act from Ramon Ayala and Alacranes Musical has the highest at just over 74,000) and 8 platinum or multi-platinum albums.

We managed to make it through “Cowboy Town”, “You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl” and “Hillbilly Deluxe” before we had reached our Country & Western allowance for the year.

Once you’ve watched the rodeo events and the live act you can do the carnival. Better still see the carnival from 58 feet in the air on the sky ride like this: