The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo opened its gates at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, and the barns started filling up with livestock.
"You might be on TV," Tom Bush of TB Longhorns said to a longhorn as he walked in from a trailer to Cattle Barn 3. "It's rewarding. At the end of the day if you win, come in second, come in last; it doesn't matter."
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WATCH HEREFor exhibitors, the FWSSR is one of the 'big ones' for shows. As they say, 'This Thing is Legendary". That's in part because of legendary breeders like Bob Loomis of Loomis Longhorns.
"I've had this family of cattle for six generations," Loomis said looking at a longhorn heifer named Monika's Blossom.
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SIGN UP For generations, Loomis has made his mark in the industry. He's in the American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame and the National Reigning Horse Hall of Fame. This weekend, he'll be inducted into the Texas Longhorn Hall of Fame. Loomis is among the breeders who have helped put the 'long' in longhorn.
"The really good ones have rapid growth," Loomis said, referring to the horns. "For me, the most exciting thing about the longhorn breed is not only the cattle, but the friendships. There's so many just really great people in this industry."
An industry where 'Western' isn't just an adjective to describe a hat or boots; it's a way of life, passed on through generations.
Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo
This Thing is Legendary®!
"You have to get up early in the morning and feed them and work with them so they can come to show like this and be socialized," 20-year-old Megan Bush of TB Longhorns said as she helped her dad prepare bedding for their longhorns. "It's a lot of work behind the scenes, and taught me a lot about responsibility."
"Getting them in the barn gets them off of their phones. It gets them out of the house, off the couch, and it gets them moving and working and they can learn a lot of lessons," Tom Bush said. "It really creates great people!"
The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo runs through Feb. 8.
