Rodeo Night at the Alisal is a summer tradition that dates back decades–to the 1940s in fact. Once a week, guests of the Solvang, California, guest ranch who opt in for the special BBQ dinner-inclusive event can mosey back through the stables to where the music plays, the cold drinks are poured (and snow cones are scooped for the kids), and settle into a spot on the bleachers to get ready for the show.
Drill Team Riders
My daughters were thrilled to be included in the inaugural Alisal Drill Team horseback riding performance that kicked of the rodeo night during our stay (that’s my middle kid in the black shirt). On Tuesday, interested guests 12 years and older attend a 1-hour lesson with the group to learn the choreographed riding pattern in preparation for the Wednesday night event. But while fairly tame and certainly patriotic with the Star Spangled Banner conclusion to the drill team performance, all heck was moments from breaking loose when the first team ropers arrived.
Team Roping
Once the rodeo competitions are underway, you may spot familiar faces of the very wranglers who led you on your horseback ride or gave your child riding lessons earlier that day, and you may even recognize some fellow ranch guests blazing past in a barrel race or team sorting event (the ranch offers lessons and hands-on experience in ranching skills and rodeo activities for those interested). In this first image, wrangler Meghan–who led me on an advanced ride a day earlier–shows consummate coolness as she ropes a calf’s hind leg.
Barrel Racing
Barrel racing is one of the most-loved equestrian events to watch in the western arena. And when the wranglers of the Alisal saddle up for the competition, they do not disappoint. Pictured below, The Alisal’s own wranglers Kat, Jill, and Beth in action at the weekly rodeo.
Team Sorting
As a working 10,000-acre cattle ranch, team driving and sorting is a necessary skill for wranglers at The Alisal. In the team sorting event, wranglers must pick three cattle from the crowd and drive them–and only them–to the opposite side of the arena. 
Not only is a prize given to the fastest team of the night, but in another Alisal tradition, the team with the fastest time of the entire summer wins a commemorative belt buckle. Worth playing for? Ranch guests considered intermediate and advanced riders can join in a team sorting skills class during their stays, and some may even participate alongside seasoned wranglers as the weekly rodeo draws to its dramatic close.
The Alisal Guest Ranch’s weekly rodeo is followed immediately by a grand outdoor BBQ buffet dinner with live music and dancing. The popular event often sells out, so make your family’s reservations in advance of your stay if possible.
Find out more:
To find out more about The Alisal’s horseback riding opportunities, be sure to read my feature: A Family Horseback Riding Vacation at The Alisal. And if you liked the photos in this feature, don’t miss my latest additions in my “American West” photo gallery.
Visit The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort online: https://alisal.com
Full disclosure: My sister-in-law is The Alisal’s first female head wrangler in history(!), and we were given friends & family rates and discounts on many activities, though without the promise of positive (or any) review. As always, any opinions expressed here remain my own. More legal and editorial disclosure information here.