Guyana’s Rupununi Rodeo celebrates local cowboy culture

By JUAN PABLO ARRAEZ
Associated Press

LETHEM, Guyana (AP) — Their horses’ hooves kick up dust amid blaring country music as participants enter the arena to begin the Rupununi Ranchers Rodeo, a celebration of the cowboy lifestyle on Guyana’s rugged Rupununi savannah. The annual rodeo draws thousands of visitors from Guyana’s capital and other countries. The event is held in Lethem town in the Rupununi Region also known as Region 9 – Upper-Takutu-Upper Essequibo in southwest Guyana. Competitions include bareback bronco riding, saddle bronco, steer roping, ribbon roping and wild cow milking. The event has become so popular it even has participants from Britain, the United States and Brazil.