We got in on a little rodeo Tuesday, or maybe I should call it mutton-busting. On the way to Mancos from Snowflake, we stopped in at Hubbell Trading Post NHS in Ganado, AZ, where I was superintendent for three years in the mid-1970s. As we drove in, we could see activity in the new sheep pen out near the entrance, where they are raising a demonstration flock of churro sheep, so important to the history of Navajo weaving.

The top picture is of one of the guys roping the hind legs of a sheep to bring it out of the pen and to the place where they were doing the shearing. Catching the critters in the pen, where they milled about with the watch-llama, was the rodeo part!

During the shearing, the fleece was laid back over the head of the animal as the shearer worked toward the front ... you can see the muzzle peeking out on one that has decided to quit kicking and just wait it out.

By mid-day, after we had gone on a very good tour of the house and visited the trading post, the crew was working on the last few critters. The shearer in the tan cap and bright blue shirt in the bottom pic, with the trading post visible in the background, is the superintendent. tv