It was a fun-filled family day at the Waikouaiti Rodeo yesterday, with plenty of cowboy hats, spurs and belt buckles on display.
There was also more than just a splash of pink, with the crowd and competitors alike getting behind the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation's ''Tough Enough To Wear Pink'' campaign.
Among the cowboys was tie-down roper Jared Hofstetter, who came all the way from Lubbock, Texas, to compete in the rodeo.
Mr Hofstetter said he enjoyed the family atmosphere at the rodeo, which was a little different from events back home and ''really neat to see''.
''It's great, it's beautiful here. The people are really nice and I am really enjoying myself.''
Being 10 hours from the ocean at home meant he also enjoyed taking a dip in the sea. He also loved trying New Zealand lamb.
Mr Hofstetter, who has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo - sometimes referred to as the Super Bowl of Rodeo - three times, won the rope and tie, an event where a mounted cowboy ropes or lassoes a calf, leaps from his horse, throws the calf to the ground and ties its legs together.
Before leaving for the United States on Friday, Mr Hofstetter is running a rope-and-tie school in Middlemarch, with about 20 people taking part.
One of the rodeo's organisers, Henrietta Purvis, said the turnout had been great.
''We have had a really fantastic day. The whole community has got behind the rodeo.''
The weather had also been ideal.
''There has been a nice sea-breeze, a little bit of cloud cover, just perfect for man and beast.''
The Waikouaiti Rodeo Club was on track to raise more than $10,000 for the Breast Cancer Foundation this year, she said.
