Hooves & Heritage: Motion at the Arizona State Fair

Native American Rodeo • Phoenix, Arizona • Photographs & reflections by Ladee Kalenik Rickard

There’s a sound the arena keeps for itself: the thud of hooves, the rattle of a gate, that hush a crowd takes just before the chute cracks open. These photographs were made at the Arizona State Fair during the Native American Rodeo—a kinetic blend of sport and story where heritage rides straight through the dust. Presented by Desert Diamond Casino West Valley, the event draws Indigenous cowboys and cowgirls from across the Southwest to compete, celebrate, and carry tradition forward.

Rodeo and photography share the same heartbeat—timing. Miss the moment by a breath and the story is gone.

Event notes & stats

Schedule: Two performances daily across a two-day program (afternoon & evening).

Events: Bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, team roping, ladies barrel racing, ladies breakaway, and more.

Attendance (Fair-wide): Recent editions have exceeded 1.4 million visitors overall.

Added money: Recent Native American Rodeo purses have included roughly $16,000 in added money across events.

Update these numbers with the official results page once published by the Fair.

Image One — The Moment of Flight. A bronc arcs high and the rider separates—motion trails tell the truth of speed. I worked a slightly slower shutter so the energy writes itself into the frame while the arena holds as context.

 

Image Two — The Eight-Second Battle. The speckled bull launches; the rider braces with one hand to the air. Background figures fall to blur so the subject stays clean—muscle, dust, danger.

Image Three — Grace Under Speed. Barrel racing is precision in motion—accelerate, carve, explode to the line. I left open space ahead so the horse can visually run into it; the faint ghosts behind are the rhythm of the run.

The craft: composition in a moving arena

Shutter as narrative. I leaned on slightly slower shutter speeds to let motion draw itself—ghosted legs, dust plumes, and those elastic seconds where the body is still deciding whether to land or fly.

Place as anchor. I kept the background legible—rails, banners, spectators—so the images don’t float free of the fair. Context matters; it holds the story together.

Edges and direction. Subjects ride the rule of thirds with room to move into. Our eyes follow the line of travel, which keeps the frame breathing even when the action is mid-burst.

Color & tone. Dust-warm earth, denim blues, leather browns—Arizona’s palette. I protect skin tones and let the arena stay rich, not muddy.

Heritage in motion

The Native American Rodeo is athleticism and lineage in the same breath: families who have lived with horses and cattle for generations, riders who carry community pride into the arena, and new competitors finding their seat in the saddle. It’s not only a show—it’s culture moving at full speed.

Collect the series

Prints from this series are available as fine-art editions. If you’d like one for your wall—or a gift for the rodeo fan in your life—explore the links below.

Links coming soon 

Photographs & text © Ladee Kalenik Rickard • LadeeTravels.blog