THE Rupununi Rodeo attracted a $1M pledge from the government on Saturday that will go towards upgrading the venue at which a mix of locals and foreigners turned out in their numbers to see vaqueros test their skills and stamina at wild bull riding and cow milking.

The annual Easter holiday event organised by the Rupununi Rodeo Committee is the climax of a series of scheduled activities in the Lethem community that sits on the border of neighouring Brazil.
In the lead up to the big event, flights to Lethem for this activity alone, have averaged about 17 a week for Air Services and 14 for Trans Guyana.
It is also a calendar event for the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, coinciding with the Pakaraima Mountain Safari. This year’s  convoy of more than 30, 4×4 vehicles undertook a 600- mile adventure. Included in the team were nationals of Suriname, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, a regular participant in the Safari joined President Donald Ramotar in Lethem on Saturday for the rodeo along with Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai and other officials.
The event has its genesis a century and a half ago when vaqueros/cowboys would meet to compete in wild bull riding, bareback bronco, horse racing, calf roping and wild cow milking.
The tradition has been kept alive with the Rupununi Rodeo Committee that has been responsible for the installation of lavatory facilities and a number of prelude events like pageantry.
Ayla Kenyon, the 2013 rodeo queen, greeted President Ramotar in the company of an entourage of horse riders. A crew from Germany filming a documentary on the Essequibo also met the President.
Support through sponsorship from corporate entities such as the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph, Digicel and Ansa McAl have also been keeping the Rupununi Rodeo alive.
Its popularity has been supported by the growth in economic development that the community has experienced over the years, especially since the opening of the bridge across the Takutu River.
With a chain of foreign commercial enterprises, a Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) branch, and a recently opened branch of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), Lethem has over the years been transforming.
Proprietor of Sleep Inn hotel promised to sponsor a new prize to the rodeo next year and hinted plans to build a hotel in Lethem.
With the recent presentation of the 2013 national budget, President Ramotar announced allocations this year for the establishment of Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs in hinterland communities this year that will facilitate training aspect for the Government’s One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme.