Craig Daily Press

Photo by Drew Turner

Trey Buffalo and his mom, Trish Buffalo, pause during Day 3 of the Little Britches Rodeo on Monday afternoon at the Moffat County Fairgrounds. Trey does team roping, and Trish competed in Little Britches for 10 years, from age eight to 18.

Photo by Drew Turner

Tyrell Buffalo, of Salida, takes a breather behind the public announcer’s booth Monday afternoon at the Moffat County Fairgrounds. Buffalo is in town to compete in bull riding for the Little Britches Rodeo.

Craig — The Buffalo family, of Salida, has a rich rodeo history that is well into its third generation.

In town since Saturday, Trish Buffalo has been perched atop an upside down barrel watching sons Trey, 17, and Tyrell, 15, compete in the four-day Little Britches Rodeo at the Moffat County Fairgrounds.

Trish has another son, a 22-year-old, who is a professional cowboy, and her father has been a rodeo announcer for years.

Keeping with the family tradition, Trish “started riding before I could even walk.”

“I did all the girls’ events — team roping, pole bending, barrels,” Trish said. “I began at age 8 and was in the LBR until age 18, and then I went to college and was in the CPRA (Colorado Professional Rodeo Association). Once I started having kids it kind of stopped, but I still rope with them.”

The Buffaloes have eight acres and about 100 horses in Salida.

Trey, a home-schooled high school-aged junior, said he has been around the sport “forever.”

“He won his first all-around at age three,” Trish said.

Tyrell got a relatively late start by Buffalo family standards. The 15-year-old is in his fourth-year as a cowboy.

The family said a benefit of logging miles competing in various rodeos around the Western Slope and throughout the state is the camaraderie the traveling builds.

“It’s such a family oriented deal,” Trish said. “It’s such a joy sitting here, and the friends you make are great. Everyone is here to help each other.”

Trey pointed to the lifestyle in general as his motivator for being involved in rodeo while his younger brother simply likes the bulls and horses.

Ask about any possible downsides to the sport and you get similar answers from different backgrounds.

Tyrell, who broke his arm a year ago, gathers a smile before pointing to “the injuries and being bucked off” as reminders of the dangerous sport.

Conversely, Trey, who counts a cut thumb as his main injury to date, ponders his response to the sport’s downside.

“I would say the luck of the draw,” he said.

“Sometimes the cattle might be bad,” Trish added.

Through all their experiences, the Buffaloes emphasize the importance of family.

“My mom is a good supporter even though she didn’t rodeo herself,” Trish said of her own mother. “Even to this day if you can look up (in the bleachers) to see family, it helps a lot.”

Trey said his mom has been to all the rodeos he and his brother have entered, and has always been supportive.

“I would say the biggest benefit would be her driving,” he said.