As the old song goes, “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.” But no one passed along the message to those competing in the Folsom Pro Rodeo.

The modern day cowboy’s job description would probably include very little money, fleeting fame and long hours, not to mention dangerous work. But for cowboys, there is much more to the job.

Levi Rosser, 29, says rodeo is in his blood.

“I started in the sheep riding probably when I was 4 years old,” he said.

Today the Gridley resident rides a horse, a step up from his mutton busting days.

“I compete in the steer wrestling and team roping (events),” he said. “I also work as a pickup man for the rodeo company during the rodeo.”

Rosser’s grandfather, Cotton Rosser, helps organize the competitions for the Folsom Pro Rodeo through the Flying U Rodeo Company. Cotton was also inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1995.

“I come in after the 8 second whistle blows to get the rider off the horses,” the younger Rosser said of his “pickup man” duties. “I also keep all the livestock out of the arena.”

Tony Amaral is a regular at the Folsom Pro Rodeo. The 44-year-old Wheatland man works a ranch during the day and doesn’t find much practice time.

“Not very damn much (practice),” Amaral said. “If we practice once a week, we’re lucky.”

Rosser said he tries to practice as much as he can.

“I probably spend two or three hours every other day,” Rosser said. “A guy should practice every day, but sometimes your body doesn’t want to do all that.”

Rosser said being fit is important when considering rodeo competition.

“A guy needs to keep himself in (as well as) his horse that he’s going to use,” he said. “To be at the top of your game, you need to practice, so you can react as instinct, rather than thinking about it. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it.”

Amaral’s rodeo participation is also a part of his upbringing.

“I was born and raised into the horse show end of it and that’s also around rodeo. I just enjoyed it,” he said.

There isn’t much money to be had for cowboys. They pay to enter competitions and if they are skilled enough, and lucky enough, they can win and receive money to cover their costs and maybe have little extra change in their pockets.

Rosser said it’s a real problem in the industry.

“There are a few rodeos where cowboys can earn money,” he said. “Folsom is big enough to where a guy can make a little bit of a profit. The Reno rodeo is big enough to get a guy by for a few months. That’s one of the issues, is how much a cowboy can make vs. the expenses to get there.”

Cowboys also spend a lot of time on the road.

“Now I stay within the state,” Rosser said. “I have a (baby) due in August. My wife is pregnant. For the first years out of college, I went as far as Jackson, Miss., for a few rodeos.”

When not working the rodeo circuit, Rosser is a general contractor with a metal building business.

“When we’re not doing contracting work, we try to help out on the family ranch,” he said.

Amaral said that the thrill of the rodeo may not be what it once was for him, but he still loves it.

“To some people it is a rush, but I’ve done it so many times, it’s not like that for me,” he said. “If you’re heading, you want to rope it by two horns. If you’re heeling, you want to rope it by two feet.”

While it’s difficult to earn money as a cowboy, Amaral said that’s not really the reason he does it.

“(I do it) for the love of the sport,” he said. “Team roping has been a part of rodeo forever and it’s one of the (top) family sports that people can do.”

He said all eyes might be on him when he’s in a competition, but he tries to stay focused.

“I block out the crowd,” Amaral said. “I don’t even know it’s there.”

Rosser said he’s spent his entire life involved in rodeos.

“I started becoming successful doing it and liking it a lot more,” he said. “It’s fun and the competition is neat and you meet a lot of good people. You see a lot of beautiful country.”

The best part, he said, is what he walks away with on the inside.

“We don’t make a lot of money, but we make a lot of good memories,” Rosser said.