There are around 650 professional rodeos held each year. It’s a symbol of life in the West, but that life is changing with climate change and urbanization. According to the Wright family, a cross-generational rodeo powerhouse from Utah, rodeo is not an anachronism — it’s the future of the West. | Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station at donate.npr.org/1A and subscribe to our podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1a.