Manuel Murietta has been working around bucking horses and bulls since he was 13 years old and believes he has one of the best jobs around.

Murietta, who lives in Sonoita, was one of two pickup men who plucked cowboys from bucking, spinning broncs and angry, snorting bulls at the Safford Saturday Night Stampede.

"There's a dangerous part of it, like any sport, but it's better than a 9-5 job," Murietta said as he saddled his red roan quarter horse. "You need good horses who are fairly calm and well broke." An estimated 1,000 to 1,100 people attended the rodeo staged at the Graham County Fairgrounds. The rodeo fans saw barrel racing, bareback and saddle bronc riding, bull riding and roping events. Winners of the events won belt buckles and cash prizes.

The fans also laughed at the antics of the rodeo clowns, who played important roles in keeping riders safe, professional clown Nate Reed said.

Reed, who hails from Buckeye, and Jesse Hoge, who lives in Tucson, have been clowning around at rodeos for several years — Reed for 11 and Hoge for six.

Reed said his main job is to "make sure the bull riders are able to walk out." A real crowd pleaser, the clowns go through a variety of silly routines to distract the bull so the rider can get up and leave the arena.

Reed, who works locating underground utilities, and Hoge, who is a construction worker, spend a lot of their free time clowning at rodeos. Reed said he averages two rodeos a month, and Hoge said he clowns at 30 to 40 rodeos a year.

Alexis Phillips, 16, goes to a lot of rodeos, too, but doesn't ride broncs or bulls. Instead, she rides her horse at breakneck speeds in barrel-racing competitions.

"I also do pole bending and team roping. I'm an all-around cowgirl," Phillips said.

She does not compete in these events alone. Her horse is the other half of the team. Until Saturday, she rode Beau, who is beginning to show his age. Now, her primary mount is Boozer.

"We just bought him. This will be my first time running off of him," Phillips said.

As Phillips and Boozer trotted around the fairgrounds to warm up for the barrel racing, they stopped to visit with Valley residents Betty Sanchez and her 7-year-old daughter, Kylie. The little girl said she likes watching the horses in the rodeo.

She and other horse lovers were treated to precision riding by the Las Vaqueras de Tucson, a women's quadrille team. The women, clad in red, white and blue, carried American flags as the horses galloped around the arena.

Scott McDaniel, owner of the McDaniel Cattle Company and producer of the rodeo, said about 120 contestants had signed up to compete. He said he provides cattle and horses to rodeos throughout Arizona.

"This is the only rodeo that I produce. I usually just provide the stock, but I like this area. It's a good agricultural area," McDaniel said.

He said Renee Miles, who helped organize the rodeo and obtain sponsors, is organizing a committee and seeking volunteers and sponsors for next year's rodeo.