The Rodeo’s Secret Ingredient: A Mix of Clay, Sand, and Topsoil

The Art of Creating the Perfect Rodeo Dirt

The mix of clay, sand, and topsoil is the rodeo’s secret ingredient. It’s a carefully crafted blend that requires precision and attention to detail. Every year, the same collection of dirt is driven into the arena a week before the rodeo begins, and it’s a spectacle unlike any other.

The rodeo dirt woke up on February 24 and decided to take a rain check. It was supposed to be the day the careful mix of clay, sand, and topsoil was scheduled to be moved into NRG Stadium for the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. But because of the previous weekend’s rains, the dirt was a tad moister than its optimal level of 12 to 18 percent—and a true diva gets out of bed only when she’s ready.

The Perfect Blend

Every year, the same collection of dirt is driven into the arena a week before the rodeo begins. It’s otherwise waiting patiently on an HLSR property located off 288 and Reed Road, about three miles from NRG, until it’s summoned by the truckload. If you think such precious earth would remain locked up inside a secure fortress, you’d be mistaken. It’s anticlimactically covered with a tarp in the middle of a parking lot all year, though sometimes it gets denuded to allow for aeration. However, the team just completed construction on a new facility befitting the dirt’s gravitas, where it will settle into its next hibernation until the 2026 rodeo calls it back into service.

HLSR’s dirt only makes an appearance in public once a year, so enjoy this moment while it lasts.

The Dirt’s Journey

The dirt used in the 2025 festivities is about three years old. HLSR switches it out every decade, sourcing it from North Houston Trucking, which also handles the logistics of bringing it all over from its parking lot home to its once-a-year workplace. When the rodeo doesn’t need it, the dirt doesn’t have to pick up any freelancing on the side—one gig is all it needs.

Bobby Richardson, HLSR’s director of buildings and grounds, says, “The rodeo is the only event that dirt is used for. We don’t use it for any other events on this property. It’s a totally different dirt than what they use when Monster Jam or the monster trucks come. Supercross is a whole different dirt.”

The Perfect Surface

After basking in the sun all day this past Monday, the dirt was primed for a Tuesday morning departure. At 7:45am, the first trucks rolled into an otherwise quiet and empty NRG Stadium, releasing large mounds onto the concrete floor, the dump body flaps clapping back with a humongous bang echoing throughout the arena. It takes 40 trucks carrying more than 550 loads over six to eight hours to fill the grounds with 4,000 cubic yards of dirt, layered evenly at 18 inches deep.

Over 4,000 cubic yards of dirt are spread during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Dirt Day.

These aren’t arbitrary numbers. HLSR dirt serves as a cushion for all the active hoofed mammals participating in the month’s pro rodeo competitions—and for the cowboys who take quite a few tumbles.

The Care and Feeding of Rodeo Dirt

Bobby Richardson and his team run daily checks on the dirt to make sure the moisture levels remain stable. Too dry or too wet increases the risk of one of the animals suffering an injury out on the field. Richardson mentions that he’ll ball up handfuls of the dirt to gauge the quality in different areas. If it feels too dusty or crumbly, it may require some tilling to dredge up moister layers from the bottom.

“It’s kind of just a feel that you’re looking for. Each event is different. Your barrel racers, they like their dirt a certain way, where your ropers may like their dirt a different way. Your bulldoggers…they’re going to want it a different way,” Richardson says. “So you try to find that happy medium in there.”

Conclusion

The rodeo’s secret ingredient is a carefully crafted blend of clay, sand, and topsoil. It’s a process that requires precision and attention to detail, from the sourcing of the dirt to the careful application of it in the arena. The end result is a surface that is perfect for the animals and the cowboys who compete in the rodeo.

FAQs

Q: How often is the rodeo dirt switched out?

A: HLSR switches out the rodeo dirt every decade.

Q: What is the ideal moisture level for the rodeo dirt?

A: The ideal moisture level for the rodeo dirt is between 12 to 18 percent.

Q: How much dirt is used in the rodeo?

A: Over 4,000 cubic yards of dirt are spread during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Dirt Day.

Q: What happens to the rodeo dirt after the event?

A: After the rodeo, the dirt is returned to its storage facility, where it will remain until the next rodeo season.