Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo exhibitors look to keep livestock warm, safe in icy conditions

FORT WORTH, Texas - Exhibitors at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo are doing everything they can to keep their livestock warm and safe amid this week's winter storm.

They are using hay to cover the icy Fort Worth streets so their investments, potentially prize-worthy livestock, don't slip and fall.

"It gets very slippery and for the steers they don’t have any friction in their feet," said exhibitor Madelyn Florence. "The thing about bigger animals, livestock if they fall you can’t really do anything about it."

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If the animals fall and get injured they could have to be put down.

Bryce Baca used a heavy-duty dryer to remove ice from the animals' coats.

"They are pretty hearty animals. Ice doesn’t affect them that much, but we don’t want to leave it in there," Baca said.

The warm air also soothes the animals and keeps them healthy in the freezing temperatures, following a longer-than-usual drive up from Austin.

"It’s warm air. We blow all the wet water and just washed them. If you leave them wet they can get sick, so we blow all the water out of them to make sure they’re feeling good," said Baca.

Despite the ice, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo schedule has not been changed.

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That means participants making their way to the Will Rogers Complex with trailers hauling livestock are navigating icy roadways and relying on their driving experience.

"The majority of these people up and down these roads with these trailers have been doing this a long time, so they are pretty used to it," said exhibitor Jeff Parker. "We know when it’s rough, take it slow and easy and make your way up."

The kids who have worked many months and taken care to raise their steers are being quite cautious not to let ice jeopardize their animals.