Monkey Business At The Rodeo

When Whiplash rides his mount, you can be sure all eyes are on him.

That's because Whiplash is a monkey, dressed in chaps, blue satin shirt, and cowboy hat, and strapped to a saddle on the back of a sheep-herding dog.

Reporter Steve Dawson of KCTV, the CBS affiliate in Kansas City, reports that the dynamic duo are sure crowd-pleasers at the rodeos they're booked for around the country.

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Although those sharp turns jerk Whiplash into a horizontal position, he always hangs on and recovers.

Trainer Tommy Lucia had been involved in the rodeo for years, but got out of the business recently to avoid injury. But he also wanted to remain involved with the rodeo, so he started training monkeys as specialty acts.

The hardest part is matching the monkey with a mount, he says. If the rider gets the wrong dog, he can go ape.