Blaine Linaweaver

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Blaine Linaweaver wrapped up roping Tuesday at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, and a few minutes later, the Californian was home.

Tucked away in the corner of the Tucson Rodeo Grounds was his rodeo rig, a sleek, silver trailer that blends the accouterments of an RV with the necessities of the cowboy lifestyle.

At the back end of the trailer was space for four horses and feed hung from its sides. But at the front end was a small one-bedroom apartment complete with a flatscreen and satellite TV. There was a steak in the fridge just waiting for him to burn to perfection. (Watch a video of Linaweaver showing of his rig).

"At least for me, it's got everything that I'll ever need in it," Linaweaver said, adding that his wife often flies in from Irvine, Calif., to spend weekends with him.

There was a time — as recently as 15 years ago — when cowboys like Linaweaver, 32, spent their nights in the backs of pickup trucks or in the beds of cheap hotel rooms.

But as more money has been pumped into the sport via increased purses, television exposure and sponsorships, the quality of life on the road has improved.

Rigs, which can cost well over $100,000, often come with wood paneling, microwaves and even "pop-outs," walls that expand outward a few feet to provide more space.

It's not uncommon to see cowboys playing video games inside these rigs.

And some rigs have become so big, it takes semitrucks to pull them.

"It's just grown and grown," Linaweaver said of rodeo's evolution into a high-cost sport.

While the rodeo rig is most certainly a home away from home, it also serves a number of purposes, particularly marketing for the cowboys and their products.

Linaweaver's name is on the side of his rig, as are some of his sponsors.

"They become rolling billboards," said Rich Skelton, whose name is emblazoned on his rig along with a reminder that he has been a team-roping world champion eight times.

The sponsorship is the lifeblood of the sport, he said, compensating for smaller purses and the expenses of life on the road.

Gas will cost at least $25,000 a year, Skelton said. A good horse will cost between $40,000 and $100,000, and most cowboys travel with three or four.

Feed is another $15,000.

"If it weren't for the sponsors, I wouldn't do it," Skelton said.

Rodeo rigs are used mainly by cowboys and cowgirls in timed events such as team roping, barrel racing or tie-down roping because they are traveling with horses.

Bull and bronc riders, unburdened by horse ownership, tend to fly from rodeo to rodeo, and often compete in multiple rodeos the same week.

While the rodeo rig has become a convenient and necessary form of sponsorship, it also has served its mission.

Life on the road for the cowboy has become easier.

The parking lot at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds is filled with rigs, and Tuesday morning, the scene had all the feel of the neighborhood waking up.

Kids played with parents. Wives rode horses with their husbands. Dogs shivered outside front doors.

Bubba Strait, son of famed country-Western singer George Strait, was outside his rig tending to his horses.

A team roper, Strait, 25, shares his ride with his partner, Jory Levy, and girlfriend Tamara Shipman. There are also two dogs.

"It's pretty full, but it's nicer than it used to be," he said, adding that he has an Xbox inside.

"It's definitely a home away from home."