Houston, Texas – Shelve your saddles and store your spurs, cowboys and cowgirls: the 2021 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been canceled.

The largest livestock show and rodeo in the world, RodeoHouston is one of the city's most anticipated annual events. For 20 days, Houston's NRG Stadium transforms into many Texans' idea of paradise.

The sporting events include bareback riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing, and bull riding. Even children and youth have a chance to take part in the calf scramble and mutton bustin'. Carnival rides and concerts with big-name musicians add to the entertainment.

Due to the emerging coronavirus outbreak, the 2020 rodeo was forced to shut down in March after just eight days. The 2021 events were postponed until May due to the continued onslaught of the global pandemic.

Now, the 2021 rodeo has been canceled altogether, the Houston Chronicle reports. Organizers say it is impossible to hold such a large-scale event without threatening the health and safety of participants and fans.

The cost of operating the show would also prove unfeasible: in 2020, RodeoHouston saw a 50% drop in revenue from the previous year, bringing in just $84 million. Organizers were forced to give back over $55 million to vendors and season ticket holders. Overall, the loss was reported around $11 million.

The team seeks to avoid incurring similar losses in 2021. Despite that fact, RodeoHouston still commits to providing over $21 million in scholarships to Texas students.

Several planned activities will take place as private events in spite of wider cancellations, including the junior livestock and horse show in March and the Champion Wine Auction in May.

RodeoHouston is confident the 2022 show will take place as scheduled. The events will be even more special, not just due to the cancellations in 2020 and 2021, but also because the year marks RodeoHouston's 90th anniversary.

President and CEO Chris Boleman assured fans, "We've been here a long time, and trust me: we're not going anywhere."