By James Kruger * Special to the Rocky

Going shopping at the National Western Stock Show can be an almost dizzying experience for cowboy and city slicker alike. Whether shopping for leather-tooled saddles or genuine Alpaca fur, there are literally hundreds of booths and kiosks to check out. The trade show continues through Sunday. To offer a little assistance, here are some highlights so you aren't cow-pokin' around forever while you're there. And we've even rated them.

American Indian artifacts and jewelry

* Skyway Trading Co., Albuquerque

* $50-$16,800

The National Western Stock Show brings all sorts of cultures to Denver, and Skyway Trading Co. gives you the opportunity to take an authentic piece of Indian heritage home.

From hatchets and peace pipes to finely crafted belts and turquoise jewelry, owner Sam Abweh said all of the items are original works of art and nearly everything is handmade.

Peace pipes carved from wood and antlers are also available, but "we don't supply the goods that go in those," Claudia Perez, a sales representative, said with a laugh.

Chaps

* High Plains Quality Handcrafted Chaps, Clay Center, Kan.

* $169-$329

Whether you're getting on a bronco or getting in your Honda to go check out the Broncos, a good pair of chaps can come in pretty handy. OK, maybe that's more true for the former than for the latter.

But still, if you are in the market for a pair, High Plains Quality Handcrafted Chaps is the place to go.

"Chaps protect your pants and legs from brush, thorns, barbed wire - anything that will rip through your jeans if you're not protected," said Michelle Kipfer, who runs the business with her husband, Jeff.

For a more fashionable look, one can pick up a pair of chinks - the Capri version of chaps with shorter length in the legs - dyed blue and made of cowhide for $179.

Framed Peruvian butterflies and moths

* Butterflies 2 Go, Wasilla, Alaska

* $10-$199

Butterflies have two sides - one with dynamic colors to attract other butterflies and another with intricate camouflage for survival. So the Peruvian villagers who assemble the real framed insects use double-sided glass, leaving the viewer to decide which to display.

Either way, they make a beautiful decoration or conversation piece for anyone's home, and a humane one to boot.

Dave Moore, who runs the business, said because the butterflies are raised on farms, it discourages villagers from going into the jungle to take them out of the wild.

And Moore wants everyone to know that no butterflies were injured in the making of these displays - they are all picked up off the ground after they die naturally.

Horns and leather goods

* M.P. & K.D. Horn and Leather Shop, Fort Worth, Texas

* $45-$2,500

For those who want to present true Western pride on their walls or above their mantel, look no further than M.P. & K.D. Horn and Leather Shop.

Made from real steer horns, the mounted displays come in all sizes and colors from a wide set of longhorns to an actual bull skull.

While M.P. & K.D. also sell wallets, belts and other leather goods, the horns are the real attraction, adding a kitschy touch to any home or . . . automobile.

"Some people mount them on their cars," owner Duane Miller explained. Imagine.

Western style lamps

* Lee's Custom Lampshades, Canon City

* $49.95-$1,895

Each year at the stock show the owner of Lee's Custom Lampshades, Christina McCullough, features one artist's work to sell, and the lamps made of elk antlers, juniper and replica six-shooters created by Grand Junction's Hollis Whitrock radiate as some of the most original lighting this side of the Rockies.

You can pick up a small lamp for as little as $40, but if you really wanted to light up a room, there are also lamps the size of a small tree.

Glittered belts, purses and shirts

* Cowgirl Glitter, Dickinson, Texas

* $39.95-$700

Just because it's a rodeo doesn't mean you can't look glamorous with one of Cowgirl Glitter's signature belts.

Decorated with everything from beads to Swarovski crystal, they're sure to catch some eyes (and some light) at the stock show.

Despite the name, these items aren't just for the cowgirls either. Looking to add extra flash to their rodeo ride, cowboys are customers, too, said owner Carol Christian.

"A lot of guys like it because they get the attention from the women," she said.

Glittering and sparkling like a Cher video circa 1987, the merchandise certainly isn't hard to miss.

Bull semen accessories

* Universal Semen Sales Inc., Great Falls, Mont.

* $25 per dose of bull semen; other merchandise $10-$20

While ranchers looking to artificially inseminate cows are the target buyers for Universal Semen Sales Inc., there isn't a big market in bull semen for the average shopper, believe it or not.

That's why owner Jack Ganje came up with a clothing and merchandise line.

Bumper stickers, T-shirts and coffee mugs (or "collection cups" as Ganje calls them) are all available for purchase. All items display images or references to the company's real product. And as opposed to the bull semen, the items have been quite hot sellers to the casual buyer, Ganje said.

"It says 'semen' on it," Ganje said. "People seem to like it because they think it's nasty or something; I don't know."

Belt buckles

* Jeffrey Scott Fine Magnetics, Las Vegas

* $100-$500

Crafting each one of the trophy belt buckles for all of the events at the National Western Stock Show, Jeffrey Scott Fine Magnetics takes a lot of pride in its buckles, which are made of sterling silver.

Each is handcrafted and comes with a lifetime warranty, just in case a rodeo event goes awry and takes more wear and tear out of your buckle than you'd like it to.

And if you want to get the ultimate souvenir when you're at the stock show, the event's commemorative buckle is $100 at the Jeffrey Scott booth, a 50 percent discount.

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