Events

  Bull Riding

  Bull riding is always rodeo's most popular event. The spectacular looking bulls can weigh as much as a    

  ton and their range of colors, horns and humps is exciting to see. Add to that the spectacle of seeing a  

  rider who weighs around 150 pounds aboard the bull, and you understand the attraction of bull riding.

  The rules are simple in this event. The bull rider must stay on eight seconds and not touch himself or the 

  bull with his free hand. That's it--but that's more than enough in bull riding. Just getting on a bull is an

  adventure. They generally roll and push against the rider's legs while he is in the chute trying to position

  himself to ride. When the chute opens, the danger is amplified. The cowboy can get hurt falling on the  

  ground or the fence, and can get stepped on or hit by the bull's horns. If the rider happens to fall away

  from his riding hands as he bucks off, he can become "hung up"--unable to free his hand to get loose

  from the bull. If that happens, the bull rider must rely solely on the skills of the rodeo clowns to move in,

  subdue the bull, and get him safely away. Bull riders use a flat-braided manilla "bull rope" that is wrapped

  around the bull's girth, just behind his shoulders. A bell is attached underneath to help make the rope fall

  free when the ride is complete. The bull rope is stretched around the bull and gripped in the rider's gloved

  and rosined hand. The rider must keep his body up close to his hand during the ride to stay on, with his

  legs slightly forward and toes turned out, heels clinching the bull's sides. As in other tough events, a

  perfect score is 100 points.

  Steer Wrestling

  Steer Wrestling, or bulldogging, as it is often called, is another rodeo event which developed purely in the

  competitive arena environment. No cowboy would ever dive off his horse onto a five or six hundred pound

  steer at 35 miles an hour on the open range Steer Wrestling is the only rodeo event in which a

  contestant is permitted to use a helper, known as the "hazer". A 500-lb horned steer leaves the chute

  tripping a barrier line which signals the steer wrestling contestant and hazer to race to each side of the

  steer. As in other timed events, a broken barrier will add 10 seconds to the competitor's time for starting

  too early. With the hazer paralleling, the steer to keep it running straight, the steer wrestler must catch

  up to the steer, lean off his horse at top speed and end up with a firm grip on the steer's horns. Once on

  the ground, the steer wrestler must plant his feet, bring the steer to a stop and wrestle it to the ground.

  A rodeo judge will stop time when the steer is on its side with all four feet pointing in the same direction.

  Once known as the "big man's" event, due to the brute strength required, recent emphasis on quickness 

  and technique have produced phenomenal times by large and average sized cowboys alike. With constant

  practice and top grade horses, it often requires a time of less than 5 seconds to win a champion-caliber

  steer wrestling competition.

  Bareback Bronc Riding

  In the terms of the physical exertion necessary to perform a winning ride, the bareback riding is probably

  the most strenuous in rodeo. The cowboy's extended arm completely supports his weight and takes the

  shock of impact over and over during the eight second ride. This event was born in the rodeo arena and

  has no roots in ranching history. The cowboys ride with a bareback "riggin'"--a leather pad that is

  cinched around the horse's middle. This pad has a stiff leather hand-hold into which the cowboy tightly

  wedges his hand before a ride. He works his hand into the riggin' as tightly as possible to insure the best

  grip. Making a qualified ride in bareback riding depends on two things--riding the horse for the entire  

  eight seconds and "marking the horse our". That means that when the horse makes the first step out of

  the bucking chute, the cowboy must have his spurs over the point of the horse's shoulders. If he fails to 

  do so, or touches himself of the horse with his free hand, he is disqualified. When the horse's feet take

  that first step out of the chute, the eight seconds and the judging begins. The higher the score and

  more frequently the rider spurs, the better score he can receive. His actions are responsible for half of

  his possible 100 point score. The horse's bucking garners the other half of the points for the ride. The

  cowboy's legs should stay forward at all times as he holds onto the riggin' and brings his knees up  

  towards his body, stretching them out again each time the horse kicks up behind. "Getting topped off"

  with the horse means being in time with his bucking. That coordinated timing also results in a higher

  score.

  Barrel Racing

  Always one of the rodeo's most popular events, barrel racing is fun to watch, with the beautiful horses 

  and skilled riders. It almost looks easy, but looks are deceiving. Keeping a barrel horse working properly

  throughout a season is a challenge that illustrates the level of horsemanship necessary to qualify for a

  rodeo. The barrel horse must run at fun speed, turn, and then run again throughout the three barrel

  cloverleaf pattern. Knocking over a barrel results in a five second penalty being added to the total time

  of  the run, and a barrel racer is disqualified for going off course or "breaking the pattern". The barrel   

  horse of today is the high-dollar model of the rodeo arena, with prices of most barrel horses well into the 

  five figure range. Most are Quarter Horses, with a good percentage of Thoroughbred breeding, but  

  Paints and Appaloosas are also seen. Whatever the breed, the horse must enjoy running barrels to be a

  winner. He must also be able to stand the extensive hauling necessary to maintain a place in the

  standings, and must have the ability to run and win in a variety of arena types and ground conditions.

  And not only must the horse be talented--the combination of horse and rider has to be right. Some riders

  that can win on one horse are unable to do so on another. When the right magic and combination does

  happen, a winning horse and rider team results. The barrel racing event is so competitive nowadays that 

  electric eye timers, which measure times into the thousandths of seconds, are used. The time is set

  between the alley and the first barrel and the time begins when the horse breaks the beam of light.

  Contestants are allowed to run either the right or left barrel first.

  Team Roping

  The team roping event is the only contest in rodeo that features two cowboys competing together-the

  "header" and the "heeler". The header must nod for the steer and come from behind a barrier after him.

  He then ropes the steer's head in one of three legal catches, dallies (wraps the end of the rope around

  his saddle horn) and pulls the steer with the rope. The heeler moves in next, roping the back of the legs

  of the steer, dallying, and stopping his horse. When the heeler catches and dallies, and both ropes are

  tight, the header stops and turns his horse to face the heeler, and the run is completed. If it sounds

  involved, it is. But in the old west, it was the only way available to cowboys to catch and subdue a large

  bovine. There are a multiple of rules and penalties that apply to the team roping event. Breaking the

  barrier results in a ten second penalty, and catching only one of the back legs earns five seconds.

  Missing is a disqualification, as are any head catches other than around the horns, around the neck and

  around the neck and one horn. Onto the header's shoulders falls the responsibility of getting out from

  behind the barrier and roping, as well as handling the steer. Top headers know just how fast or slow to

  pull each steer. Some must be "set" gently and pulled off slowly to keep them from falling and some must

  be roped and pulled quickly. The knowledgeable header can gauge the steer and react to the advantage

  of his heeler. Team roping is one of the country's most popular recreational events--largely because

  people of all ages are able to participate and enjoy the event. It is the only event in which both men and

  women compete.

  Calf Roping

  Calf Roping is one of the most basic skills of the historical and modern working cowboy. Many people feel

  that the calf ropers are the most talented competitors in professional rodeo. Horsemanship, timing, skill

  with a rope, strength and dexterity with a piggin' string are all required. The calf roper must nod to call

  for his calf, then time his exit from the box perfectly to insure that he doesn't break the barrier while still

  getting a quick start. Next, he ropes (any catch is legal here), dismounts from the horse, and runs down

  the rope to "flank" the calf (lay him on his side). When he gets the calf on the ground, the cowboy

  gathers three legs and throws his hands up to signal to the flagger that the run is over. There is a ten

  second penalty for a broken barrier, and disqualification for missing. The roper is also "flagged out" of

  disqualified for failing to "daylight" the calf. That means that if the calf is down when the roper gets to

  him, he must get him up before flanking and tying him. When the cowboy signals for time and remounts

  his horse, he must ride him forward to loosen the rope. The flagman checks to see that the calf stays

  tied the required period, then signals that the run was legal and the cowboy is given his time. The calf

  roping horse must wait for the signal to exit the box, then leave at top speed When the roper ropes and

  leaves his back, the horse must stop, then back up to hold the rope tight. Small wonder it has often

  been said, "The better the horse, the better the cowboy!"