1. Rodeo And Bronc Riding

What is Rodeo exactly?

Why do women not compete in sports that men are predominant in? Well, here is why!  This Blog is a 7- to 10-minute read.

Here is a general introduction to What is Rodeo – whilst my main topic is Bronc Riding.

Types of Rodeo

• • Rodeo is a competitive sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: rough stock events and timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos.

• • Calf roping, also called Tie-down roping, is based on ranch work in which calves are roped for branding, medical treatment, or other purposes. It is the oldest of rodeo-timed events. The cowboy ropes a running calf around the neck with a lariat and his horse stops and sets back on the rope while the cowboy dismounts, runs to the calf, throws it to the ground and ties it three feet together. The job of the horse is to hold the calf steady on the rope. A well-trained calf-roping horse will slowly back up while the cowboy ties the calf, to help keep the lariat snug.

• • Breakaway roping – a form of calf roping where a very short lariat is used, tied lightly to the saddle horn with string and a flag. When the calf is roped about the neck, the horse stops, the flagged rope breaks free of the saddle, and the calf runs on without being thrown or tied. In most of the United States, this event is primarily for women of all ages and boys under 12. In places where traditional “tie-down” calf roping is not allowed, riders of both genders compete.

• • Team roping, also called “heading and heeling,” is the only rodeo event where men and women riders compete together. Two people capture and restrain a full-grown steer. One horse and rider, the “header,” lassos a running steer’s horns, while the other horse and rider, the “heeler,” lassos the steer’s two hind legs. Once the animal is captured, the riders face each other and lightly pull the steer between them, so that both ropes are taut. This technique originated from methods of capture and restraint for treatment used on a ranch.

• • Barrel racing – is a timed speed and agility event. In barrel racing, horse and rider gallop around a cloverleaf pattern of barrels, making agile turns without knocking the barrels over. In professional, collegiate and high school rodeo, barrel racing is an exclusively women’s sport.

• • Steer wrestling – Also known as “Bulldogging,” is a rodeo event where the rider jumps off his horse onto a Corriente steer and ‘wrestles’ it to the ground by grabbing it by the horns. This is probably the single most physically dangerous event in rodeo for the cowboy, who runs a high risk of jumping off a running horse head first and missing the steer, or of having the thrown steer land on top of him, sometimes horns first.

• • Goat tying – is usually an event for women or pre-teen girls and boys; a goat is staked out while a mounted rider runs to the goat, dismounts, grabs the goat, throws it to the ground and ties it in the same manner as a calf. The horse must not come into contact with the goat or its tether. This event was designed to teach smaller or younger riders the basics of calf roping without requiring the more complex skill of roping the animal. This event is not part of a professional rodeo competition.

• • Bronc riding – there are two divisions in rodeo, bareback bronc riding, where the rider is only allowed to hang onto a bucking horse with a type of surcingle called a “rigging”; and saddle bronc riding, where the rider uses a specialized western saddle without a horn (for safety) and hangs onto a heavy lead rope, called a bronc rein, which is attached to a halter on the horse.

• • Bull riding – an event where the cowboys ride full-grown bulls instead of horses. Although skills and equipment similar to those needed for bareback bronc riding are required, the event differs considerably from horse riding competition due to the danger involved. Because bulls are unpredictable and may attack a fallen rider, rodeo clowns, now known as “bullfighters”, work during bull-riding competitions to distract the bulls and help prevent injury to competitors.

• • Steer riding – a rough stock event for boys and girls where children ride steers, usually in a manner similar to bulls. Ages vary by region, as there is no national rule set for this event, but generally, participants are at least eight years old and compete through about age 14. It is a training event for bronc riding and bull riding.

• • Steer roping -Not listed as an official PRCA event, and banned in several states, but quietly recognized by the PRCA in some areas. It is rarely seen in the United States today because of the tremendous risk of injury to all involved, as well as animal cruelty A single roper ropes the steer around the horns, throws the rope around the steer’s back hip, dallies, and rides in a ninety-degree angle to the roped steer (opposite side from the aforementioned hip). This action brings the steer’s head around toward the legs in such a manner as to redirect the steer’s head towards its back legs. This causes the steer to “trip”. Steers are too big to tie in the manner used for calves. Absent a “heeler,” it is very difficult for one person to restrain a grown steer once down. However, the steer’s “trip” causes it to be temporarily incapacitated allowing its legs to be tied in a manner akin to calf roping. The event has roots in ranch practices north of the Rio Grande but is no longer seen at the majority of American rodeos. However, it is practised at some rodeos in Mexico, and may also be referred to as “steer tripping.”

• • Steer daubing – Usually seen at lower levels of competition, an event to help young competitors learn skills later needed for steer wrestling. A rider carrying a long stick with a paint-filled dauber at the end attempts to run up alongside a steer and place a mark of paint inside a circle that has been drawn on the side of the animal.

• • Pole bending – is a speed and agility competition sometimes seen at local and high school rodeos. It is more commonly viewed as a gymkhana or O-Mok-See In pole bending, the horse and rider run the length of a line of six upright poles, turn sharply and weave through the poles, turn again and weave back, and then return to the start.

• Chute dogging – is an event to teach pre-teen boys how to steer wrestle. The competitor enters a bucking chute with a small steer. The boy will then place his right arm around the steer’s neck and left hand on top of its neck. When ready, the gate is opened and steered and contestants exit the chute. Once they cross over a designated line, the competitor will grab onto the horns of the steer (colloquially, to “hook-up” to the steer) and wrestle it to the ground.

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