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1st
EVENT - BAREBACK RIDING |
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OBJECTIVE:
Ride a bucking horse for 8 seconds without touching the
animal with the free hand. |
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HOW IT'S DONE:
Ride a bucking horse for 8 seconds without touching the
animal with the free hand. Considered the most physically
demanding rodeo event, bareback riding puts immense stress
on a cowboy's arm back. Imagine riding a jackhammer like a
pogo stick and holding on with only one hand - riders
contend it's not that simple! Cowboys grasp a rigging: a
hand-hold like a suitcase handle made of leather and secured
to the horse by only a cinch.
Other than sheer strength, a ride is judged on spurring
technique , the degree to which his toes remain turned away
from the horse throughout the ride, and his "exposure", or
willingness to lean far back and take what ever may come. |
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SCORING:
Cowboys are required to "mark out" mounts - to place feet
above the horse's shoulders until the animal's front feet
hit the ground on its first move out of the chute. Failure
to do so brings disqualification. After the initial jump,
the cowboy rakes spurs up the horse's necks and shoulders
until the spurs nearly touch the rigging. Each of two judges
awards up to 25 points for the contestant's actions and the
horse's bucking; those scores are combined to determine the
total score up to 100 points. Touching the free hand results
in disqualification. |
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2nd
EVENT - STEER WRESTLING |
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OBJECTIVE:
Leap from a horse at a full gallop onto the neck and horns
of a running steer that weighs 200 to 600 pounds; stop the
steer and wrestle it to the ground on its side. |
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HOW IT'S DONE:
It's the quickest event in rodeo. The cowboy or
"bulldogger", begins his run on horse back behind a roped
barrier along with a "hazer", who rides alongside and keeps
the steer from veering away. The steer gets a running start.
After it reaches the score line the barrier is released to
permit the bulldogger and hazer to give pursuit. The
bulldogger slides down the right side of his horse until he
can reach the steer's horn and grasps the left horn with his
left hand. He then digs his heels into the ground and uses
leverage to bring down the animal. |
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SCORING: The
cowboy wrestling a steer to the ground in the least amount
of time wins the most money, which he shares with his hazer.
Any time around 5 seconds is excellent. |
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3rd
EVENT - SADDLE BRONC RIDING |
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OBJECTIVE: Similar
to bareback riding, but with a saddled horse, hang on and
look good for 8 seconds. |
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HOW IT'S DONE: It
requires the balance of a gymnast, the timing of a
springboard diver and the grace of a dancer while staying
atop a 1,200 pound, pitching, twisting bronco. The equipment
makes saddle bronc riding more difficult than bareback
riding. Considered a rodeo classic, this event evolved from
the ranch work of breaking and training horses. Some say
it's the most difficult of all rodeo events because of the
technical demands. Spurring action is synchronized with the
horses' movements - if a ride meshes with the horse, the
ride will be fluid and graceful, not wild and uncontrolled.
A cowboy - grasping with one hand a thick rein attached to
the horses halter as his only means of securing himself -
attempts to place his feet over the horse's shoulders for a
split second before the animal's front feet hit the ground.
If the rider's feet fail to touch the horse's shoulders on
the first jump out of the chute, he will be disqualified.
Then, as the horse bucks, the rider bends his knees and
finishes his spurring stroke with his feet back to the
horse's shoulders as the animal's front feet hit the ground.
The cowboy strives to keep his toes pointed out during the
entire ride. |
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SCORING: A
ride is judged on the cowboy's spurring action, control of
the horse, and degree to which his toes turn out. Two judges
award up to 25 points apiece for the contestant's action and
the horse's bucking. The scores are combined to determine a
total score up to 100 points. Touching the horse with the
free hand at any time during the ride means immediate
disqualification. |
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4th
EVENT - CALF ROPING |
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OBJECTIVE:
Rope a calf that weights at least 200 pounds from horseback,
dismount, run down the rope to the calf and tie three of its
legs together faster than anyone else. |
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HOW IT'S DONE:
The calf gets a designated head start before the rider on
horse back is allowed to give chase. The cowboy throws his
loop, brings his horse to a stop, dismounts, throws the calf
to the ground (called flanking), and ties any three legs
together with "pigging string" which the cowboy carries in
his teeth throughout the chase.
The horse must plant itself and keep slack out of the rope
without dragging the calf, and the calf must stay tied for 5
seconds after the cowboy has remounted his horse and moved
forward to put slack in the rope. Highly trained quarter
horses are used in this event, and ropers give them 70
percent of the credit for their ability to win. |
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SCORING:
Fastest tune wins. If the contestant breaks the barrier
before the calf gets its head start a 10-second penalty or
disqualification will result if the cowboy jerks his calf to
the ground instead of wrestling it down. A time of 10
seconds or less is often good enough to win this event. |
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5th
EVENT - COWGIRL BARREL RACING |
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OBJECTIVE: Cowgirls
ride a three-barrel cloverleaf pattern as quickly as
possible, using tight turns and short burgs of speed. |
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HOW IT'S DONE:
Riders try to get their mounts to circle the standing 55
gallon drums as closely as possible without tipping them
over. |
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SCORING: As
in all timed events, the rider with the fastest time takes
home the purse. Winners usually have a time under 15
seconds. If a horse and rider leave the course, they are
automatically disqualified. |
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6th
EVENT - TEAM ROPING |
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OBJECTIVE:
To rope the head or horns and hind legs of a steer as
quickly as possible. |
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HOW IT'S DONE: Two
cowboys, two quarter horses and one longhorn steer take part
in a skill that is still very important on big western
ranches. As in all timed events, the steer gets a head start
before cowboys on horseback can give chase. The header waits
behind a barrier that is released after the steer has a
proper head start. The heeler follows.
The header is the first to rope and must catch the steer in
one of three ways: around one horn and the head, or around
the neck. Once his job is done he dallies his rope around
his saddle horn and rides to the left, turning the steer
away from the heeler. As the header rides away, the heeler
ropes both hind feet. The clock is stopped when no slack is
in the rope and ropers are facing each other. All steers
must weigh 700 pounds and wear he wraps that protect against
rope burns. |
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SCORING:
Fastest time wins. Breaking the barrier before the steer
gets its head start adds a 10-second penalty to the team's
time. Catching only one foot carries a 5-second penalty. A
time of 10 to 15 seconds can be tough to beat. |
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7th
EVENT - BULL RIDING |
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OBJECTIVE: Using
only one hand, hang on for dear life for 8 seconds, then get
away without being injured. |
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HOW IT'S DONE: A
flat, braided rope fitted around the bull is held and
wrapped around the bull is held and wrapped around the
rider's hand. Using balance, coordination, quick reflexes,
flexibility and a good attitude, the cowboy attempts to stay
aboard - bulls are more difficult to ride because of the
very loose hide. Unlike other rough-stock events, spurring
is not mandatory. |
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SCORING:
Each of two judges gives up to 25 points for the rider's
control and bull's bucking. Spurring can enhance scoring; if
he's thrown before 8 seconds, or touches the bull with his
free hand, the cowboy is eliminated. A perfect 100 has never
been awarded in the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association. As in all
events, a score of 75 or more often wins a share of the
purse. |
