cowboy events

Bull riding, which is intentionally climbing on the back of a 2,000-pound bull holding onto only a rope, emerged from the fearless and possibly fool-hardy nature of the cowboy. The risks are obvious. Serious injury is always a possibility for those fearless enough to sit astride an animal that literally weighs a ton and is usually equipped with dangerous horns. Regardless, cowboys do it, fans love it and bull riding ranks as one of rodeo's most popular events. Bulls are considered harder to ride than horses and the risk of injury is far greater. Not only does the rider risk injury during the ride, but also once he is dismounted there is the possibility of being trampled or gored by the angry bull. The rope is wrapped around the bull's chest, just behind the front legs. One end of the rope, called the tail, is threaded through a loop on the other end and tightened around the bull. The rider then wraps the tail around his hand, sometimes weaving it through his fingers to further secure his grip. A bell attached to the rope excites the bull, causing it to buck harder and acts as a weight that pulls the rope off the bull once the rider has released his grip. The bull must be ridden eight seconds. A rider will be disqualified for being bucked off or touching the bull with his free hand. A resined soft leather glove is worn on the hand the rider uses to grasp the bull rope. Only the squeeze of his hand on the handhold and the wrap of the rope's tail hold him to the bull rope. The bull rider's chaps, perhaps more than any other event, afford protection against scrapes, stomps and bruised. His dull roweled spurs and vest complete his equipment list. Judges score a bull on how hard he bucks and kicks, whether he spins, and if he rolls and twists and changes directions during the ride. A high kicking spin is much more difficult for the rider than is a flat spin, and a change in direction in spin is a most difficult move for the rider to adjust to. The rider is scored on his balance, timing, and, most important, his degree of control. A bull rider is not required to spur the animal, as are bronc riders, but his score is higher if he does. Watch the motion of his free arm, for there is the key to balance in the ballet he performs on the bull's back.

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Bareback bronc riding is a rough and explosive rodeo event. The most physically demanding of all the rodeo events, and the first event to compete at most rodeos. Cowboys ride rough horses without the benefit of saddle or rein.They ride 'bareback' on the horse and use a leather rigging, which looks like a heavy piece of leather with a suitcase handle. The cowboys ride one handed and cannot touch themselves or the horse with their free hand. As with saddle bronc riding the "mark out" rule (the cowboys must have their spurs touching the animal above the point of the horse's shoulder on its first jump out of the bucking chutes) is in effect. The cowboys spur the horse from shoulder to rigging, in a frantic style trying make a qualified ride of 8 seconds. Once the ride is completed, pick-up men swoop in to 'pick up' the rider and set him safely on the ground. Cowboys are judged on their control and spurring technique, and the horses are judged on their power, speed, and agility. Cowboys competing in bareback take a lot of punishment on their arm, neck, and back due to the power and quickness of the bareback horses.

Bareback

Saddle bronc riding has roots that run deep in the history of the Old West. Ranch hands would often gather and compete among themselves to see who could display the best style while riding wild or unbroken horses. It was from this early competition that today's Saddle Bronc event was born. The rider's spurring action must be exquisitely timed to the horse's bucking rhythm. The riding rein and hand must be on the same side. Like in the bareback riding, the rider must have spurs out over the break of the shoulders and touching the horse when the horse's front feet hit the ground first jump out of the chute. While a bareback rider has a rigging to hold onto, the saddle bronc rider has only a thick rein attached to his horse' halter. Using one hand, the cowboy tries to stay securely seated in his saddle. If he touches any part of the horse or his own body with his free hand, he is disqualified. The saddle bronc is rated on how high he kicks, the strength and force of his bucking action, his reverses in direction, and for rolling and twisting action. For the control looked for by the judges, the saddle bronc rider's spurring action must be exquisitely timed to the horses bucking rhythm. The more the rider turns out his toes, the more his spurs will drag in contact with the horse. Length of stroke from neck rearward to the back of the saddle also increases the rider's score. Riding rein and hand must be on the same side. Rider will be disqualified for being bucked off, changing hands on rein, losing stirrup, or touching the animal, saddle or rein with free hand...

Saddle Bronc

Like bronc riding, calf roping is an event that was born on the ranches of the Old West. Sick calves were roped and tied down for medical treatment. Success in calf roping depends largely on the teamwork between a cowboy and his horse. The luck of the draw is also a factor. A calf that runs fast or kicks hard can foil a roper's finest effort.
Calf Roping is easy to explain, fun to watch and hard to do. It is a timed event in which the calf gets a head start on the cowboy and his horse. At the ready sign (a nod of the head) from the cowboy, the calf is released from a narrow shotgun chute, which enters directly into the arena. Once the calf crosses the barrier, starting the clock, the cowboy can also cross it. The best riders time their start so that they hit the barrier at the same exact second that the calf does. The cowboy's partner is a good roping horse which is fast enough to stay behind the calf at the proper interval, as well as off to one side even if the calf turns and ducks. As soon as the rope is on the calf, the horse comes to a sudden stop, the rider dismounts while holding on to the rope and runs to the calf. The horse keeps the rope taunt as the cowboy throws the calf down and ties 3 of his legs with a "pigging string", which the cowboy holds in his teeth to keep his hands free. After tying the animal, the cowboy raises both hands in the air to signal the judge that he has completed the tie and the clock is stopped. He then remounts and rides forward to slacken the rope. The calf must remain tied for 6 seconds or the cowboy's score reads "no time".

Calf Roping

Chute Dogging

Hold on to a big steer by the horns as it runs out of a bucking chute and then try to throw it onto the ground....Sound like fun? That is the basic premise for chute dogging. The dogger is in a bucking chute with the steer. When the contestant calls for the steer, the chute gate will be swung open. In the chute, the dogger may place his left hand on the left horn and right hand over the neck. Only after the steer crosses the scoring line may he hook his left hand under the left horn and try to throw down the steer. The contestant has 30 seconds to throw the steer once he has called for it. The steer will be considered thrown down only when it is lying flat on it's side, or on it's back with all four feet and head straight. The dogger must have his hand on the steer when flagged to receive a time. If the steer is accidentally knocked down or thrown down before being brought to a stop, or is thrown by the dogger putting the animal's horns into the ground, it must be let up onto all four feet and then re-thrown.

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Steer Wrestling

Wrestling a steer requires more than brute strength. The successful steer wrestler, or bulldogger, is strong, to be sure, but he also understands the principles of leverage. The steer wrestler on horseback starts behind a barrier, and begins his chase after the steer has been given a head start. If the bulldogger leaves too soon and breaks the barrier, he receives a 10-second penalty. The steer wrestler is assisted by a hazer, another cowboy on horseback tasked with keeping the steer running in a straight line. When the bulldogger’s horse pulls even with the steer, he eases down the right side of the horse and reaches for the steer’s horns. After grasping the horns, he digs his heels into the dirt. As the steer slows, the cowboy turns the animal, lifts up on its right horn and pushes down with his left hand in an effort to tip the steer over. After the catch, the steer wrestler must either bring the steer to a stop or change the direction of the animal’s body before the throw or is disqualified. The clock stops when the steer is on his side with all four legs pointing the same direction.

Bill Pickett invented the sport of bulldogging near the end of the 1800s, and introduced it to the world as a part of his act in the '101 Ranch Wild West Show' in 1905. His version of the sport was performed on longhorn steers. After having grasped the horns of the fleeing animal, he would twist its head skyward and bite its upper lip in order to subdue it, after the fashion of the cowdog breed known as bulldogs. This is where the sport got its name.This method eventually lost popularity as the sport morphed into the steer wrestling that is practiced in rodeos today.

Bull Riding