Rodeo Event Descriptions
BAREBACK RIDING
Bareback riding is a spurring contest for a mandatory eight seconds. The action begins with the horse jumping out of the chute and the cowboy sitting so that his spurs extend over the break of the horse's shoulders as the forelegs hit the ground.
The cowboy will be judged on form, control, and how well the bronc bucks.
CALF ROPING
Calf roping is a timed event in which the calf gets a head start on the cowboy and his horse.
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 three of his legs. The clock will only stop when the cowboy throws his hands up in the air. He then remounts and rides forward to slacken the rope. The calf must remain tied for six seconds or the cowboy's score reads "no time".
NITE RODEO CLOWNS
The main job of the clowns is to protect the cowboys from the bulls. There are three different categories of clowns: bullfighter, barrel man, and clown, but they all try to distract the bull long enough to allow the rider to escape from the arena without injury.
STEER WRESTLING
This event, formerly known as bulldogging, was invented by an Afro-American cowboy named Will Pickett while working in the Wild West Show over 75 years ago. It involves two cowboys on horseback whose aim is to throw the steer onto his side so that all four of its feet are off the ground and stretched out straight.
CALF SCRAMBLE
Each night, youngsters from the Grandstand and Buzzard's Roost compete in the Calf Scramble.
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
Saddle Bronc Riding is the classic event of rodeo. Both the horse and the cowboy are judged by two judges each who are in the arena. The horse is judged by how hard it bucks but the cowboy is judged on form, how much he spurs, and if he has control of the horse.
STEER RIDING AND NOVICE BARREL RACE
These events give young people a chance to compete in their first rodeo event. Many of the top rodeo competitors got their start this way.
TEAM ROPING
It is necessary to rope by both the horns and the hind feet, which means two cowboys are needed. Team roping requires not only teamwork between the two cowboys but also between their horses.
BARREL RACING
Barrel racing is the only rodeo event for women. It started as a fun event for the wives and girlfriends of cowboys to participate in and is now the most popular timed event on horseback.
Time starts when the contestant crosses the timer line and ends when she has finished the cloverleaf pattern and returns over the line. The barrels are arranged in a triangle with the standard pattern placing the base barrels sixty feet from the start/finish line and the head barrel 105 feet farther into the arena to form the triangle.
The best riders "become one" with the horse in this event where speed and agility count.
BULL RIDING
Bull riding is the most dangerous and the most exciting of the rodeo events. These bulls are very fast, powerful, and can weigh as much as a ton. Consequently, bull riding is saved until the last and no one leaves until the final bull has been ridden.
Not only does the bull rider have to stay on the twisting bull for eight seconds, but he also has to escape on foot once he gets off.
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