Saddle Bronc Riding

Saddle Bronc Riding is the rodeo's classic event. It evolved from the early days on the ranch, where the breaking and training of horses was a way of life - and still is today. From the first jump out of the chute, the rider's feet must touch the horse's shoulders until its hooves hit the ground. This is called a "mark out." If the rider misses the mark, he is disqualified. The rider must spur the horse's neck and then its back just above the saddle in a full swing, and then return his spurs to the neck again, keeping time with the animal's bucking motions. Rhythm is extremely important here. The rider must adjust his grip carefully to avoid being rolled over the front end of the saddle, or bucked out of it completely. The rider must ride for eight seconds to score well, and any less than that will disqualify him. He must also make sure that his free hand does not touch the horse or his own body during the ride. The rider is scored by his control of the horse, his spurring action and the horse's own bucking action.

Bull Riding

Bull riding is without a doubt the most dangerous event in rodeo. To stay aboard the bull, the rider grasps a flat braided rope, which is wrapped around the bull's chest just behind the front legs and over its withers. The tail of the rope is threaded through a loop on the other end and tightened around the bull. The rider then wraps this tail around his hand, sometimes weaving it through his fingers to further secure his grip. In order to score, the rider must not allow his free hand to touch the bull or himself, and he must keep from being bucked off before the eight second time limit has been reached. Unlike horse riding, the rider is not required to spur the bull in order to get it to buck, since these hulking masses of muscle are more than happy to oblige without any additional encouragement. But if he chooses to spur the animal, he may receive extra points to his score.

The size, agility and power of the animals make bull riding a crowd favorite everywhere. A good bull rider requires excellence in balance, flexibility, coordination, quick reflexes and, above all, must possess a strong mental attitude. Without these strengths, a bull can make short work of any rider who dares get on his back.

Bareback Riding

Bareback riding is tougher on the rider than any other rodeo event. It has been compared to riding a jackhammer with one hand. The horse is rigged with a leather handhold and the rider must hold on to that using only one arm. This one arm must withstand the powerful bucking motions of the horse throughout the entire ride.

A bareback rider is judged on his spurring technique, the degree to which his toes remain turned out while he is spurring, and his willingness to grit his teeth and take whatever punishment the ride brings him. He must hold on for at least eight seconds before dismounting or getting bucked off -- any less than that, and he is disqualified. The rider can also be disqualified if his free hand touches the horse or any of its rigging during the ride, or if he does not keep his spurs touching the horse's shoulders until the horse's feet hit the ground after the first jump out of the chute.

Barrel Racing

In barrel racing, the rider must race the horse around three barrels set in a cloverleaf pattern. There is no need to focus on riding style or spurring technique - the only thing that matters in this event is the riding time. Not only must the horse and rider be swift, but they must work together well enough to avoid tipping any of the barrels. If this happens, the result is a penalty of five seconds to the final score for each barrel tipped. If the rider breaks the riding pattern, she is disqualified. Barrel racing is such a fast-paced sport that time is measured in hundredths of seconds, requiring great concentration and precision from both horse and rider.

Steer Wrestling

Steer Wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is an event where the wrestler must use strength, technique and coordination to bring a steer down. This is easier said than done. Steers generally weigh twice that of the average man, and when the steer wrestler grabs onto its horns, the animal can be moving at a speed approaching 30 miles an hour. At the start of the event, the wrestler must wait behind a barrier until the steer, already on the run, crosses the score line. This gives the animal a head start. If the steer wrestler breaks the barrier and rides for the steer before it reaches the score line, 10 seconds are added to his time. The wrestler then rides his horse up beside the steer, grabs its horns, and hits the ground with his legs extended forward in order to halt the speeding beast. Then, he must throw the steer off balance and wrestle it to the ground.

Horse control is very important in this event. The wrestler's horse must wait for the steer to get its head start before bursting through the barrier, and it must then cover about 150 feet in four seconds. That's an average speed of 25 miles per hour from a standing start! There is a second horse that is also important to the steer wrestling event, and that is the horse ridden by the hazer. The hazer's job is to keep the steer running as straight as possible while the wrestler prepares to leap out of his saddle and grab onto the horns. This sort of team effort has been essential since the early days when steer wrestling was and integral part of operating a ranch.

Team Roping

Team roping involves teamwork between two ropers: the header and the heeler. The steer is given a head start, and then the header races to catch up to it, closely followed by the heeler. If the header moves out before the steer has reached the full distance of its head start, the team is penalized by adding ten seconds to its time. The header must rope the steer on one or both of its horns, around its head, or around its neck. If the header ropes the steer anywhere else, the team is disqualified. Once the header has roped the steer's head, he turns it so that its hindquarters are exposed to the heeler. The heeler must then rope both hind legs. If only one leg is caught, a five-second penalty is applied to the team's time.

This event originated on ranches when large steers had to be roped because they were too big to be wrestled by one man. Team roping is still practiced on ranches today.

Tie-Down Roping

Tie-Down Roping, originally known as calf roping, involves a roper starting in a three-sided pen next to the chute holding the calf. Both the pen and the chute open into the main corral. The calf runs from the chute and is permitted a head start. If the roper breaks forward before the calf has reached its head start, ten seconds are added to the roper's time. Then the roper bursts out of the pen and chases down the calf to rope it. When the calf has been roped, the roper's horse must come to a stop so that the roper can dismount and throw the calf by hand. If the calf is not standing, the roper must permit it to get up before throwing it. Then the roper ties any three legs of the calf together with pigging string, which he clenches in his teeth during the run. When the calf is tied, the roper throws his hands up to signal his completion. He then remounts his horse and waits six seconds to allow the calf an opportunity to kick free. If it does not, then the roper receives his time score. If it does kick free, the roper receives no time.

As with many rodeo events, tie-down roping can be traced back to the time of the Old West, when cowboys and ranching were a way of life.