Rodeo
The greatest extreme sport on
earth.
Cowboy. Cattle. Horses. Leather. Dirt. Mud. Sweat. Blood. Guts.
All of these words conjure up one image, one word. Rodeo.
Bull Riding
The goal of the bull rider is to stay on the bull for eight seconds. It
requires balance, coordination, quick reflexes, flexibility and,
perhaps above all, a positive mental attitude. Besides the fact that
the bull doesn't like a rider on its back, it also has a braided rope
around its chest from which hangs a heavy bell. The sound of this bell
irritates the bull into more robust bucking action. The braided rope
has a handhold in which the rider puts his gloved hand. He then takes
the rope and wraps it around his riding hand and lays it across his
palm again. When the rider is bucked off, his hand and the weight of
the bell will cause the rope to fall from the bull. The bull is judged
on strength, power, speed and rhythm. The judges also look at how much
the bull
spins and if he jumps and kicks with
the spin, and whether he jumps and
kicks in a straight line or in a big circle. A bull that kicks while
his body moves side-to-side increases the difficulty of the ride and
gets a higher score.
Bareback
Bareback riding, an event developed in the rodeo arena, is the most
physically demanding in the sport. Immense stress is placed on the arm
and back, and bareback riders face more long-term injuries. Sheer
strength isn't all that's required. A bareback rider is judged on his
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 whatever may come during a ride. Bareback riding
also requires the rider to mark out his horse - to place his feet above
the horse's shoulders until the animal's front feet hit the ground on
its first move out of the chute. Failure by the cowboy to keep his feet
in place results in a disqualification. After the initial jump out of
the chute, the cowboy pulls his spurs up the horse's neck and shoulders
until the spurs are nearly touching the rigging. The rider then
straightens his legs, again placing his feet on the horse's shoulders,
in anticipation of the next jump. An eight second ride is required.
Steer Wrestling
Steer Wrestling is the quickest event in rodeo. The objective is
evident in its name - to wrestle a 600-pound steer to the ground using
only leverage and strength. The steer wrestler begins his run behind
the barrier along with his hazer - a second cowboy whose task is to
keep the steer from veering away from the steer wrestler. The steer is
given a head start, the length of which varies depending on the size of
the arena. After the steer has reached the scoreline and the barrier is
released, the steer wrestler and hazer chase the steer until the steer
wrestler is in position to dismount onto the racing steer. The steer
wrestler slides down the right side of his horse until he can reach the
steer's horns. He hooks his right arm around the steer's right horn and
grasps the left horn in his left hand, then digs his heels deep in the
dirt and uses leverage to bring down the steer. All this occurs in
three to five seconds, depending on the size of the arena. The hazer is
an important factor in the equation. Without him, the steer could
quickly sour a run by veering away from the steer wrestler. Many
hazer's also supply horses for the steer wrestler.
Calf Roping
More than any event in professional rodeo, calf roping has roots dating
to the old West. When a calf was sick or injured, it had to be caught
and immobilized quickly for treatment. After giving the calf a
predetermined head start, the horse and rider give chase. As the cowboy
throws his loop the horse comes to a stop. After catching the calf, the
cowboy dismounts, runs to the calf, throws it to the ground by hand
(called flanking) and ties any three legs together using a pigging
string he carries in his teeth. While the contestant is accomplishing
all this, the horse must keep slack out of the rope, but not pull it
tight enough to drag the calf. When the roper has completed his tie, he
throws his hands in the air as a signal to the flag judge. He
then remounts his horse and rides toward the calf, making the rope
slack. The calf must remain tied for six seconds or the cowboy will
receive no time.
Saddle Bronc
Considered rodeo's classic
event, saddle bronc riding evolved from the ranch work of breaking and
training horses. Many cowboys say bronc riding is the most difficult
rough stock event to master because of its technical requirements. The
spurring action must be synchronized with the horse's movements. If a
rider is able to keep in the horse, the ride will be fluid and
graceful, not wild and uncontrolled. The rider, gripping a thick rein
attached to the horse's halter as his only means of securing himself to
the animal, attempts to place his feet over the horse's shoulders a
split second before the animal's front feet strike the ground. As the
horse bucks, the rider bends his knees and finishes his spurring stroke
with his spurs near the cantle -
the back of the saddle - then snaps his feet back to the horse's
shoulders as the animal's front feet hit the ground. The rider strives
to keep his toes turned out during the entire ride. A saddle bronc ride
is judged on the cowboy's spurring action, his control of the horse,
and the degree to which his toes are turned out. The horse's bucking
efforts also contribute to the score. An eight-second ride is
required.
Team Roping
Team Roping, the only team event in professional rodeo, requires close
cooperation and timing between two highly skilled ropers - a header and
a heeler. The event originated on ranches when cowboys needed to treat
or brand large steers and the task proved too difficult for one man. As
in the other roping events, the team ropers start from the boxes on
each side of the chute from which the steer enters the arena. The steer
gets a head start determined by the length of the arena. One end of a
breakaway barrier is attached to the steer then stretched across the
open end of the header's box. When the steer reaches its advantage
point, the barrier is released and the header takes off in pursuit,
with the heeler trailing slightly further behind.
If the header breaks the barrier before the steer completes its head
start, the ropers are assessed a 10-second penalty. The header ropes
first and must make a legal catch on the steer - around both horns,
around one horn and the head, or around the neck. Any other catch by
the header is considered illegal and the team is disqualified. After
the header makes his catch, he turns the steer to the left and exposes
the steer's hind legs to the heeler. The heeler then attempts to rope
both hind legs. If he catches only one foot, the team is assessed a
five-second penalty.
After the cowboys catch the steer, the clock is stopped when there is
no slack in their ropes and their horses face one another.
Featured Links that helped the creation of this
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