There’s more to rodeo than a wildly bucking animal and a prayer. For example, did you know that one of the reasons riders wear spurs is so they can’t clamp onto the horse? Or that a rider gets disqualified if his free hand touches anything? Or that a Brahma bull has the strength to toss a horse in the air?
Well, buckle up, pardner, because this is one ride you won’t soon forget.
steer wrestling
Perhaps better known as “bulldogging,” in steer wrestling all a cowboy has to do is chase down a 600-pound steer at full gallop, grab it by the horns, put the brakes on it, and wrestle it to the ground — oh, and with all four legs and its head pointing in the same direction. Less than 10 seconds can get you in the money. The average winning time is less than seven seconds. Top riders, with a whole lot of luck, have done it in three.
Cowgirls Barrel Racing
Lest you think the boys are having all the fun, think again. In women’s barrel racing, a cowgirl and her horse fly at breakneck speed around three upright barrels arranged in a cloverleaf pattern. It’s okay to tip a barrel. Knocking one down, however, is a five-second penalty. The race starts the moment the cowgirl rides across a starting line. So she’s already tearing down the track before she meets her first barrel. If horses could lay rubber, it would happen in this event.
Bull Riding
The rider may not weigh much more than 150 pounds. The bull will most certainly weigh almost 2,000 pounds. Needless to say, bull riding is rodeo’s most difficult and dangerous event. The only thing the cowboy has to hold onto is a single rope placed around the animal just behind its shoulders. Keeping his other hand in the air, he has to endure the kicking, hooking, and spinning of a one-ton behemoth whose sole objective is to put the rider in the dirt. Some bulls are so unridable, it’s not uncommon for them to deny any rider the satisfaction of hitting the eight-second mark for the entire season.
bronc riding
Keep your eyes on the rider’s boots the moment he comes out of the chute. If his heels don’t remain above the break of the horse’s shoulders before the horse’s front feet hit the ground, he’s disqualified. Next, watch how the cowboy brings his knees toward his body, heels against the horse, toes turned out. That’s called “spurring.” Alternately stretching and contracting his legs, the rider continues spurring to rack up points. Thus the expression “Ride ’em, cowboy!”
team roping
Team roping is all about how fast two cowboys can rope the horns and heels of a runaway steer. The “header” ropes the horns. The “heeler” loops the steer’s hind legs. Once the deed is done and both ropers have pulled their horses to a stop and are facing each other, the clock is stopped. What could go wrong?
calf roping
An authentic ranch skill, calf roping is a race against time that’s often won in the tenths of a second. It takes a coordinated effort between man and horse, but when done well, the entire operation, from catching and roping the calf to dismounting, running to it, throwing it, stepping over it, holding its legs, and making the tie, can happen in less than 10 seconds. Calves, of course, get a head start, and if the horse leaves the chute too soon, a 10-second penalty is added to the roper’s time.
Don’t know a heeler from a hazer? Look no further.
Roughstock
There are riding events and there are timed events. Livestock used in riding events are called roughstock.
Chute
An enclosed area where the cowboy mounts the animal just before mayhem breaks out.
Flank strap
Usually covered in sheepskin and cinched around the abdomen — not, as often erroneously believed, the testicles — the flank strap is what makes the bronc buck.
Slack
Sometimes there are more cowboys entered to ride than there are slots available. When this happens, the cowboys compete beforehand during “slack.”
Hazer
In steer wrestling, one cowboy rides next to the steer to keep it running in a straight line. He’s called the “hazer.” Not to be confused with the “dogger.”
Heeler
The cowboy in charge of roping the steer’s back legs. Lucky him.
Rank
A particularly difficult bull or bucking horse, which is generally a good thing. Because the ranker the bronc, the higher the score.