Graphics by Lauren Deitzer Photography by Click Thompson
When you enter Dickies Arena for the nightly Rodeo, you’ll wanna know what it is you’re cheering on. Especially if this year marks your first Rodeo. It’s for this reason we’ve compiled a breakdown of each event. Once you have the basics down, you’ll be cheering on your favorite breakaway roper before it’s all over. Here’s a handy guide to the eight official PRORODEO events to ensure you are in the know.
Roughstock Events
The “hold on for dear life” events, these three contests require a cowboy to remain on an animal for eight seconds while gripping with only one hand. If the cowboy manages to pass the eight-second threshold, judges score a contestant on both the animal’s performance and their own. In other words, judges will ask themselves, “How ferocious was the animal?” and “How in-control was the rider?” Typically, two judges allot up to 25 points each for the rider and the bronc or bull for a maximum 100 points (a point total that has only been accomplished once in the history of any rodeo circuit).
Saddle Bronc — Before someone got the bright idea — or accepted the dare — to hop on the back of a bull, this was the rodeo’s marquee event. In this contest, a cowboy rides an untamed horse in a saddle with his feet in the stirrups while holding on to a bronc rein — a thick strap connected to a halter on the bronc’s head — with one hand. Cowboys must exit the chute (the place where contestants initially straddle the animals before the gate opens) with his spurs in contact above the horse’s shoulders. Riders are disqualified if they fail to do so.
Bareback — Just like the above, only remove the saddle and replace the rein with a leather rigging that resembles a suitcase handle. There’s some debate over the most challenging and dangerous roughstock event, with many claiming bareback is the most physically demanding, saddle bronc the most difficult in terms of technical skill, and bull riding the most dangerous. We leave it to the pros to figure that out.
Bull Riding — The most dangerous eight seconds in sports is also the rodeo’s most glamorous event. The rules, as one would suspect, are straightforward: Hop on a bull, and see if you can last eight seconds. Cowboys get extra points for spurring — as if the bull needed more motivation. As local bull rider Mason Taylor once told me when asked if he had any tips or tricks for riding a bull, he said, “Hold on.”
Timed Events
These contests are simple races against the clock. In the three roping and one wrestling events, riders start on horseback in a box — a three-sided fenced area with a rope barrier that’s fastened to the calf or steer. Once the animal leaves the chute and reaches a certain distance, the rope barrier collapses and the contestant is free to leave the box, giving the calves and steers a slight head start. If the cowboy or cowgirl breaks the barrier early, it results in a 10-second penalty.
Barrel Racing — An even popular among cowgirls, this is the ultimate test of speed and agility. Once the clock starts, a rider loops around three separate barrels set up in a triangle, each one requiring a 360-degree turn. If a rider knocks down a barrel, five seconds get added to their time. Though the barrels are only 90 feet apart, horses can clock speeds of 40 miles per hour
Steer Wrestling — Also known as bulldogging, a steer wrestler and hazer — who’s charged with riding alongside the steer to ensure it runs in a straight line — begin on horseback in their respective boxes. The steer is released and the wrestler — who’s shadowed by the hazer — runs down the steer, slides off his horse, and grabs the horns of the sprinting steer. The cowboy then wrestles the steer to the ground; the clock stops when the steer is flat on the ground with all four legs facing the same direction.
Tie-Down Roping — Once the rider’s rope barrier gives way, the contestant runs up from behind and lassos the calf from horseback. The rider then dismounts, lays the lassoed calf on the ground, and ties three of its legs together with a rope called the “pigging string.” Once the roper raises his hands in the air, the clock stops. The calf must remain tied for six seconds for the ride to qualify.
Team Roping — Two cowboys on horseback — a header and a heeler — begin on each side of a single steer. When the pair of rope barriers collapse, the header first ropes the steer’s head around either his horns, neck, or the neck and one horn. The heeler then ropes the steer’s two hind legs, with a one-legged catch resulting in a five-second penalty. Two horses then face one another to stop the clock.
Breakaway Roping — A growing event that’s also become popular among cowgirls, breakaway roping is similar to tie-down roping. Only, instead of dismounting, once the roper lassos the calf, he or she stops their horse and a nylon string that fastens the rope to the horse’s saddle “breaks away.” Once this occurs, the clock stops.
*[Editor’s note on animal welfare] We don’t recommend one attend these events if triggered or put off by seeing animals in distress. The Rodeo isn’t for everyone, and that’s OK. With that said, the PRCA enforces a plethora of specific rules with strict penalties to ensure the safety and well-being of all animals involved.
