How does rodeo work

And that's the easy part. The bareback rider's real challenge is to look good while he's being punished. Bareback riding is the most physically demanding event in rodeo, its toll on the body is immense. Muscles are stretched to the limit, joints are pulled and pounded mercilessly, ligaments are strained and frequently rearranged.

The strength of the broncs is exceptional and challenging them is often costly. Bareback riders endure more punishment, suffer more injuries and carry away more long-term damage than all other rodeo cowboys. To stay aboard the horse, a bareback rider uses a rigging made of leather and constructed to meet PRCA safety specifications.

The rigging, which resembles a suitcase handle on a strap, is placed atop the horse's withers and secured with a cinch. As the bronc and rider burst from the chute, the rider has to "mark out" his horse.

In other words, he must have both spurs above the horse's shoulders until the horse's feet hit the ground after its initial move from the chute. If the cowboy fails to do this, he is disqualified. As the bronc bucks, the rider pulls his knees up, dragging his spurs up the horse's shoulders. As the horse descends, the cowboy straightens his legs, returning his spurs over the point of the horse's shoulders in anticipation of the next jump.

But it takes more than sheer strength to make a qualifying ride and earn a money-winning score. A bareback rider is judged on his spurring technique, the degree to which his toes remain turned out while he is spurring and his "exposure," or willingness to lean far back and take whatever might come during his ride. Saddle bronc riding is rodeo's classic event, both a complement and contrast to the wilder spectacles of bareback and bull riding.

The event requires strength, but it is as much about style as anything: grace and precise timing are mandatory. Saddle bronc riding evolved from the task of breaking and training horses to work the cattle ranches of the old West. Many cowboys claim riding saddle broncs is the toughest rodeo event to learn because of the technical skills necessary to master it. Every move the bronc rider makes must be synchronized with the movement of the horse.

The cowboy's objective is a fluid ride, as opposed to the wilder and less-controlled ride of bareback riders. Among the similarities shared by saddle bronc riding and bareback riding is the rule that riders must mark out their horses on the first jump from the chute. To properly mark out his horse, the saddle bronc rider must have both heels on the animal's shoulders when it makes the first jump from the chute.

If the rider misses his mark, he receives no score. While a bareback rider has a rigging to hold onto, the saddle bronc rider has only a thick rein attached to his horse's halter. Using one hand, the cowboy tries to stay securely seated in his saddle. If he touches any part of the horse or his own body with his free hand, he is disqualified. Judges score the horse's bucking action, the cowboy's control of the horse and the cowboy's spurring action. While striving to keep his toes turned outward, the rider spurs from the points of the horse's shoulders to the back of the saddle.

To score well, the rider must maintain that action throughout the eight-second ride. While the bucking ability of the horse is quite naturally built into the scoring system, a smooth, rhythmic ride is sure to score better than a wild, uncontrolled one. In rodeo's only true team event, two ropers, a "header" and a "heeler", work together to catch a steer. If he says "jump," someone usually does. Stock contractors often work as the chute boss. It's an important job that requires experience, rodeo knowledge and dedication.

Clown Many rodeos today feature clown acts. Historically, clowns filled the lulls between competitions by providing comedic relief. They also gained fame as protectors of cowboys during the bull riding competition, a job that is now usually left to bullfighters. Flankman Like the pickup men, the flankman usually is a cowboy through and through. The flankman knows the animals and how to handle each one.

He ensures that the animals are properly and safely prepared for competition. His face is one the animals are used to seeing. He feeds and cares for them nearly every day of the year and generally is a stock contractor's right-hand man. Because he sees the animals buck every day, he's usually the guy cowboys go to when they want to know what to expect from their draw. Pickup Men Safety for riders and bucking horses is a pickup man's main concern.

It takes courage and excellent riding ability to be a PRCA pickup man. Any bareback or saddle bronc rider will tell you the ride isn't over when the required eight seconds have elapsed. Pickup men ride alongside high-kicking bucking horses and assist the contestants safely to the ground. Pickup men also remove the soft flankstrap from the horse and herd it safely out of the arena. Pickup men always have a deep understanding of rodeo livestock, and are respected by contestants as true cowboys.

Rodeo Secretary If rodeo distributed a most-valuable-player award, a rodeo secretary would win it every time. This statement sums it up: Rodeo secretaries are the hardest-working people in rodeo you'll never see. Secretaries prepare entry lists - an impossible job for most people and all men - she tallies the results, and cuts the paychecks when the rodeo is over.

In the meantime, she is generally a wife, cook, and stand-in mother to young cowboys who need help with, a variety of things. In short, she solves all the problems before they become problems. Now, that is valuable. Specialty Acts Specialty acts are as much a part of rodeo as the cowboys and bucking animals who are more often in the limelight.

While specialty acts are used throughout the rodeo industry to fill gaps in the action, these talented performers hold their own in terms of keeping the fans entertained.

A specialty act can consist of just about anything. Elaborate clown comedy skits, magnificently trained animal acts, trick ropers, sharpshooters and death-defying trick riders are just a few of the cast members found in this diverse category. They're sometimes called the halftime entertainment of rodeo, but their acts can be honed to a fine point.

Stock Contractor There are about 70 PRCA stock contractors who produce or provide animals for more than rodeos annually. Stock contractors provide the bucking horses and bulls, as well as the calves and steers. They generally live on ranches and spend much of the year developing quality stock for rodeo competition.

Stock contractors also hire other contract personnel and produce the rodeos for various rodeo committees. They generally are the ultimate authority at any rodeo. This cowboy works the timed-event chutes, making sure the barrier is set and working properly on all the calves and steers. He keeps the animals in order. As in the roughstock events, the contestants draw their animals; it is the timed-event boss who matches the cowboys with the right animal.

The timers use stopwatches to keep track of the elapsed time in the timed events. They also ensure that roughstock cowboys make full eight-second rides. And the riders appreciate their efforts. Toggle navigation. Rodeo Information Rodeo All About Rodeo Rodeo has a unique quality of origin to which no other professional sport can lay claim.

Flank straps are not fastened tightly and do not hurt the animals. If this strap is tightened too tight, the animal will refuse to buck. Hazer - a cowboy who rides beside a steer on the opposite side of the steer wrestler.

His job is to keep the steer running straight and close to the contestant's horse. Pickup Man - a mounted cowboy who helps the rider off of a bronc when the ride is completed. The pickup man also removes the flank strap from the bronc and leads it out of the corral. Re-Ride - another ride given to a bronc or bull rider when the first ride is ruled by judges as unsatisfactory. Reasons for granting a re-ride: being "fouled" on the chutes or the horse failing to buck hard enough to give the rider a fair chance.

Rank - a bull or bronc that is hard to ride. Score - the length of the head start given to the steer or calf in the timed events. Slack - a time, usually late at night or early in the morning, other than during the performance when the "extra" contestants compete in the rodeo. There are only slots in each rodeo performance for each event, when more contestants enter than can compete in the performances, they can compete in the slack. Did You Know The definition of 'rodeo' is a Spanish word meaning roundup.

The difference between Spanish rodeo and American rodeo is that the Spanish version focuses on style, while the American version focuses on speed. Today's rodeos are an offspring of the early Wild West shows that featured cowboys such as Buffalo Bill Cody. The PRCA is the largest sanctioning organization with over rodeos sanctioned yearly. The average bucking horse or bull works less than 5 minutes per year in the arena.