All Roping events in Rodeo are timed events. To vaccinate or provide medical care to calves and steers you must first catch them! For hundreds of years ranch workers have been using a rope with a loop called a lariat or lasso to catch cattle.  An important and skilled partner to the cowboy when working a lasso is his horse.  The horse is trained to work closely with the cowboy, while observing and reacting to the actions of the livestock.

In roping events the cowboy starts in either box next to the livestock chute with the breakaway rope stretched across the front.  The breakaway rope is attached to the calf or steer.  This set up allows the animal a head start as the competitor and their horse cannot exit the box until the breakaway rope is snapped open by the animal.  Once the animal’s head is out of the chute time starts.

Tie Down Roping calls for the cowboy to use his lasso to rope a running calf.  The timer starts when the calf exits the chute. Once the calf is roped, the horse stops and keeps tension on the rope, even backing up if necessary, while the cowboy dismounts, runs to the calf to tie three legs together with a piggin’ string. The rodeo judge flags when the job is completed. Usually, only cowboys compete in Tie Down Roping.

Breakaway Roping is another timed roping event that uses calves.  Breakaway roping is like Tie Down Roping except that a short lariat is used and tied lightly to the saddle horn with a string attached to a flag.  Once the calf is roped and the horse stops the string on the saddle horn breaks releasing the flag and the judge signals to stop the timer.

Team roping is used to manage full-grown steers. A full-grown steer usually weights between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds. The team consists of two riders with their horses. One rider is responsible for roping the horns on the steer’s head. The other rider is responsible for roping the back legs or heels of the steer.  Just like in the other roping events the timer starts when the steer exits the livestock chute. Both men and women can complete together in team roping. The judge signals to stop the timer when the steer is controlled by the rope on the steer’s horns and heels and the horses are facing each other.

Steer Wrestling is a timed event and considered the quickest event in Rodeo.  The cowboy starts on horseback in the box behind the breakaway barrier, which is attached to the steer.  The timer starts when the steer exits the livestock chute. Once the barrier is broken the horse and rider take off after the steer. When the cowboy reaches the steer, he slides down the right side of his galloping horse, hooks his right arm around the steer’s right horn, grasps the left horn with his left hand and, using strength and leverage, wrestles the animal to the ground.  The judge is looking for all four of the steers legs to be pointing in the same direction to flag the timer to stop.

Another important participant in the Steer Wrestling event is the Hazer.  The Hazer uses his horse on the right side of the steer to keep the animal moving forward.

Barrel Racing is an exciting event which measures the speed and agility of the horse and rider completing the cloverleaf pattern.  The start and finish line are in the same spot. Time begins as soon as the horse’s nose crosses the starting line.  The horse and rider follow the course without breaking the pattern and gallop back to the starting line to complete the run. Time stops when the horse’s nose once again crosses the starting line.

Rough Stock Events

The rodeo rough stock events are Bull riding, Saddle Bronc riding and Bareback riding.  In rough stock events the score is based on both the rider performance and the performance of the horse or bull.  A horse who bucks in a spectacular and effective manner will score more points than a horse who bucks in a straight line with no changes in direction. Bulls are judged on their body rolls, kicks, drops and spins which makes up their bucking style. In rough stock events the rider holds on to a rope, rein, rigging with one hand and must keep his other hand free not touching the animal or themself.

Pickup riders help the contestants out.  When competitors participate in Rodeo competitions they have trained and prepared for the event, but things can go wrong, and they may need a quick safety pickup.  The Pickup riders are in the arena during the rough stock events on the alert to assist the competitors dismount after their ride or free them if they get hung up in the rigging.

The Rodeo Bullfighter works during the Bull Riding events to protect the contestants.  They use speed and agility to distract the bulls should the rider be in danger or need time to get out of the arena.  The bright loose-fitting costumes give the bulls a target to focus on while the cowboy exits.  Some bullfighters use a barrel as another added distraction aide and safety location for themselves if needed.

Bull Riding is a competition that pits the skills, strength and tenacity of the rider to stay on the bull for 8 seconds against the stubbornness and resolve of the bull to buck the rider off. Bulls always get a score, but the rider must stay on the bull for 8 seconds to get a score, which is a combination of how the judges viewed the bull’s performance and the contestant’s performance combined. The rider can only use one hand and cannot touch the bull or themselves with the free hand.

Bronc Riding competitions come in two forms, Bareback and Saddle Bronc.  The methods are different, but the goal is the same to stay on the bronc for 8 seconds with skill and control. As with all rough stock events the rider can only use one hand to hold on and cannot touch the horse or themselves with the free hand.  Scoring is based on a combination of the bronc’s performance and the cowboy’s performance if he stays on the entire 8 seconds.