Timed Events

Hello!

I’m glad to see you are starting to become a regular visitor to this blog! Last week, I discussed the drama and controversy surrounding the potential relocation of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. This week, I’m going to pick up where I left off in explaining the different events in a typical rodeo. Now I am going to give you some brief descriptions of the timed events!

Although they may not be as dangerous as the scored events, they are definitely just as exciting! Once again, I have excluded events that would not take place at a professional rodeo.

 

Steer wrestling, also called bulldogging, is considered the “Big Man’s” sport and for good reason! Two cowboys, two horses, and one steer are involved in this event. Both cowboys back into the roping boxes and when the bulldogger is ready he nods his head to signal to the chute man to let the steer run. Then both horses run up on either side of the steer while the bulldogger slides off the side of his horse and wrestles the steer to the ground. The timer stops once all of the steer’s legs are straight out to the side and he has landed on the ground (“Steer Wrestling,” Prorodeo.com).

 

Team roping begins in the same way as steer wrestling, except the cowboys now have ropes and they stay on their horses. A header, on the left side, ropes the horns/neck of the steer, dallies onto his saddle horn, and pulls the steer so that the heeler can make his catch. The heeler then ropes the back two legs of the steer and dallies onto his own saddle horn. The timer stops when both cowboys’ horses are facing each other and the ropes are pulled tight. Ropers get a five second penalty if they only catch one of the back legs (“Team Roping,”Prorodeo.com).

 

Unlike the previous two, tie-down roping, also called calf roping, only has one cowboy and a calf instead of a steer. The calf comes out of the chute and the cowboy runs out of the roping box just like the other events. The rope the calf roper uses is fixed to his saddle horn unlike team roping. Once he ropes the calf, he steps off his horse, runs down the rope, flanks the calf, and then ties three of his legs with a piggin’ string. The timer stops when the cowboy throws his hands in the air, signaling the end of his tie. He then gets back on his horse and loosens the rope around the calf. If the calf stays tied for 6 seconds, the cowboy receives a time (“Tie-Down Roping,” Prorodeo.com).

 

Barrel racing, the only women’s event, is just a girl, her horse, and the timer. The team runs a cloverleaf pattern around 3 barrels either going to the right or the left barrel first. The run starts and stops when the horse crosses the timer at the end of the arena. Each knocked over barrel is a 5 second penalty which usually buts the barrel racer out of the money considering this event comes down to hundredths of a second (“Barrel Racing,” Industryhillsprorodeo.com). Barrel racing may seem simplistic, but it takes perfect timing and grace.

See you next week!

Emily Engelhard