East Oregonian : E.O., September 05, 2015, Image 73

All-Around — The top award at every rodeo,
which also comes with the best prizes. It is
awarded to the cowboy who earns the most money
in more than one event, which is not always the
cowboy who earns the most total money that
week. If no cowboys earn money in more than one
event, the all-around goes to the cowboy who
earned the most total money while also entering
more than one event. The all-around cowboy at the
Round-Up has their name etched in the East Ore-
gonian Let ’er Buck Trophy. If they get their name
on the trophy three times, they get to take it home.
Bareback Riding — Just what it sounds like,
bareback riders must compete without the benefit
of a saddle. The horses used in bareback are the
same as those used in saddle bronc, but the ride is
much more violent due to the manner of rigging.
Contestants grip a handle that is strapped behind
the horse’s shoulder blades, leading to bone-shak-
ing impacts with each buck.
Barrel Racing — The only women’s event in
major rodeo, barrel racing has gone from a side
competition to a fan favorite. Contestants start at
one end of the arena riding toward a time line that
automatically times their run. They must traverse
a three-leafed clover pattern starting on either the
left or right, and after looping around the first bar-
rel must cross the arena to the opposite barrel. After
looping around the second barrel they ride to the
middle barrel before heading straight back to the
time line. Contestants are allowed to bump the 55-
gallon barrels without penalty, but if one falls over,
five seconds are added to their time.
Barrier — Used in all of the tying events and steer
wrestling, the barrier is a thin rope that stretches
across the exit of the starting chute. The barrier is
used to ensure an even start for all competitors, and
any cowboy that crosses it before the calf or steer
releases the rope is penalized 10 seconds.
Bull Fighter — The name given to the men who
run freely in the arena during bull riding. Bull
fighters are responsible for drawing a bull away
from the rider once he has been bucked off, help-
ing to herd it out of the arena, and removing flank
straps.
Bull Riding — Contestants grip the bull with one
hand by the bull rope, which is wrapped around
the bull’s body just behind its front legs and has a
bell dangling from it. Riders are not required to
mark out or spur, but spurring can earn a rider more
points. Although they take on the largest animals in
the sport, bull riders tend to be the smallest
competitors.
Hazer — The cowboy that rides on the opposite
side of a steer from the bulldogger to keep the steer
running in a straight line. Cowboys provide their
own hazer, who is typically a fellow competitor.
Long Go/Short Go — The long go encom-
passes the preliminary rounds of the rodeo
and varies in length from event to event. The
Round-Up’s long go is two rounds in each
timed event except for barrel racing, which,
like the roughstock events, is one round.
Competitors win money for placing in the top
eight of each round. The final round of the
rodeo in which the competitor field is cut to
the top 12 for each event is the short go. Pay-
outs for placing in the short round are lower
than in the long round due to the smaller field,
but contestants also can win money for plac-
ing in the average standings with strong per-
formances.
Pick-Up Men — Riders positioned around
the arena to assist bareback and saddle bronc
riders in their dismounts and remove flank
straps.
Re-Ride — When a horse or bull has not
done its part, or some other incident prevents
the rider from getting a fair shake, he is of-
fered another ride on a different animal. If he
accepts, any score earned during his original
ride is wiped off the books and he must ac-
cept whatever the re-ride yields. It is possible
to get more than one re-ride in a round.
Roughstock — The name applied to the buck-
ing events — Bull Riding, Bareback Riding
and Saddle Bronc. Bareback Riding and Sad-
dle Bronc are contested on bucking horses. In
all of the events contestants earn scores for
successful rides. Once situated on the back of
the bronc or bull, the cowboy will signal the
gate man, who then opens the bucking chute.
With only one hand holding him onto his
mount, the cowboy must successfully ride for
eight seconds to earn a score. Roughstock is
scored by two judges, who award up to 25
points to each the rider and animal based on
varying criteria. All scores are combined to get
a total for the ride with 100 as the maximum.
Saddle Bronc Riding — Rodeo’s signature
event, saddle bronc is the event depicted in the
Round-Up’s iconic Let ’er Buck logo. From a
specialized saddle with free-swinging stirrups
and no horn, contestants grip a cotton rein that
is attached to a halter worn by the horse.
Slack — Due to time restrictions, not every
cowboy gets to compete in the performance.
Slack is the name given to the competitions
held before or after the main performances,
and counts the same in the overall standings.
Slack ensures larger entry fields and higher
payouts for winners and is typically free to at-
tend for fans. It does not include roughstock
events. The Round-Up begins running slack
on Monday morning of rodeo week.
Steer Roping — This event follows the same
rules as tie-down roping with two major differ-
ences. Unlike calves, steers must be roped
around both horns for this event and any other
catch is illegal. Also, once the rider dismounts
his horse immediately begins a backpedal that
pulls the steer along the ground and keeps it from
gaining its feet. After the cowboy reaches the
steer, he must tie any three legs before returning
to his horse to complete the run.
Steer Wrestling — Also known as bulldogging,
steer wrestling requires the most brute strength of
any of the timed events. A rider, or bulldogger,
must begin in the box, and after the barrier has
been released must catch up to the sprinting steer
before leaping from his horse and catching the
steer by the horns. The cowboy uses his right arm
to hook around the steer’s right horn, then grabs
the left horn with his left hand and digs his heels
into the ground to slow the steer before using
leverage to turn it on its side. The clock stops
when all four hooves are off the ground and
pointing in the same direction.
Team Roping — Consisting of header (the cow-
boy that ropes the head of the steer) and a heeler
(the cowboys who ropes the hind legs), team
roping begins the same as tie-down except with
one rider in each box on either side of the chute.
Once the barrier is released the header must
make one of three legal catches — around both
horns, one horn and the head, or the neck — and
then make the steer change direction before the
heeler throws his lasso at its hind legs. Catching
both hind legs is a successful run, while catching
just one adds a five-second penalty. The clock
stops when there is no slack in both ropes and
the riders’ horses are facing each other.
Tie-Down Roping — Also known as calf
roping, in this event a mounted competitor must
lasso a calf before dismounting and successfully
tying any three of its legs together. The event
requires impeccable timing and a well-trained
horse. It begins with a calf charging down a chute
that runs parallel to the cowboy’s starting box.
Once the calf releases a barrier rope at the end of
the chute the cowboy is free to lasso it any way he
can. After getting the lasso secured, a cowboy
must “trip” the calf by creating a little slack then
making a sharp turn, using the extra rope to
sweep the calf’s legs from under it. At this point
he must dismount, run to the calf and throw it to
the ground (called flanking). If the calf is already
on the ground when he arrives at it he must allow
it to get up. Then he must tie any three of the
calf’s legs together with a short rope called a
pigging string while his horse keeps the rope
taught. After he throws his hands into the air to
signify a completed run he must get back on his
horse and create slack in the rope. The calf must
stay tied for six seconds to make the time official.
PENDLETON ROUND-UP • EAST OREGONIAN • SEPTEMBER 2015 • 39