Umatilla County Fair & Farm City Pro Rodeo | East Oregonian & Hermiston Herald | 17
Rodeo 101
for competitions before or after the
main performances and counts the same
in the overall standings. Slack ensures
larger entry fi elds and higher payouts
for winners, and is less expensive to
attend for fans.
By ANNIE FOWLER
EO Media Group
F
or a sport born on the straight-
forward ranches of the American
West, rodeo can be confusing for
the uninitiated. If you’re reading these
words, that’s probably you. Don’t fret,
you’re starting in the right place. Rodeo
101 is here to provide the basics and get
you up to speed.
Steer wrestling
Also known as bulldogging, steer
wrestling requires the most brute
strength of any of the timed events. The
cowboy starts behind the barrier, and
once the steer has been released, the
cowboy must catch up to the sprinting
steer before dropping down from the
side of his horse and catching the steer
by the horns. The clock stops when
all four hooves are off the ground and
pointing in the same direction. Steers
weigh between 450 and 660 pounds.
All-around
The top award at every rodeo, which
also comes with additional money and
prizes. It goes 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 cowboy earns money in more
than one event, the all-around goes to
the cowboy who earned the most com-
bined money while entering more than
one event.
Bareback riding
Bareback riders must compete with-
out the benefi t of a saddle. The horses
used in bareback are the same as those
used in saddle bronc, but the ride is
more violent because of the lack of pad-
ding between the horse and rider. Con-
testants grip a handle that is strapped
behind the horse’s shoulder blades, lead-
ing to bone-shaking impacts with each
buck. Riders must stay on for 8 seconds
for a legal ride.
Barrel racing
The only women’s event in major
rodeo. 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 pat-
tern starting on either the left or right,
and after looping around the fi rst bar-
rel must cross the arena to the opposite
barrel. After looping around the sec-
ond barrel they ride to the middle bar-
rel before heading straight back to the
Team roping
Kathy Aney/EO Media Group File
Jesse Brown, of Baker City, competes in steer wrestling at the 2019 Farm-City Pro
Rodeo in Hermiston.
time line. Contestants are allowed to
bump the 55-gallon barrels, but if one
falls over, a 5-second penalty is added
to their time.
Bull riding
Considered the most dangerous 8
seconds in sports. Contestants grip a
bull rope that is wrapped around the
bull’s body just behind its front legs.
Riders may only use one hand. If their
free hand comes into contact with the
bull, it is not a legal ride. Riders are
not required to mark out or spur like
the bareback and saddle-born riders.
Although they take on the largest ani-
mals in the sport, bull riders tend to be
some of the smallest competitors.
Rough stock
The name applied to the bucking
events — bull riding, bareback riding
and saddle bronc. In all of the events,
contestants earn scores for success-
ful 8-second rides. Once situated on
the back of the bronc or bull, the cow-
boy 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 8
seconds to earn a score. Rough stock 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 points as the maximum.
Saddle bronc riding
Rodeo’s signature event. From a spe-
cialized saddle with free-swinging stir-
rups and no horn, contestants grip a cot-
ton rein that is attached to a halter worn
by the horse.
Slack
Because of time restrictions, not
every cowboy gets to compete in the
main performance. Slack is the name
Consisting of header (the cowboy
who ropes the head of the steer) and a
heeler (the cowboy who ropes the hind
legs), the event begins the same as tie-
down, except with one rider in each box
on either side of the chute. Once the bar-
rier 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 catch-
ing just one adds a 5-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. A cow-
boy must lasso a calf before dismount-
ing and successfully tying any three
of its legs together. 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 6 seconds
to make the time official.