Sheyenne Frontier Days is the largest outdoor rodeo held annually in Cheyenne, Wyoming at the end of July. The largest indoor rodeo takes place in Denver, Colorado. Every year, thousands of people from different states come to the rodeo and, of course, a huge number of participants.
In 1896, a group of cowboys held the first cowboy competition near Cheyenne. At that time, the city's new measures were trying to do something for the economic development of the city and a way out was found in the development of tourism. The railroad came to the rescue. The people of Cheyenne organized festivals and sold tickets to shows to people in other states. In 1897, local cowboys held the first organized rodeo, where they competed in mustang riding and lasso skills.
The following year, the cowboy festival stretched over two days and began with a parade. That year the event was attended by 6,000 people and the show was called The Wild West Show. In 1903, US President Roosevelt visited the Cheyenne Rodeo.
The word "rodeo" was first used in Cheyenne in the mid-1920s. Until that time, rodeo in Spanish meant "to gather animals into a herd." Rodeo is not only horse racing and shows of cowboy skill, but also a lot of food, attractions, sales and local and visiting craftsmen.
Of course, the central part of the show is racing on a "wild" horse or bull.
And the show begins with the fact that the bull or mustang is locked in a narrow enclosure, where the cowboy climbs on the animal and prepares to leave.
The cowboy is given 8 seconds to stay on the horse or the bull. At the same time, the judges monitor the technique of performing the races and give a certain number of points. If you've watched rodeos on TV or seen photos from rodeos, have you noticed how cowboys hold one hand up? The cowboy's hand should not go down, touch the body of the animal or the cowboy. In addition, cowboys must spur the animal, otherwise the rider not only loses points for the passivity of the race, but the judge may also award a second race.
This mustang seemed to me the most jumping :-)
Cowboys can be seen in various strange positions, but what can you do because they have one goal - to stay on top and get the most points.
A slightly different technique was used in bareback racing (I assume this is considered bareback racing). Here's how the cowboy practically lies on the rump of the mustang.
I immediately had a question: what makes horses and bulls gallop so wildly. And despite the fact that Wikipedia claims that breeders achieve this effect by selecting especially jumping animals and certain training, this is only a partial explanation. Both mustangs and bulls use an inguinal garter, which is immediately removed after the end of the race. Take a closer look at the next photo and you will see how the assistant tightens the garter on the mustang that has just left
If the rider has been on horseback for 8 seconds, the assistants help the rider to jump off the horse and they also remove the groin bandage, after which the horse immediately calms down.
The same assistants catch an animal that is left without its rider and gallops wildly across the field. And this is a photo of the assistants themselves 
So-called bullfighters also participate in bull racing, the task of which is to divert the attention of the bull from the fallen rider. I will tell you the problem is not easy and not safe. Traditionally, these guys dress up in clown costumes and at the right time appear in front of the bull's nose, flick it on the nose and do other tricks to distract the giant animal. There are special barrels on the field, behind which bullfighters can hide.
Today, rodeo is a professional sport, but its origins go back to the time of the cowboys of the Wild West. Brave riders deftly controlled bulls and horses, passing their skills from generation to generation. Gradually, the occupation of the New World shepherds turned into a spectacular show that attracts millions of viewers not only in the United States, but throughout the world.
Today, rodeo is a professional sport, but its origins go back to the time of the cowboys of the Wild West.
Perhaps everyone knows in which country the rodeo originated. In the XVIII century, when the Spanish conquistadors were actively developing overseas lands, the first farms began to appear on the territory of the current southern states of America. In the Spanish manner they were called "rancho". So that the native Indians could manage horses, herds of cows and bulls, Spanish riders taught them skills that they themselves were fluent in.
So the Indians first picked up a lasso and saddled a bull. Later, when the American lands began to gradually free themselves from Spanish and Mexican influence, the shepherds drove their huge flocks from place to place. In their free time, they competed with each other, demonstrating the ability to work with a lasso and go around recalcitrant horses.
In the XVIII century, when the Spanish conquistadors were actively developing overseas lands, the first farms began to appear on the territory of the current southern states of America. By the beginning of the 20th century, the need to drive cattle disappeared. Farmers equip huge pastures in one place. However, the dangerous occupation has not lost its popularity. It was transformed into a new kind of entertainment for cowboys - bull racing and dressage of skittish horses. The first official competition took place in the Texas town of Pecos. One of the most famous organizers of the competitions of that time was the American Buffalo Bill. His rodeo shows attracted many participants and spectators. Cowboys and native Indians showed their skills. They had to demonstrate tricks on horseback, high-speed riding, work with a lasso. But the most spectacular part of the program was, of course, the dressage of the bull.
Although the performances were more theatrical, all manipulations with the bull were really dangerous, so the most daring and experienced cowboys participated in this competition.
Later organized shows ceased to exist due to high costs. However, bull rodeo has not lost its popularity. Cowboys staged performances at fairs and various events. Since then, such competitions have become one of the symbols of the southern states of America.
Gallery: rodeo (25 photos)
Dangerous sport (video)
Development of the sport
Rodeo was officially recognized as a sport in 1929. The organizers developed uniform rules for the competition and founded the rodeo association. True, it lasted only 7 years. The association has not solved a number of problems related to the refereeing of competitions and the fees of participants.
In 1936, several organizers founded a new rodeo association, which marked the beginning of the modern sport. Until now, the competition conveys the atmosphere of cowboy rodeos on bulls. The rider must be at least 8 seconds on the back of the angry bull, holding with one hand on a special loop. A rodeo participant is in great danger, because the bull can not only throw off the rider, but also trample him. To distract the animal in the event of a cowboy falling, bullfighters are always present at the competitions - people dressed in bright costumes.
In addition to the dressage of the bull, the program of the modern rodeo includes the following competitions:
- falling down of a bull;
- work with lasso;
- dressage of a horse in a saddle and without a saddle;
- hobble;
- speed driving.
Rodeo was officially recognized as a sport in 1929. In addition, many competitions have additional competitions. For example, this is a children's rodeo with sheep instead of bulls or milking a wild cow. Previously, women could also demonstrate the ability to tame obstinate animals. They competed in western horse riding. However, today this type of competition is no longer held.
The term "rodeo" comes from the Spanish word rodear (circle), but for the first time the sport - rodeo - appeared in America.
Initially, it was the taming of wild horses and work with a lasso, but what originated in the 19th century, as a demonstration of one's skills among cowboys, later turned into a show.
What country did rodeo originate in?
The ability to work with a lasso on a horse was a very important quality for the cowboys of the Wild West, especially when it was necessary to separate the animal from the main herd. As a rule, calves were separated, which had to be branded, and adult animals intended for sale. All these tasks required high skill of the rider and horse. The evaluation of this skill has become basis for rodeo.
Rodeos are common in western Canada and the United States. In many small towns, in these regions, such events take place every year. Williams Lake in British Columbia and Calgary in Alberta are Canadian rodeo strongholds. In Cody, Montana, these competitions are held regularly.
Rodeo, especially popular today in the Canadian province of Alberta and throughout the western United States, is the official state sport in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Texas. famous image rider silhouette, which tames the horse, is a federal and state trademark of the State of Wyoming. The Alberta Legislative Assembly has considered making rodeo an official sport in the province.
Outside the United States and Canada, rodeos are held:
- mexico,
- Guatemala,
- Salvador,
- Honduras,
- Nicaragua,
- Costa Rica
- Panama, Cuba,
- brazil,
- Argentina,
- Chile,
- Australia and New Zealand.
Rodeo uses different disciplines. Here included with grip calves with a lasso, riding a bare horse and a bull without a saddle, taming a wild horse with a saddle, seizing bulls with a lasso, etc.
Gallery: rodeo or bull racing (25 photos)
bull rodeo
In the American tradition rider must remain on the bull for eight seconds for the attempt to be valid. At the same time, the animal tries with all its might to throw off the rider from itself. The rider has the right to hold on with one hand to a flat braided rope encircling the animal.
The other hand must be free. The rules originally called for a 10 second ride, but this was changed to the current eight seconds. A loud buzzer or whistle announces the end of the eight-second drive.
Throughout travel special people of the rodeo - clowns, stay close to the bull to help the rider if necessary. When the ride ends, whether intentionally or not, the clowns distract the bull to protect the rider.
What is the name of the Mexican analogue of the rodeo
Bull taming has ancient roots that go back to Minoan culture. Riding these animals itself gained popularity in Mexican ranch skill competitions, and became known collectively as the charreada. But the Mexican analogue of the rodeo is quite different from the American one and includes various types of competitions, some of which are subjected to criticism due to animal cruelty.
Many Texas Rangers who became ranchers learned, adapted, and applied Mexican charreada techniques and traditions to ranches in the United States.
Official recognition of rodeo as a sport
A pivotal moment for modern rodeo as a whole was the creation of the Rodeo Cowboy Association (RCA) in 1936, which later became the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
Since then, the popularity of all aspects rodeo rose. In addition to PRCA, which has a PRCA ProRodeo with bull racing, there are two separate organizations promoting and producing shows for self-guided professional riding in the US:
- Championship Bull Riding (CBR).
- Professional Bull Riders (PBR).
What is the name of the sport with bulls
Professional horse racing or sport with bulls called Bull Riders (PBR). This type of rodeo participates in a large number of events in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia. For many years, the annual PBR World Championship has been held at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, starting in 2016, the finals are now only held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Every bull has unique name and number to help identify him. A sufficient number of individuals are selected, each of which is distinguished by good strength, health, agility and age. The rider and the bull are matched randomly before the competition, although since 2008, some ranked riders may choose their partners from the bull draft for individual rounds in PBR events.
Competitions
Many competitions have a format that includes several rounds. As a rule, events cover from two to three rounds. The rider is given the opportunity to ride one bull per round. The final points scored by the end of the event are recorded and after two rounds, the top 20 riders get a chance to ride another bull. This final round is called the "shortcut". Rider with the most points wins.
The trip is worth 0-100 points. Both rider and bull get points. Usually two judges participate, each judge gives the bull from 0 to 50 points, and the rider - 0-50 points. The combined totals from both judges constitute the final score for the trip. Grades above 80 are considered excellent, while a score in the 90s is exceptional.
Bull riders are required to wear protective vests, which are most often made of high-strength polystyrene.
To prevent rope burns, riders must wear protective gloves.
cowboy hats remain the main headgear, while professional organizations allow protective helmets and masks.
Arenas used in professional riding vary, but what is common to all arenas is a large open area. The plaza is surrounded by a fence, usually 6 to 7 feet high, to protect the audience from bulls. Rodeo members can jump onto the fence to avoid danger. At one end of the arena are traps from which the bulls emerge. There is also an exit chute through which the bulls can leave the arena.
In North America, in addition to the USA and Canada, bull racing is also held in Mexico, where, in addition to the charreada, there are several local organizations for riding bulls in the American style and according to American rules.
Bull racing has the highest injury rate of any type of rodeo. They account for approximately 50% of injuries.
Attention, only TODAY!
Rodeo is a traditional sport in North America, historically developed by Mexican and American cowboys. It is generally accepted that the rodeo as a sports competition was held for the first time in the Texas city of Pecos in 1883.
Initially, it was just a cowboy's daily job on the ranch - dressage.
As mentioned above, the rodeo as a sporting event took place for the first time in the Texas city of Pecos in 1883. A real rodeo includes several types of competitions, held either separately or as part of a major competition: racing on a wild bull, on a bareback and saddled horse, catching a bull on a lasso, falling down a bull, racing around barrels, etc.
Among the spectators, the tote is always very popular. Indeed, in the struggle between a man and a wild bull, the result is unpredictable.
The most spectacular competition, which is often called "rodeo" - racing on a "wild bull" or horse. Bareback rodeo is the hardest way to make a living.
In order for the horse to rear up, a special belt is put on it. When the horse bucks up on its hind legs, the belt loosens. The rider mounts the horse and the gate leading to the arena opens. At the same time, a person standing behind the horse tightly tightens the belt on it, which painfully bites into the horse's body. The pain from the clamp, especially the sensitive nerve on the croup of the horse, is unbearably excruciating, he bucks and rears up, trying to get rid of the belt that causes suffering. Rodeo is a violent sport.
Most cowboys consider this type of rodeo to be the most physically demanding. the cowboy gets the most injuries in this kind of rodeo. The goal of the cowboy is to stay on the horse for 8 seconds.
The evaluation of the judges depends on the action of the cowboy himself, who must spur the horse all the time, and on the movements of the horse itself. The hardest kind of rodeo - but it's the real cowboy way.
The most successful cowboys receive up to $100,000 a year, but in such a sport, most of the winnings often go to medical treatment.
The so-called "clowns" - bullfighters, who distract the bull after the cowboy's fall and save the rider also take part in the rodeo with bulls:
Some riders are seriously injured, after which they can no longer participate in the rodeo.
And this is a children's rodeo. Only instead of a bull, novice cowboys “jump” on sheep:
Barrel racing is a women's event. Participants start one at a time. You need to drive the fastest route around three barrels arranged in a triangle. Results of the best riders - less than 15 seconds:
The American Association of Rodeo Professionals has about 5,000 members and hosts about 650 tryouts annually. The 15 finalists meet in the final in December in Las Vegas.
The oldest and largest modern rodeo in the United States has been held since 1897 in the last week of July in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
November 11, 2013
Hi all!
I haven’t written for a long time… my work schedule has changed and my hands haven’t reached the blog yet.
How much material has accumulated! I'll try to post it little by little.
Today we have a real Texas rodeo!
We have here in an hour's drive - the city of Fort Worth. I still can’t decide how to pronounce it correctly - some say “Fort Worth”, some say “Fort Worth” ... the natives pronounce it somehow in an average way. This city has a historic district - a place where for hundreds of years there was (and is still) a cattle trade. This area is called “Stockyards” (stockyards) and includes a whole area of the city with a bunch of shops, restaurants, souvenir shops, pedestrian streets, shopping arcades, an old railway station (from which the tourist train departs), stockyards, a cattle exchange and , in fact, the arena for the rodeo.
As the article on site of this place, the ranchers of the South drove their cattle north by the millions, and Fort Worth was the last stop before the wasteland, the Red River, and beyond - the Indian territories. Cattle breeders stopped here to replenish provisions, resell cattle (not everyone undertook to drive their cattle so far) ... and, of course, to have a good time! Thanks to all this, Fort Worth has long been known as the “cow city”
The stock exchange building was built in 1902 and to this day it performs its direct function:
Twice a day (at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.) cattle are driven through the streets of the district - exactly as they did two hundred years ago. Brave cowboys on horseback slowly and decorously lead a dozen or two longhorns (long-horned cows) past crowds of gathering tourists with children and cameras.
A very popular thing, although it lasts 10 minutes at most.
Cows are driven according to all the rules - cowboys have roles assigned, just like in football: there are front, side, defenders and probably some kind of goalkeeper :)
Cows are really long-horned.
The width of the horns often exceeds the width of the car!
You can take pictures with all the cowboys and some friendly cows :)
And around - shops, malls, musicians play country music, beer flows in bars, in stores everyone is massively bought cowboy hats and boots - it's simply impossible to leave without shopping! As you understand, half of the passers-by and tourists wear hats and boots - well, a real cowboy town!
The steakhouse there, of which we are already regulars, serves the most delicious meat in Texas - I'm not kidding! If you're nearby, be sure to check out Ricky's Steakhouse and order a nice medium-rare steak (by no means the maximum!) and a cup of local beer - you won't regret it! A meal there (at a cost of approximately $30) looks something like this:
And since we're talking about a rodeo today - I won't focus on shopping and dining - but trust me, there's a lot to see! Here, for example, is a beer bar, so that you have a rough idea of \u200b\u200bwhat everything looks like there:
stands apart rodeo arena- the oldest in the USA! Seriously, the indoor rodeo first appeared here, and is still held twice a week: on Friday and Saturday.
The arena is always packed - rodeo is very popular here. Tickets cost $17.50 per adult and $10 per child.
Lots of people with kids!
From the inside, the arena looks something like this:
The spectators took their places. A cowboy-clown walked between the rows and, with the most serious face, twisted the horned hats of the children out of balloons:
It all starts traditionally with a tractor. He stands in the middle of the arena, which he apparently leveled and moistened before, handsome and cool in the spotlight. A cowboy walks towards him across the field, sits down, starts up, and, releasing beautiful puffs of smoke, the tractor decorously leaves the arena. I don’t know why, but this process looks very relevant!
The presenter appears and greets the audience. This photo clearly shows the scoreboard with a stopwatch - it is on it that the time and points of the participants will be displayed.
Then the rising music begins, a girl rides out on a horse with a US flag, starts to walk to the music, then speeds up, rushes faster and faster in a circle, ending the performance with a gorgeous gallop. The spotlights are shining, the girl is smiling, the flag is waving, the horse is almost wheezing, sand is flying from under the hooves - very beautiful!
At the end, the horsewoman stops dead in the middle of the arena, and the national anthem begins to sound. All spectators stand up, take off their hats. Many (apparently serving men) press their right hand to their hearts. A very solemn moment.
There is a prayer in the silence: Rodeo is not child's play. There are injuries and there are deaths.
Everyone exhales “amen!” and the rodeo begins!
What is a rodeo?
Initially, these are competitions between cowboys in cowboy skills. That is, in the ability to clearly control a horse, accurately throw a lasso, catch and train calves, manage adult cows and bulls. Over time, racing on a mad bull was added: difficult, recklessly and deadly - just like Texas!
Initially, the bull with the rider are in a small stall. Fixed. The bull is tied with a special rope that pulls his stomach. The bull is uncomfortable, he twitches and tries to throw it off, but it fails. The bull becomes, roughly speaking, very angry and when the gate is opened, he starts kicking and jumping, sometimes very high.
The rider tries to stay on the angry bull for 8 seconds - this is exactly the norm. Despite my expectations - most do not last even 5 seconds!
Anyone can participate in one or several disciplines at once - you just need to register as a participant and deposit money into the cashier. They give out square pieces of paper with numbers on the back, and go!
When the rider is finally on the ground, the end of the rope is pulled out and the bull gradually calms down. But it takes ten seconds - and during this time a kicking animal may well trample anyone: the rider, crawling and dashing, tries to immediately be as far away from the bull as possible.
In this he is helped by special people, who are called “bullfighters” - “fighters with bulls”. They are dressed up as clowns, hung with colored rags, they joke and fool around - but their work is not as easy as it seems. The role of colored rags is to distract the bull, hang out in front of his muzzle. The bull butts these rags, and at this time the bullfighter has already jumped high on the fence.
This frame clearly shows how the bullfighter distracts the bull at the moment the rider falls:
After ten seconds, the bull calms down and jogs behind the gate. Sometimes the cowboys on duty help him in this - they sit aside on horseback, ready at any moment to come to the rescue and lasso a dangerous animal:
The next discipline after bull racing was the lasso and calf bridle exercise.
At the other end of the arena, a kind of fenced corridor appeared where specially trained people twisted the tails of the calves, or I don’t know what they were doing there, but the calves flew out of there like mad:
The calves, I must say, turned out to be very quick devils. A horse at full gallop cannot compete with them - and this is where the lasso comes into play:
Not everyone was able to master even this first step - besides the fact that the calf rushes and jumps from side to side, the lasso rushes from an uncomfortable position - hanging from the saddle and preparing to jump off the horse at one moment:
As soon as the lasso is tightened around the calf's neck, the cowboy famously slows down the horse at full gallop (and the hind hooves blow up the ground like a fountain) and jumps down to the calf:
All this time, the cowboy also holds a twine in his teeth for tying a calf:
But that's not all: when intercepting the rope, you need to run up to the calf from the side, grab it by the hips in the right way and with one jerk, with an additional knee, tear it off the ground and knock it to the ground:
Only at the moment when, having hobbled the calf with twine, the cowboy bounces off him and raises his hands up, time stops. I've been talking here for a long time, but what do you think, how long does it take?
11 seconds! 11 seconds for the whole process! Well, of course, some even got 20 ... but 11 seconds is quite real time!
After this part, the master ace of lasso-spinning came out to entertain the audience. The lights were dimmed and he began his chic performance to the music. At first, he walked to the center of the arena, rolling a lasso in front of him. Yes, yes, just rolling it on the ground! At first, the loop was small, but over time it became wider and wider:
Then he began to toss her up, throw her to the sides, put his hands through her
The noose fell on him from above and jerked back
Finally, he began to jump over and over the loop, doing it very effectively:
Bullfighter clowns put on a hilarious show, shooting at the audience with T-shirts rolled up into balls from a huge makeshift slingshot. The spectators jumped after them very robustly, one of us even fell off the stands:
The next discipline was catching already larger teenage bulls with two riders. Both men's and women's and even mixed couples participated in this competition. I must say, the brave girls mostly failed to hold the lasso after the “jerk” - almost all of them bulls pulled the lasso out of their hands.
Cowboys work in pairs: one throws a lasso around the bull's neck (tight swimming caps are put on to protect the ears of the bulls) and the second tries to pick up the hind leg.
The task is difficult. Two horses are chasing after the bull, he is shaking his head - even the first cowboy did not always hit the first time. How the second cowboy managed to throw a lasso (from below?) on his legs - I can’t even imagine. A bull lassoed in this way is “stretched”, making it impossible to move - this moment is considered a successful end to the chase.
During the break, the host asked for the arena ... children! They opened the gate and threw the kids down! Both big and small, all lined up in a long chain, while the leader explained the problem. I'm not sure some of them even understood what was required of them.
And it was required - to tear a label from the ear of a sheep released “to be torn to pieces”. Oh, and the sheep had a hard time!
Almost trampled :) Some children fell down, but all got up with a smile from ear to ear. The smallest - did not understand the task and were confusedly stomping on the spot. Clowns provided everyone with proper security, smiles and laughter :) Well, what kind of sheep can withstand such an element?
Then three barrels were taken to the arena and placed in opposite corners. This is a competition for speed and the ability to control a horse. The competition is female - is it because they are men ... well, this ... and so it is clear that they know how to jump quickly? Was it because it was especially interesting to look at the galloping cowgirl beauties with flowing hair? Cowboy men would not have fluttered anything :)
Two tripods were installed at the entrance to the arena, and a laser beam was placed between them. The horsewoman crosses it - and the timer starts. Leaves the arena - the timer stops. The task: to go around all three barrels with a kind of trefoil pretzel, while meeting the standard - and it is desirable to set a record time. Wow, how the girls jumped, how their hats flew off! And the audience, how the audience whistled!
The horses, braking around the barrels, dug their hooves into the ground. Sometimes the riders filled up the barrels on the turns, this added one penalty second to them:
In the end, men again took up the cause and once again showed that rodeo is a sport for real men. First with the angry stallions:
And then - again with the bulls:
Yes, just look at what happened!
Most of the daredevils acted in protection and a lattice helmet - the bulls were, I must say, the very thing!
Oh, there were so many bulls and riders, a lot of shots do not fit into this report. Yes, and it was difficult to photograph (next time I’ll take a tripod and sit closer) - you won’t catch everything. You need to visit yourself and feel the mood that prevails in the stands.
Finally, two smiling elderly cowboys who looked after the gate:
That's the end of the rodeo. It lasted more than two hours, but the time flew by completely unnoticed!
