Thesis: There are many different events that make up professional rodeo.

I. Introduction: History-Background of rodeo. Introduce PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboy Associations)

II. One of the oldest events in rodeo is calf roping, which evolved directly from work on the range and ranch.

A. History--How it came to be

B. How the event is performed in a rodeo

C. How the event is scored

III. There is also the wild Saddle Bronc Riding.

A. History--How it came to be

B. How the event is performed in a rodeo

C. How it is judged

1. How points are deducted and why

IV. Team roping is the only event where two cowboys compete together for a time score and shared prize money.

A. History--How it came to be

B. How the event is performed in a rodeo

C. How it is judged

1. How points are deducted and why

V. Bareback Bronc riding means just that, a wild, eight second ride on a powerful bucking horse without benefit of a saddle, reins or stirrups.

A. History--How it came to be

B. How the event is performed in a rodeo

C. How it is judged

1. How points can be deducted

VI. Bull riding, one of the favorite spectator events in all of rodeo, is at the same time the most dangerous and the most often entered event in the sport.

A. History -- How it came to be

B. How the event is performed in a rodeo

C. How it is judged

VII. Steer wrestling, or bulldogging, as it is often called, is another rodeo event which developed purely in the competitive arena.

A. History-- How it came to be

B. Explain how it is done within the rodeo

C. How it is judged

1. What a good time would be considered

VIII. Closing

RODEO

Professional rodeo is the only major competitive sport which evolved from an actual working lifestyle. Accomplished skills in roping, and riding stout-bred, strong-willed horses became a necessity during the western cattle drive era. Life on the cattle trails produced a breed of men that eventually grew into a living legend--the American Cowboy. Survival and success in the early west forced these bronzed and weather beaten men to develop their roping and riding skills to a high level.

This life also brought the competitive spirit of these independent men to the surface. Challenges as to who could out-rope and out-ride whom became a common practice. Roping and riding contests were often put on at the nearest corral. These friendly competitive matches among ranch hands, and later between ranches, evolved into the modern day sport of rodeo.

In 1974, the association called Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sprang to life encompassing some of the smaller rodeo associations. Today, the PRCA has over six thousand cowboy members and puts on more than seven hundred professional rodeos each year. The events within the rodeos have evolved from the very things that the cowboys did as everyday chores. There are many different events that make up the sport of professional rodeo.

Calf roping is one of the most popular events in the rodeo. It evolved directly from work on the range and ranch. During the annual spring roundup, calves had to be roped by a single cowboy for branding and doctoring. Having a quick horse that knew his job and being a good hand with a rope were essential. In the rodeo arena, a calf roper and his horse team up together against the calf. The calf gets to have a head start on the cowboy; the calf must trip a barrier string before the cowboy and horse can begin their chase. The roper must catch his calf with a twenty-five foot rope, dismount his horse, run down the rope being held taut by his horse, throw the three hundred pound calf to the arena floor, gather three of the calf's legs, tie them together with a six foot piggin string, and throw up his hands to signal the end of the competitive run.

This is not a task not easily done, and the roper that makes the quickest score takes home first place. An eight second run would be a score worthy of first place in most competitions. But if a cowboy breaks the barrier by leaving the roping box too soon, he has a ten second penalty added to his time. PRCA calf roping features some of the most highly conditioned two and four legged athletes in professional rodeo.

There is also the wild Saddle Bronc Riding. This is rodeo's oldest event. In the old west, ranchers and cowboys were in constant need of strong, fit horses because injuries to working horses were common. Therefore, new horses had to be constantly borken and trained. Modern day professional competition evolved from the need to break or tame wild horses so that they could be used on the range. Saddle bronc riding matches a specially bred bucking horse and a professional rodeo cowboy with strength and a good sense of balance who must stay aboard for eight seconds to make a qualified ride. It is an exercise in style and finesse which demands near perfect timing. The saddle bronc rider has to use a saddle approved by the PRCA and a six foot braided rein which he holds with one hand only. This event really is a contest of balance and style. The rhythm established in time with the horse's bucking pattern requires that the cowboy closely coordinate lifting on the rein and spurring with dull, rounded spurs. Two riding judges award cowboys points for their riding skill and style; each judge may award a rider up to fifty points, making it possible for a rider to have a top score of one hundred points. However, saddle bronc riders are disqualified if they touch themselves, the horse, or their equipment with their free hand.

Team Roping is the only event where two cowboys compete together for a time score and shared prize money. This event also evolved from the open range where it took two men to rope and hold a large steer for doctoring. Skill with a rope and teamwork were paramount if a cowboy was to capture an evasive animal trying to escape in rough country with thick brush. In modern, competitive team roping, the roping steer is given a designated head start before the two mounted cowboys can begin their chase, just like in calf roping. The "header" is the one that must avoid breaking the barrier as he begins his attempt to rope the steer's horns and to turn the steer away from his partner who is called the "heeler." The heeler must rope both of the steer's hind legs in one of the most difficult maneuvers in rodeo. Team ropers use loose ropes and must "dally" their ropes (wrap the rope around the saddle horn) after their head or heel catches. The time stops after both horses are facing the steer with ropes secure on both ends. As in calf roping, there is a ten second penalty for breaking the barrier ahead of time, as well as a five second penalty if the heeler catches only one of the steer's legs.

Bareback bronc riding means just that: making a wild, eight second ride on a powerful bucking horse without benefit of a saddle, reins or stirrups. Bareback riding is one of the events invented by the rodeo. There would not be any cowboy who wanted to continue working that would ever attempt to break a horse out on the range without a saddle. In competition, bareback riders use a riding handle which is the free end of a leather rope secured around the twelve-hundred pound bucking horse's middle just behind the shoulders. Bareback bronc riders hold onto this handle with a single hand encased in a specially designed leather glove.

As in saddle bronc riding, bareback riders must stay aboard for eight seconds to make a qualified ride. Two judges award up to fifty points to the horse and fifty points to the bareback rider for a total of up to 100 points on each qualified ride. Points are acquired for the bucking pattern and power of the horse, as well as the rider's strength, control and spring action. However, if a rider touches himself, the equipment or the horse with his free hand, he will be disqualified and will receive no points for his efforts. Bareback bronc riding, one of the most dramatic events in rodeo, is a contest between wild bucking horses, and strong willed pro-rodeo cowboys determined to stay aboard.

Bull riding, one of the favorite spectator events in all of rodeo, is at the same time the most dangerous and the most often entered event in the sport. This event was also invented for the sport of rodeo, for no cowboy back in the old west days would ever think of getting on the back of a bull. Bulls are selected for their size and spirit. A bull that is determined to get the best of a rider every time he is monted is what is wanted here. In modern rodeo, only the most skilled or most fool hardy try to ride bulls because they spin harder than horses and thrash the cowboys around much worse than a horse ever could. Many bulls come looking for the cowboy after the ride, intent on inflicting a devastating hooking or trampling. As in the other rough stock events, bull riders are only permitted to hold on with one hand and can be disqualified for touching themselves or the bull with their free hand. A bull rope and riding glove are used in the cowboy's efforts to secure himself to the back of the bull. If the bull rider can manage to stay on the back of the bull for eight seconds, then two rodeo judges combine scores to award up to fifty points for how well the bull bucked and fifty points for how well the cowboy maintained control during the ride.

Steer wrestling, or bulldogging, as it is often called, requires skill in both riding as well as great strength.It is another rodeo event which developed purely in the competitive arena. No cowboy would ever dive off his horse onto a five to six hundred pound steer at thirty-five miles an hour out on the open range. Steer wrestling is the only rodeo event in which a contestant is permitted to use a helper, known as the "hazer." A five-hundred pound, horned steer leaves the chute tripping a barrier line which signals the steer wrestling contestant and "hazer" to race to each side of the steer. With the "hazer" paralleling the steer to keep it running straight, the steer wrestler must catch up to the steer, lean off his horse at top speed, and end up with a firm grip on the steer's horns. Once on the ground, the steer wrestler must plant his feet, bring the steer to a stop, and wrestle it to the ground. This was once known as the "big man's" event, due to the brute strength required. However, recent emphasis on quickness and technique have produced phenomenal times by large and average sized cowboys alike.A rodeo judge will stop time when the steer is on its side with all four feet pointing in the same direction. As in other timed events, a broken barrier will add ten seconds to the competitor's time for starting too early. With constant practice and top grade horses, it often requires a time of less then five seconds to win a champion caliber steer wrestling Competition.

Professional rodeo is not only an exciting sport to watch or participate in, but it also has a history. Many of these events such as team roping, calf roping, and saddle bronc riding have been around since the dawn of the old west. There are also events that were made for the sport of rodeo like bull riding, bare bronc riding, and bulldogging. Watching any of these events, though, makes for an exciting day of escape back to the days when tough men worked the range herding and branding cattle and protecting the herd from rustlers.