Giddy-up for the Lakeside Rodeo on April 22-24!
At this annual event, you will see different PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) and WPRA (Women’s Professional Rodeo Association) contestants compete at each performance, which makes for some fresh and exciting competition if you decide to attend multiple performances!
The contestants compete a number of events, including:
Bareback riding (8 second ride): Bareback riding, developed in the rodeo arena many years ago, consistently produces some of the wildest action in the sport. A bareback rider begins his ride with no saddle, seated on the bronc’s back and with his feet placed above the break of the horse’s shoulder. If the cowboy’s feet are not in the correct position when the horse hits the ground on its first jump out of the chute, the cowboy has failed to “mark out” the horse properly and is disqualified. Throughout the eight second ride, the cowboy must grasp the rigging (a handhold made of leather and rawhide) with only one hand. A rider is disqualified if he touches his equipment, himself or the animal with his free hand or bucks off. The rider is judged on his control during the ride and on his spurring technique. The score also is based on the rider’s “exposure” to the strength of the horse. In addition, the horse’s performance accounts for half the potential score.
Tie Down Roping: Like bronc riding, tie down roping is an event born on the ranches of the Old West. Sick calves were roped and tied down for medical treatment. Today, success in tie down roping depends largely on the teamwork between a cowboy and his horse. After the calf is given a head start, horse and rider give chase. The contestant ropes the calf, then dismounts and runs to the animal. After catching and flanking the calf, the cowboy ties any three of the animal’s legs together using a “pigging string” he carries in his teeth until needed. if the calf is not standing when the contestant reaches it, the cowboy must allow the animal to stand before setting it down to tie three legs. When the cowboy completes his tie, he throws his hands in the air as a signal to judge. He then remounts and allows the rope attached to his saddle to become slack. Note how the horse is very careful in keeping the rope just right, not too much slack or too tight until the cowboy mounts up again. The run is declared invalid if the calf kicks free of the ties within six seconds. As with any timed event, a 10 second penalty is added if the roper does not allow the calf the proper head start out into the arena ahead of him – this is known as “breaking the barrier.”
Saddle Bronc Riding (8 second ride): Rodeo’s “classic” event, saddle bronc riding, has roots that run deep in the history of the Old West. Ranch hands would often gather and compete among themselves to see who could display the best style while riding untrained horses. It was from this early competition that today’s event was born. Each rider has a small saddle on the horse and must begin his ride out of the chute with his feet over the bronc’s shoulder to give the horse the advantage. A rider who synchronizes his spurring action with the animal’s bucking efforts will receive a high score. Other factors considered in the scoring are the cowboy’s control throughout the ride, the length of his spurring stroke and how hard the horse bucks. Disqualification results if, prior to the buzzer which sounds after eight seconds, the rider touches the animal, himself or his equipment with his free hand; if either foot slips out of a stirrup; if he drops the bronc rein; if he fails to have his feet in the proper “mark out” position at the beginning of the ride; or he bucks off.
