Rodeo is a fun and competitive sport that literally means “round up.”  If you pay close attention, you’ll see that the different events and riding styles associated with Rodeo riding all involve rounding up something or another.

Rodeo is a competitive sport that evolved from cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later other countries like the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and South America.  The basic skills are all based on tasks of the vaqueros, or cowboys.  Today, it is a sporting event based on using horses to manage livestock.  It tests the skill and speed of cowboys and cowgirls with the various events.

While Rodeos grew in popularity in the mid 1800’s to exhibit the cowboy’s skills and tricks. It slowly grew to be a competition between cowboys, in the late 1900’s it escalated to a higher level.  In the 1970’s, the rodeo circuit saw a “new breed” of rodeo cowboys that were typically young, urban, and chose rodeo for the athletic competition.  By 1985, one third of PRCA members had a college education and one half of the competitors had never worked on a real cattle ranch.  This was a huge shift in the rodeo world, and exhibits much of what we see today with rodeos getting major media publicity, shows in huge, air-conditioned arenas, and televised productions.  It’s a little different than the original rural, dusty rodeos of the past.

How Can You Compete In Rodeo

Rodeo is mainly a competitive horse discipline by nature and there are numerous events that you can participate in.  Take a look through each of these events to learn more about the different ways to compete in Rodeo riding.

• Barrel Racing
• Breakaway Roping
• Pole Bending
• Saddle Bronc
• Steer Wrestling
• Team Roping
• Calf Roping

There are a number of organizations that are associated with Rodeo riding:

•Australian Professional Rodeo Association

•All Indian Rodeo Cowboys Association

•Canadian Cowboys Association

•Canadian Professional Rodeo Association

•Championship Bull Riding

•Cowboy’s Professional Rodeo Association

•European Rodeo Cowboy Association

•Federación Mexicana de Rodeo

•International Professional Rodeo Association

•International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA)

•National High School Rodeo Association

•National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association

•National Senior Pro Rodeo Association (NSPRA)

•New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Association (NZRCA)

•Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

•Professional Roughstock Series

•Professional Bull Riders (PBR)

•United States Team Roping Championships

•Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association

•Women’s Professional Rodeo Association

•Working Ranch Cowboys Association

The Show Must Go On

In today’s culture, rodeo is a big production and therefore, you’ll see flashy costumes, bright colors, and costume-like outfits.  Of course, they all have the basic look and feel of that of a cowboy.  The attire is not quite as decorative as Western riders as a general rule, but depending on the show, the attire could be very over the top.