The sport of rodeo has been a tradition in the United States since the cowboys of the American West began pushing herds of cattle across this country. The legend goes that professional rodeo was born when neighboring ranches would get together to settle who was the best at performing every day ranch duties.  First called the Cowboy’s Turtle Association, they were named because they were slow to get things started but when push came to shove the cowboys weren’t afraid to stick their necks out to get what they wanted.  In 1945 they changed their names to the Rodeo Cowboy’s Association and in 1975 they became what we know now as the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association.  The PRCA headquarters made its home in Colorado Springs, CO in 1979 and remains there today along with the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Rodeo, America’s number one sport, is one of the only sports in the world to have originated from the skills required in a working situation, but it is more than just a sport, it’s a lifestyle. It is a very definite way of life. Cowboys don’t just compete for the money or prestige, but for the sake of competing. Unlike any other sport, a cowboy does not get paid by anyone for just competing; he only gets paid if he wins or places in the event he is competing . 

Rodeo can be broken into two different categories of events: timed events and rough stock events.  The timed events include tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, steer roping, and the ladies barrel racing.  The timed events are just as it the name indicates: timed, in which the fastest time or times win.   The rough stock events include bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding.  These events have a possible score of 100, scored by two judges awarding 25 possible points to the cowboy and 25 points possible to the animal.  He must ride the animal for 8 seconds without touching the animal or his equipment.   Watch this video…

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