The rodeo is about as American as apple pie. Sometimes called Stampedes, Frontier Days, or Roundups, the rodeo has been associated with the West since the first one in the early 1880s. Rodeos are fun, colorful, exciting, and feature events such as cow cutting and calf roping. Horsemen love rodeos because it is the perfect event in which to showcase horses and horsemen working together in perfect harmony!

It's no wonder, then, that rodeos continue to grow. In 1920 the Rodeo Association of America was formed to establish rules, awards, and a points system. Eventually, this led to the Cowboy Turtle Association in 1936, whose goal is to protect the interests of the contestants.

Today, there are many events that make up the modern Western rodeo. These are saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, cutting contests, and reining contests.

Saddle Bronc Riding

In saddle bronc riding, the rider tries to ride a saddled, bucking horse for a minimum of eight seconds. What's the catch, here? The rider is allowed to use only an ordinary halter and a braided rope rein held in one hand. You can bet that eight seconds can seem like a lifetime! And in this event, style counts. Top scores usually go to riders who use their spurs often and swing their legs high from front to back. If you touch the saddle, rein, or horse with your free hand, or if you lose a stirrup or change your rein hand, you'll get a lower score.

Bareback Riding

In bareback riding, the rider must remain on the horse for eight seconds, holding on to a leather strap called a surcingle instead of a rein. His hand must hold on to this while his free hand stays in the air. How are bareback riders judged? Again, style is key. He is judged on the spurring motion of his feet, which must be in constant motion. The control the rider has over his horse also goes into the overall score.

Bull Riding

Often considered the most dangerous and exciting of rodeo events, bull riding doesn't include horses, as you may have already guessed! But it's worth mentioning it anyway, since it is such a fun and popular event. At any rate, during bull riding the rider rides a bull for eight seconds while holding on to a flat rope wrapped just behind the bull's withers. The most points are awarded to those riders with the best spurring action and riding style.

Calf Roping

In calf roping, the rider and horse must act as a team. The winner is the rider who ropes and ties a calf in the shortest time. In calf roping, it helps to have a quick moving and agile horse with lots of what the cowboys call "cow sense."

Steer Wrestling

Steer wrestling is similar to calf roping in that both horse and rider must work as a team, and the horse must have the same attributes—quickness, agility, and cow sense. However, in this event, once the steer is roped the rider jumps from the horse and wrestles the steer to the ground.

Barrel Racing

Barrel racing is a timed race around of course of barrels, requiring speed and agility on the part of the horse and keen timing and judgment on the part of the rider.

Cutting Contests

In cutting contests, horses and riders work together to show their skills at handling cattle by separating an animal from the herd. Cutting contests allow the rider to show of his horse's natural ability and his level of training. It takes many years of practice and also innate cow sense for a horse to be a good cutter.

Reining Contests

Let's call reining contests the Western equivalent of dressage. Like dressage, reining contests test the horse's obedience to the rider. During reining contests, horses are asked to do movements such as backing, circles, figure eights, lead changes, sliding stops, rollbacks, spins, and pivots.