2019 PRCA Media Guide - Intro

Event descriptions

Barrel racing Barrel racing is just that – a race against time in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels set up in the arena. A rider can choose to begin the cloverleaf pattern to the right or left. The time begins when the horse and rider cross the predetermined start line and stops when they come back across the same line. Each run is timed to the hundredths of a second, making every fraction of a second count. (Starting in 2012, Canadian rodeos now time to the thousandth of a second.) Each tipped-over barrel adds a five-second penalty to the time. Although barrel racing is one of seven events common to many PRCA-sanctioned rodeos, it is administered by a separate organization, theWomen’s Professional Rodeo Association, which produces its own online media guide. Bull riding Bull riding is rodeo’s most dangerous event. In the chute, the bull rider settles on the bull’s back, wraps his braided rope around the bull’s girth, then loops the rope around his hand and back into his palm so he can grip it tightly. When he nods, the gate is opened and the bull lunges out of the chute. Spurring is optional – the primary goal for the cowboy is to stay on for eight seconds without touching himself, his equipment or the bull with his free hand. The cowboy will be scored highly for staying in the middle of the bull, in full control of the ride. If the ride lasts the required eight seconds, it is scored by two judges who assess difficulty (the bull’s spinning, jumping and kicking, lunging, rearing and dropping, and side- to-side motion) as well as the cowboy’s degree of control. Each judge awards up to 25 points for the cowboy’s performance and up to 25 points for the animal’s performance, for a potential of 100 points. Steer roping Some PRCA rodeos include steer roping, which resembles tie-down roping but requires the cowboy to catch and control a large steer (about 450-600 lbs.). The mounted cowboy backs into the box and nods when he’s ready; the steer gets a head start, just as the calf does in tie-down roping. The cowboy must catch the steer by first roping it around the horns, which are protected by horn wraps and reinforced with rebar. Then he tosses the rope over the steer’s right hip and rides to the left, bringing the steer to the ground, a frontier technique modern ranch cowboys still use to bring down full-grown steers that need medical attention. When the steer is lying on its side and the rope is taut, the rider dismounts and runs to the steer, tying any three of its legs. As in tie-down roping, the steer’s legs must remain tied for six seconds after the tie is complete and the roper remounts his horse. All-around Many cowboys compete in more than one event. Some rodeo committees award a special prize to the top money-earner among all the cowboys who entered more than one event at their rodeos, starting with the cowboy who won the most money in two or more events – the all-around champion, a prestigious title indeed.

Common abbreviations for rodeo events

AA: all-around BB: bareback riding SW: steer wrestling

TR: team roping SB: saddle bronc riding TD: tie-down roping

BR: bull riding SR: steer roping GB, LB: women’s barrel racing

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2019 PRCA MEDIA GUIDE