Rodeo is a window into the past as well as a fully modern sport with a huge following.
The beginnings of rodeo can be traced back to the Western ranches of the early 1700’s when Spanish cattlemen, known as vaqueros, influenced the American cowboy with their clothing, language, and traditions. Activities on these early ranches included roping, horse breaking, riding, herding, branding, and much more.
It is believed that the sport of rodeo was born in 1864 when two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches in Colorado met to settle an argument over who was the best at performing everyday ranching tasks. At about the same time, cowboys completing long trails would often hold informal competitions among themselves to see which group had the best riders, ropers and all-around best drovers. It would be from these competitions that the modern rodeo was born.
Barrel Racing
Barrel racing is a timed rodeo event, where cowgirls compete against each other and the clock. For the barrel racing event, the arena is cleared and three barrels are set up at different marked locations.
Riders enter the arena at full speed, quickly rounding each barrel in a cloverleaf pattern. They steer their horses as close as they can to the barrels trying to shave precious seconds off the clock. After they go around all three barrels they race for the finish line. For each barrel knocked over, a five second penalty is assessed to the total time. Leaving the barrels standing while ripping through the course is every barrel racers goal.
0
Loading ...
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.