Rodeo

Rodeo is a very exciting sport to participate in as well as to watch. There are many events, involving horses, bulls, steers, and calves. From Bull Riding to Barrel Riding, the excitement comes in many forms. There are timed events and judged events -- the nature of an event usually determines which is which. riders and performers spend the year performing at rodeos across the country. Each rodeo gives the performers different point levels, which help them rise through the ranks throughout the year. When they finally reach the finals at the end of the year in Las Vegas, Nevada, all these rodeos and points are added together, and belts and prize money are awarded to the highest point earners.

Many people who participate in the rodeo, start out very young by learning many events in order to find out which is best for them. Not everyone is cut out to be a bull rider after all. Many children who live on farms at the very least learn to horseback ride, but rodeo involves a much larger amount of involvement and training. Barrel racing is specifically for girls or women, and most other events are male dominated with the exceptions of team roping, team penning, and sometimes bull riding. Rodeos are a great source of income to the farms that supply the animals used in them and to the riders as well. There are also matadors (rodeo clowns) that keep the riders safe when they dismount the bulls. Matadors are not only a great source of entertainment to the crowd, but a great source of safety to the riders.