Rodeo Events 2007 - 2008 - Ride 'em Cowboy!

Rodeo is a traditional folk North American sport with influences from the history of Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) and American cowboys. Rodeo events include:

• the rough stock events bull riding
• bareback bronc riding
• saddle bronc riding
• the timed events steer wrestling
• team roping
• calf roping
• the rarely seen steer roping
• women's barrel racing
• breakaway roping
• goat roping
• pole bending

The participants include cowboys, cowgirls and also rodeo clowns or bull fighters. It is believed that rodeo was born in 1864 when two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met in Deer Trail, Colo., to settle an argument over who was the best at performing everyday ranching tasks. That gathering is considered to be the first rodeo and it started the evolution of the true American sport.  Rodeo first appeared as an exhibition Olympic sport at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 The oldest and largest sanctioning body of professional rodeo is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) which sanctions around 700 rodeos annually. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is a recent organization dedicated to Bull Riding and puts on a number of events. There are also high school rodeos, amateur rodeos, and rodeos for women. Some colleges, such as the University of Montana have a rodeo team. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is responsible for the College National Rodeo Finals. Also available is the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA). This organization offers internationally competitive rodeo to high school students.

Cowboys and Rodeo fans proudly display their cowboy belt buckles and western belt buckles with true pride.   Rodeo belt buckles are part of the history of the rodeo and go back all the way to that first rodeo in 1864.