Rodeo 101: A guide for greenhorns

OKEECHOBEE -- New to rodeo?

Dust off your cowboy hats and get ready to cheer for top rodeo athletes as Labor Day weekend brings excitement to Okeechobee.

The Pete Clemons Labor Day Rodeo is set for Aug. 30 and 31 at the Historic Okeechobee Cattlemen’s Arena, 1885 U.S. Highway 441 N.

Gates open at 5 p.m. Mutton Bustin’ starts at 6:30 p.m. Rodeo events start at 7 p.m.

The Labor Day rodeo is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It will draw top contestants from all over the United States, competing not just for cash prizes, but also for points toward the chance at national championships.

Some new to the Sunshine State may be surprised to learn the U.S. cattle industry started in Florida. Juan Ponce de Leon introduced the first domesticated cattle to the New World in 1521. He planned to establish a colony in Southwest Florida. The Calusa Indians had other ideas and sent the Spaniards packing, abandoning a small herd of Andalusian cattle.

Central Florida is still cattle country, and Okeechobee is proud of the moniker “Florida’s Cowtown.” According to the latest census figures, Okeechobee County has about three cows per permanent resident, but who’s counting?

Never been to a rodeo? Here’s a roundup of the events and how they are scored.

Mutton Bustin’

Mutton Bustin’ is not a PRCA event, but it’s a crowd pleaser! Youngsters test their skill at riding sheep. The boy or girl who stays on a sheep the longest gets a prize and the parents and grandparents claim the bragging rights! In recent years, safety has been prioritized so the little ones wear helmets and protective vests, but otherwise the competition has been unchanged for generations. Contestants must be at least 3 years old and weigh less than 60 pounds. Sign-ups start at 5 p.m. each day on a first-come basis and slots are limited.

Mutton Bustin'

Katrina Elsken

Rough stock events

Rough stock events include bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. To qualify, the rider, using only one hand, must stay on the animal for 8 seconds. These events are scored by judges, who assign up to 50 points for how well the animal bucks and up to 50 points for how well the cowboy rides.  If the rider touches the animal, himself or any of his equipment with his free hand, he is disqualified.

Katrina Elsken

Katrina Elsken

In saddle bronc and bareback riding, a cowboy must “mark out” his horse. That means he must exit the chute with his spurs above the horse’s shoulders and hold them there until the horse’s front feet hit the ground after the initial jump out of the chute. Failing to do so results in disqualification.

Bull Riding

In bareback bronc riding, riders use one hand to hold onto a leather rigging. In saddle bronc riding, they use a special saddle.

Timed events

Rodeo timed events include steer wrestling, calf roping, team roping and barrel racing. Seconds – even fractions of seconds – matter. These contestants rely on teamwork from their equine partners, who are athletes in their own right.

In calf roping, the calf is given a head start. The cowboy on horseback starts in a three-sided fenced area called the “box.” The fourth side opens into the arena. A rope barrier is stretched across that open side. One end of the rope is tied to the calf with a breakaway loop. Once the bovine reaches the head-start point, the barrier is released. The cowboy must wait until a rope barrier drops to give chase. If his horse “breaks the barrier” the cowboy is penalized with additional seconds added to his time score.

Calf roping horses are highly trained, working as one with the rider as the cowboy throws the rope loop at the calf’s head. Even as the lasso hangs midair around the calf’s neck – before the calf even realizes he is caught – the horse slides to a stop and cowboy vaults out of the saddle. The horse backs up, keeping the rope taught as the cowboy approaches the calf, flips the animal over and ties three of its legs together with a “piggin’ string.”  The roper throws his hands in the air to signal he has finished, and the timer stops. The horse then moves forward to give the rope slack. If the calf wriggles free within 6 seconds, the cowboy is disqualified.

In team roping, two ropers work together. The “header” must rope the steer’s horns or around the neck. The “heeler” must rope the back legs. Both men and women compete in this event. Both horses back up to stretch the ropes tight.

Steer wrestlers work with mounted partners. The wrestler – or bulldogger – chases the steer and drops from his horse onto the running steer, grabbing it by the horns and wrestling the animal to the ground. Another rider, called a hazer, rides on the other side of the steer to keep the animal on a straight path. According to legend, the event’s origin has been traced back to the 1890s when wild west show performer Bill Pickett caught a runaway steer by wrestling it to the ground.

Steer Wrestling [Photo by Katrina Elsken/Lake Okeechobee News]

Katrina Elsken

In barrel racing, cowgirls ride their horses in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels that are placed in a triangle in the center of the arena. The timer starts when the horse and rider cross the start line and ends when they cross the finish line. Knocking over a barrel means a 5 second penalty is added to their time.

OKEECHOBEE -- Barrell racing. [Photo by Katrina Elsken/Lake Okeechobee News]

Katrina Elsken

 Now you know the basics, get ready to cheer for your favorites at the Labor Day Rodeo! And while you’re there, take a moment to appreciate the arena’s history.

The first Okeechobee Cattlemen’s Labor Day Rodeo was held in a field in 1951. Proceeds from that first rodeo helped start construction of the Cattlemen’s Arena. Over the years, improvements were added including more seating stands for rodeo fans. The annual tradition has continued, rain or shine, with the exception of years in which hurricanes made it impossible. Due to damage from the hurricanes that hit Okeechobee County in 2004 and 2005 some of the stands were deemed unsafe for spectators. In 2006, the cattlemen entered into an agreement with Okeechobee County to hold the rodeo in the Agri-Civic Center arena. The rodeo returned to the historic arena with the 2013 Labor Day Rodeo.  

OKEECHOBEE -- A bronc rider is pictured in this photo from the 1950s from the Florida Memory Project. [Photo courtesy Florida Department of Commerce collection0