FAO Outrider

[Maci]

Hey Outrider,

I was just wondering, since you're the only person I know that's done it all, basically, in Western, so just a question about rodeo, please!

Q: Last night I was watching The Calgary Stampede (you might of heard of it, but it's a big rodeo event that happens for a week, once a year in Alberta, Canada) on TV. Anyways, it was the part of the rodeo where they had to stay on the bucking horses. Now I know that they're bred to buck, and they have a leather strap around their flanks to "encourage" the bucking, but I saw the riders "stabbing" the horses in the shoulders and sides, with those nasty looking Western spurs on! My guess is that they were doing that to keep them bucking, and the way they were doing it, didn't look like they were doing it accidentally from getting tossed around. So is that the case, or what?

Thanks!
Maci :)

[Outrider]

I know the Calgary Stampede well Macei! It is a great rodeo and there are a lot of great Canadian riders! In saddle bronc and barback riding, the cowboy is required to start the ride with his spurs over the points of the horse's shoulders in order to have a qualifying ride along with having to ride for 8 seconds. Yes, the horses and bulls are bred to buck and the flank strap actually keeps them from bucking too hard! Without the strap, they would buck even worse believe me!

As for the spurs, they are required to have small, dull rowels that roll and are not stationary, and the action you saw is not to make the horses buck more but to maintain their balance and not clutch the horse with spurs on. They do not "stab" the horse as they ride. They "rake" with their feet, rolling the dull spurs along the horse to avoid grabbing with the spurs in order to stay balanced. The spurs do not hurt the horse in any way and if they are found to be sharp, or if he grabs with the spurs and digs in, the cowboy is disqualified. Hope this helps. Happy Trails

[Maci]

Thanks, Outrider! Have you ever been to The Calgary Stampede? I think it'd be fun to go, but at the same time, I'd also travel and see some show jumping at the International ring, Spruce Meadows, also in Calgary!

What I was watching, they had saddles, and it looked like the spurs would hurt, but that's also good that they get punished if they mis-use them! Actually, the horses looked pretty happy, with their ears forwards, while they were in a ring-side "box" waiting for their turn. One more question if I may!

Q: Do the horses stop bucking once the rider is off? Are they easy to catch in the competition ring, or do they keep bucking and eventually tire themselves out?

Thanks So Much!
Maci :)

[Outrider]

Most horses keep bucking or at least running when the rider is either bucked off or taken off by the pickup men. Another job they have is, that as soon as the cowboy is off, they ride up to the bronc and release the flank strap and then herd the horse out of the arena. Happy Trails!

[Maci]

Actually, I find this very interesting! Thanks for the answers! And obviously, after the horse is herded out of the arena, he'll eventually calm down and stop bucking!

Awsome!
Maci :)

[Outrider]

As soon as they hit the exit gate, they generally stop bucking, and will run back to the back pens to be with their herd mates. Happy Trails!

[Maci]

One more question I forgot to ask! :D

Q: When I was watching rodeo on TV, I saw the word outrider and I realised it has something to do with rodeo/what they call the riders after something! So, what does it mean?

Thanks!
Maci :)

[Outrider]

In rodeo competitions, they often have an event called the Chuck WagonRrace, which is a covered wagon pulled by a team of horses, with separate riders on horseback as part of the team riding along side.

In reality, an outrider was one who rode on the flanks of a column of cavalry as security or the flanks of a wagon train or cattle drive. The term was more often used in relation to wagon trains and cattle drives. Happy Trails!

[Maci]

Yes, covered wagon races! That's where I heard the term!

Thanks For All Your Help!
Maci :)

PS- The Western Way looks great! Good work!

[Outrider]

Thanks Maci,

Want to write an article for The Western Way?

[Maci]

I would, but I don't know too much about Western riding, except that Western saddles are very comfortable when you go on long trail rides! ;)

Thanks For Asking, Though!
Maci :)

[Sharon H]

What happens to the rodeo horses when their working days are over? I imagine that they can't be retired as normal riding horses? How many years on average do they go on for?

[Outrider]

They generally keep most rodeo horses for life, especially the mares. I have seen horses still bucking in their early 20s, still throwing riders like they did when they were younger. Usually, when a mare is no longer a good bucker, they will use her for breeding, as bucking is a trait that is passed on. Some geldings are kept so younger horses can see them as an example. I am sure some are probably sent to the canner too, but I couldn't say how many that happens to. Once they have a good bucking animal, be it horses or bulls, they tend to keep them just as long as they can. I would say an average age would be late teens to early 20s. Happy Trails!

[Maci]

So, do they only use the mares as the "buckers" in competitions, or are geldings and stallions used? Or would the stallions be too crazy!? Does it hurt the horse when the rider trys to stay on while they're bucking, or is there a way they can make it less painful for both parties involved? Personally, I think riding the bucking bulls looks more painful than riding the bucking horses! Are the horses used in bucking competitions nice (as in safe) to be around when they are at home? Quick, quick, quick! 20 questions! ;)

Maci :)

[Outrider]

Rodeo horses are always mares and geldings. No stallions, though they do keep colts from good bucking mares as breeders, since the bucking seems to be genetic.

No animal is hurt when bucking. When your horse bucks, does it hurt him(or her)? Its the rider who gets hurt often. In the bucking horse events, you see alot of pulled and dislocated shoulders, elbows and wrists, not to mention whiplash.

Generally, back at the stock contractors ranch, the bucking stock are fairly docile, though wary of humans. They don't give them much human contact because they don't want to gentle them in any way. Think of them being very similar to the wild horses that still roam the west. They get all the socialization they need from their herd mates.

In bullriding, again, its not the bull that gets hurt, but the rider. I used to be a rodeo clown and bullfighter, and belive me there are lots of cowboy injuries in that sport!

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women's Professional Rodeo Association have very strict guidelines for animal welfare. Although accidents do sometimes occur, they are extremely rare. Happy Trails!

[Peace]

I just read a really cool book, All in the Day's Riding, by a guy named Will James, that talks about the early days of rodeo, and what it was like to be an old-time cowboy. He was writing in the 1920's and 30's about his experiences in Montana during the early days of the 20th century.

I was happy to read that the horses were better treated back then than one might think. As Outrider said earlier, spurs were normally not used to injure the horse - a cut on a horse from spurs, according to James, was the sign of someone who didn't know his job and cause for immediate dismissal. And individual horses were only ridden for a few hours every two to three days. Each cowboy had a string of eight to ten animals and rotated his mounts. Better than lots of lesson horses are treated nowadays!

But the stuff the cowboys had to go through makes me thankful for the gentle horses I know and love! Sheesh, those mustangs were so rough, I don't know how they got anything done for the horses acting up! James retired at the old age of twenty-six, too stove up to continue, and died at fifty!

[Outrider]

Life was hard for the cowboy back then. 50 was a really old age to live to and 26 was fairly old too. Guess that's why alot of folks married in their teens. There is another good book about rodeo called "Let'em Buck!" That talks about rodeo from the inception up through today. Happy Trails!