Bareback Bronc Riding
Bareback requires Strength, Balance
Current Scores
Bareback riding provides spectators some of the most classic and
spectacular action in a rodeo. These riders are a hearty breed, to say
the least. To get an idea of the strength required in bareback riding,
imagine riding a jackhammer as if it were a pogo stick, and holding on
with only one hand. bareback riders claim their sport is not quite that
simple.
Bareback riding is the most physically demanding event in rodeo.
Immense physical stress is placed on the arm and back, and bareback
riders face more long term injures, such as elbow and lower back
problems, than other roughstock cowboys.
Sheer strength isn't all that's required. A bareback rider is judged
on his spurring technique, the degree to which his toes remain turned
away from the horse throughout the ride, and his "exposure," or
willingness to lean far back and take whatever may come during a ride.
The horse's bucking action also contributes half a rider's score.
Bareback riders grasp a "rigging," a handhold made of leather
and rawhide that is secured to the horse with a cinch.
Bareback riding, just like in saddle bronc riding, requires the rider
to "mark out" his horse - to place his feet above the horse's shoulders
until the animal's front feet hit the ground on its first move out of
the chute. Failure by the cowboy to keep his feet in place results in
disqualification. Similarly, a rider may not touch himself, his
equipment or the horse with his free hand during his 8 second ride.
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