A:
Technically both are correct. Pronouncing
rodeo like "ro-day-oh" retains the Spanish root word
pronunciation (even though it really sounds like the street in
Beverly Hills). Most modern events prefer "ro-dee-oh",
however, and is probably the most common use. Since they
still haven't resolved the "am-mond" vs. "all-mond" or
"toe-ma-toe" vs "toe-mah-toe" controversy, you can probably get
away with saying rodeo however you like until they do!
Barrel
racing
[rodeo events]
In rodeo, barrel racing is considered a
timed event. This means that a rider and their horse make their run
attempt while being timed. The winner of the event is the rider with the
lowest time out of all of the contestants in their group. In N.C.J.R.A.,
barrel racing is an event offered to girls. Their are two main classes,
grouped by ages: the junior division and the senior division.
In a barrel race, horse and rider gallop around a
cloverleaf pattern of barrels, making agile turns without knocking the barrels
over. In barrel racing, the rider with the fastest time completing a cloverleaf
pattern around three barrels without toppling them is the winner.
Tie-down
roping
[rodeo events]
Calf Roping, officially changed to Tie-down roping by the
PRCA - A calf is roped around the neck by a lariat, the horse stops and sets
back on the rope while the cowboy dismounts, runs to the calf, throws it to the
ground and ties three feet together. (If the horse throws the calf, the cowboy
must lose time waiting for the calf to get back to its feet so that the cowboy
can do the work. The job of the horse is to hold the calf steady on the rope)
This activity is still practiced on modern working ranches for branding, medical
treatment, and so on.
Pole
bending
[rodeo events]
In pole bending, horse and rider run the
length of a line of six upright poles, turn sharply and weave through the poles,
turn again and weave back, then return to the start.
Break-away roping
[rodeo events]
Breakaway roping - an easier form of calf roping where a
very short lariat is used, tied lightly to the saddle horn with string and a
flag. When the calf is roped, the horse stops, allowing the calf to run on,
flagging the end of time when the string and flag breaks from the saddle. In the
United States, this event is primarily for women of all ages and boys under 12,
while in some nations where traditional "tie-down" calf roping is frowned upon,
riders of both genders compete.
Calf riding
[rodeo events]
Bull riding
[rodeo events]
Bull riding - an event where the cowboys ride full-grown
bulls instead of horses. Although skills and equipment similar to those needed
for bareback bronc riding are required, the event differs considerably from
horse riding competition due to the danger involved. Because bulls are
unpredictable and may attack a fallen rider, Rodeo clowns, now known as
Bullfighters, work during bull riding competition to help prevent injury to
competitors.
Steer
riding
[rodeo events]
Team roping
[rodeo events]
Team roping, also called "heading and heeling," is the
only rodeo event where men and women riders may compete together. Two people
capture and restrain a full-grown steer. One horse and rider, the "header,"
lassos a running steer's horns, while the other horse and rider, the "heeler,"
lassos the steer's two hind legs. Once the animal is captured, the riders face
each other and lightly pull the steer between them, so that it loses its balance
and lays over, thus in the real world allowing restraint for treatment.
Team roping, here, the steer has been roped by the header, and the heeler is now
attempting a throw.Roping encompasses a number of timed events that are based on
the real-life tasks of a working cowboy, who often had to capture calves and
adult cattle for branding, medical treatment and other purposes. A lasso or
lariat is thrown over the head of a calf or the horns and heels of adult cattle,
and the animal is secured in a fashion dictated by its size and age.
Steer
stopping
[rodeo events]
Goat tying
[rodeo events]
Goat tying - usually an event for women or pre-teen girls
and boys; a goat is staked out while a mounted rider runs to the goat,
dismounts, grabs the goat, throws it to the ground and ties it in the same
manner as a calf. This event was designed to teach smaller or younger riders the
basics of calf roping without the more complex need to also rope the animal.
This event is not part of professional rodeo competition.
Chute
dogging
[rodeo events]
Steer wrestlingSteer wrestling - Also known as
"Bulldogging," this is a rodeo event where the rider jumps off his horse onto a
steer and 'wrestles' it to the ground by grabbing it by the horns. This is
probably the single most physically dangerous event in rodeo for the cowboy, who
runs a high risk of jumping off a running horse head first and missing the
steer, or of having the thrown steer land on top of him, sometimes horns first.
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[rodeo events]
