Olivia wants to learn about the different rodeo events

_Elsa_

TIE-DOWN ROPING - Like many rodeo events, tie-down roping is practiced on the working ranches of the American West. The roper begins his run from a “roping box,” with a barrier rope across the open front. The box is adjacent to a chute, containing the calf. One end of the breakaway barrier is looped around the calf and released as soon as the calf reaches its advantage point. If the roper beats the calf out of the chute, a 10-second penalty is added to his final time for the “broken barrier.” Once the calf is caught by the cowboy’s loop, the horse is trained to stop and pull back to remove any “slack” or extra rope to keep the calf still. The cowboy quickly dismounts and sprints down his rope to the calf and “flanks” the calf by hand flat on the ground. Once flanked, the roper ties any three of the animal’s legs together with a short looped rope called a “pigging string.” To signal his run is complete, the cowboy throws his hands in the air and remounts his horse. He and his horse must wait six seconds to ensure that the calf does not kick free, which would result in a “no time.” The practice of tie down roping is used on the working ranch to catch a runaway calf for purposes of doctoring, branding, or otherwise capturing, and because the animal is younger, the capture of a calf can be handled by one cowboy.

TEAM ROPING - Like tie-down roping, team roping is used on the working cattle ranch to capture a steer for purposes of doctoring or branding, but unlike tie-down roping, it takes two cowboys to rope the larger steer and so this is the only true team event in rodeo — one “header” who ropes the head of the steer and one “heeler” who ropes the heels, or feet, of the steer. Each contestant begins in their respective roping box with a chute containing the steer in the middle. Similar to the other timed events of tie-down roping and steer wrestling, a breakaway rope or “barrier” is attached to the steer and released once the steer reaches its advantage point. The “broken barrier” rule also applies here too, with a 10-second penalty added to a team’s time. Once the steer is out, the header leaves the roping box in pursuit of the steer, roping it around the horns, neck, or a horn-neck combination. He then turns the steer quickly to the left so the heeler has a shot at both of its hind legs. The clock stops when their horses are facing each other and their ropes are pulled tightly. If the heeler catches only one leg, a five-second penalty is added.

STEER WRESTLING - Sometimes referred to as “bulldogging,” steer wrestling is an all-out battle of strength. The cowboy starts out horseback in a box with the barrier rope attached to the steer. Once the cowboy nods to indicate his readiness, the gate is opened and the steer exits the chute. When the steer reaches the end of the rope, the barrier is released and the cowboy takes off in pursuit. If the cowboy leaves before the steer, a 10-second penalty is added to his final time for the broken barrier. If the cowboy reaches the steer, he dismounts using strength and leverage, slows the animal by digging his heels into the dirt and maneuvers the steer to the ground. In order to catch the sprinting steer, the bulldogger relies on a “hazer,” which is another mounted cowboy running beside the steer. Time stops when the steer is on its side with all four feet pointing in the same direction. If you are on a working ranch and need to get a steer on the ground quickly, this is how you’d do it.

BARREL RACING - Arranged in a triangle, barrel racers must run around all three barrels in a pattern known as a “cloverleaf” being careful not to turn one over. Riders may begin on the left or the right barrel first, but the pattern cannot be broken. Horses must be not only swift, but accurate in their ability to maneuver around the barrels with ease and agility. If the rider or the horse makes contact with a barrel, it can be touched in order to keep it from falling. Each fallen barrel, though, adds a five-second penalty to the rider’s final time. This sport, unlike other timed events, is timed to the hundredth of a second through the use of an “electric eye” or an automatic stopwatch.’ (Source)

Let’s continue – Tiffi also finds some information on rodeo events

Start at the beginning – Olivia wants to become a cowgirl