rodeo

rodeo (rō`dēō, rōdā`ō), public exhibition of the skill of cowboys in various activities. Events include riding broncos, riding steers, "bulldogging" steers, roping and tying steers and calves, the use of the lasso, and other less closely related activities such as contests of marksmanship. The rodeo was originally merely an adjunct to the roundup, a contest of skill between various cow hands, but the spectacle became popular in the late 1880s and 90s and gradually took on more and more of the aspects of a circus. Today there are many professional rodeo performers who spend their time going from one exhibition to another. There are annual rodeos at many places in the West; in the East the rodeos normally travel like the circus and take place in indoor arenas.

Bibliography

See C. P. Westermeier, Man, Beast, Dust (1947, repr. 1987); M. S. Robertson, Rodeo (1961); F. Schnell, Rodeo (1971); K. Fredriksson, American Rodeo (1985).

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rodeo

Sport involving a series of contests derived from North American cowboy skills. Rodeos typically feature competitive or exhibition bronco riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, and Brahma bull riding. The sport developed from informal competitions among cowboys held from the mid-19th century. Denver is traditionally accepted as the birthplace of paid spectator rodeo, in 1887. The oldest surviving annual show is the Frontier Days celebration in Cheyenne, Wyo. (established 1897). The Calgary Stampede has been held annually in Alberta, Can., since 1923. In calf roping and steer wrestling, the contestant seeks to bring down the animal in the shortest possible time. In riding events, contestants seek to stay on their mounts as long as possible and are awarded points for style, control, and other factors.