Rodeo action starts at 7 p.m. and ends about 8:30 p.m.
Grand Entry
Watch as cowboys and cowgirls ride into the arena as we pay tribute to the American Flag.
Bareback Riding
While simplistic in equipment, bareback riding is trickier than it looks. Not only are the horses powerful, but the riders must be in excellent physical shape to stay aboard during the eight-second ride. With nothing to hold but a suitcase-like handle on a strap, the cowboy must maintain balance and remain controlled and coordinated with the horse's motion throughout the ride.
Team Roping
Partnership, precise timing, and anticipation – this is what team roping is about. Between header and heeler, this is the only true team event in rodeo. Both contestants are in their respective "boxes" on either side of the chute containing the steer. Once the steer has received its head start out of the chute, the header takes off in pursuit of the steer, roping it around the horns, neck or a horn-neck combination, then turns the steer quickly to the left so the heeler has a shot at its hind legs.
Saddle Bronc Riding
Saddle Bronc Riding is known as "rodeo's classic event." It derived from the practice of breaking saddle horses, but evolved into an event that combines strength, style, grace, and rhythm. The contestant sits in a saddle, much like one that you would ride comfortably in, with no saddle horn at the front. For support, the rider holds a thick rein, which can only be held with one hand. When the gate swings open, every move the rider makes is an effort to remain synchronized with the horse's movements. If the rider touches any part of the horse or himself with his free hand or bucks off before the eight-second whistle, he is disqualified.
Dally Ribbon Roping
Dally Ribbon Roping is a team event. The roper starts in the roping box to the calf's right. When he or she calls for the calf to be released, the horseback rider chases it down the arena in an attempt to rope it. After the catch is made, the roper dallies his or her roper around the saddle horse and stops the calf for the runner, who is waiting on foot in the arena for the catch. The runner must run to the calf, collect the ribbon hanging from the calf's tail, and run it back to the box from which the roper started, as quickly as possible.
The team consists of a roper and a runner and the team must consist of one male and one female contestant. Any child under 13 years of age may enter the event. A maximum of 10 entries per rodeo will be accepted.
Barrel Racing
Three barrels, one horse, and one woman – simplistic and graceful . . . until you throw in a stopwatch! The rider must race around the barrels set in a cloverleaf pattern, while making sure not to knock any over. Because so many barrel racers have so skillfully tuned their skills, the sport is timed to the hundredth of a second.
Bull Riding
Intentionally climbing on the back of a bull – sounds fun, right? What if the bull weighs 2,000+ pounds and explodes from a gate with one thing on this mind: to get you off his back. To stay aboard the bull, the rider grasps a flat braided rope, which is wrapped around the bull's chest just behind its front legs and over the withers. With a nod of his head, the gate is flung open and the bull bounds into the arena. While this is the most dangerous event in rodeo, it involves the least amount of rules. Riders must stay on for eight seconds while refraining from touching themselves or the bull with their free hand.
BREAKAWAY ROPING
Don't blink or you'll miss it! Added in 2023, the Ladies Breakaway Roping is a timed event that is a style of calf roping that doesn't include tying the calf. A calf is loaded into the roping chute and the roper enters the box on the right side of the roping chute. The breakaway roper waits in the corner of the box, with the calf in the chute. When the roper nods her head, a chute operator opens the gate, releasing the calf who gets a specific head start out of the box before the horse and rider can break the chute barrier and throw a lasso around the calf's neck as quickly as possible.