Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – Saddle Bronc Riding Dec 3 – 12, 09 at Thomas & Mack
December 6, 2009 by KJ
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Saddle Bronc Riding - Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 2009
I attended the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, on assignment. The following is the fourth of seven short blogs, which will feature an event from the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
The Saddle Bronc Riding event… ten days of the best cowboys and rough stock in the sport of rodeo. In Saddle Bronc Riding the cowboy rides a horse for eight seconds, with only a bronc rein to hold in one hand. A bronc rein is a thick rein which attaches to the halter of the horse. The saddle, halter, and bronc rein is what distinguishes this event from bareback riding. As in bareback riding, the cowboy must mark the horse on the first jump out of the chute, for the ride to be scored.
The cowboy’s score is comprised of points for his ride and for how well the horse performs. The cowboy can earn extra points for spurring in rhythm with the horse’s bucking action, how in control the cowboy is during the ride, and how long the length of the spur stroke is. The horse’s score is based on how hard he bucks. The spur stroke is can be defined as the point of the horse’s shoulder where the cowboy then rolls his spur back along the horse, to the back of the saddle. This motion is repeated over and over during the eight second right.
Saddle Bronc Riding is a challenging event that requires strength, skill, style, grace, and perfect timing to have a ‘fluid’ ride.
Camera Wench
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