Bronc riding
Each competitor climbs onto a horse, which is held in a small pipe or wooden enclosure called a bucking chute.
The earliest examples of American bronc riding were believed to have been born out of breaking horses for the United States Army, most notably in Wyoming and Colorado.
The saddle bronc rider grips a simple rein braided from cotton or polyester and attached to a leather halter worn by the horse.
The rider lifts on the rein and attempts to find a rhythm with the animal by spurring forwards and backwards with their feet in a sweeping motion from shoulder to flank.
In both events, after the completion of successful rides, two pickup riders in the arena attempt to help the contestants safely dismount the still-moving horses.
Others held a loose or twisted rope tied around the horse's girth, and other methods involved using multiple handhold leather riggings based on a surcingle.
Bucking horses usually travel in close quarters and are housed in a herd setting, geldings are generally less disruptive and more prone to get along with one another.
Due to the rigors of travel and the short bursts of high intensity work required, most horses in a bucking string are at least 6 or 7 years old.
[8] They cite various specific incidents of injury to support their statements,[9] and also point to examples of long-term breakdown,[10] as well as reporting on injuries and deaths suffered by animals in non-rodeo events staged on the periphery of professional rodeo such as chuckwagon races and "suicide runs".
[3] Health regulations also mandate vaccinations and blood testing of horses crossing state lines.
PRCA regulations require veterinarians to be available at all rodeos to treat both bucking stock and other animals as needed.
[14][15] The issue of horse slaughter crosses all equestrian disciplines and is not confined solely to the rodeo industry.
[13] The city of Pittsburgh prohibited the use of flank straps as well as prods or shocking devices, wire tie-downs, and sharpened or fixed spurs or rowels at rodeos or rodeo-related events.
The flank strap is about 4 inches wide, covered in sheepskin or neoprene and fastens behind the widest part of the abdomen.
[12][17] A horse in pain will become sullen and not buck very well,[4][18] and harm to the genitalia is anatomically impossible because the stifle joint of the hind leg limits how far back a flank strap can be attached.
[6][12] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has stated that burrs and other irritants are at times placed under the flank strap and that improperly used flank straps can cause open wounds and burns if the hair is rubbed off and the skin is chafed raw.
