Aman on a bull enters the arena as the clock starts. For the next eight seconds the man tries to stay on the bull while it tries to throw him off. This is a rodeo sport called ‘bull riding‘ and it’s one of numerous events that take place at a rodeo. This is an exhibition or competition in which cowboys and cowgirls demonstrate their ability to do difficult things, like ride bulls and horses, ropecalves and wrestle cows. This month, fifteen champions in seven events, including bull riding, compete in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada: it’s the most important championship rodeo event in the world.
AGRICULTURAL ORIGINS
‘Rodeo’ is a word of Spanish origin. However, rodeo wasn’t originally a sport but an agricultural activity. In the US, Canada and northern Mexico, Spanish cowboys used the skills demonstrated at the rodeos of today – in particular riding horses and roping calves – to control and transport their cows. In the early 19th century, cowboys began to demonstrate their skills at informal events. The first rodeo competition recorded was in Cheyenne in the US state of Wyoming in 1872. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, rodeos became a very popular form of public entertainment in the US and Canada.
ANIMAL RIGHTS
Rodeo is also popular in other parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and Australia, but it is also controversial. Many people consider it to be a form of animal cruelty and want it banned. Some parts of the US and Canada, the UK and some European countries have banned or restricted the sport. Over the years, the American rodeo industry has introduced more regulations to protect the animals, but animal rights activists say this isn’t enough. With as many people enthusiastic about rodeo as there are against it, it is likely that this controversy will continue for as long as the sport remains popular.