Welcome to the Equestrian Outreach Bronco Riding Page

Bronco Riding Overview: Bronc riding is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a wildly bucking horse called a Bronc or Bronco. The event has two styles: Saddle Bronc or Bareback Bronc competition. In both forms the horse attempts to throw or buck off the rider. Originally based on the necessary horse breaking skills of a working cowboy, the event is now a highly stylized competition that utilizes horses that are often specially bred for strength, agility, and bucking ability. The event has provoked concerns among some animal welfare advocates that some of the practices used in the event may constitute animal cruelty.
Description of Bronco Riding: Each competitor climbs onto a horse, which is held in a small enclosure called a bucking chute. When the rider is ready, the gate of the bucking chute is opened and the horse bursts out and begins to buck. The rider attempts to stay on the horse for 8 seconds without touching the horse with his free hand. On the first jump out of the chute, the rider must "mark the horse out." This means he must have the heels of his boots in contact with the horse above the point of the shoulders before the horse's front legs hit the ground. The rider that manages to complete a ride is scored on a scale of 0-50 and the horse is also scored on a scale of 0-50. Scores in the 80s are very good, and in the 90s, are exceptional. A horse which bucks in a spectacular and effective manner will score more points than a horse who bucks in a straight line with no significant changes of direction.
Saddle Bronc Riding: In Saddle Bronc competitions, the rider uses a specialized saddle with free swinging stirrups and no horn. 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 his feet.
Bareback Bronc Riding: Conversely, the bareback Bronc rider does not use a saddle or rein, but uses one hand to grip a simple handle on a surcingle style rigging placed on the horse just at the horse's withers. The rider leans back against the bucking horse and spurs up and down motion with his legs, again in rhythm with the motion of the horse.
The Bronco Horse: Bucking horses are generally geldings (castrated male horses). Geldings are used because they are generally less disruptive and more social. Mare are less common and stallions are rare in the population to keep disruption to a minimum.Most bucking stock is specifically bred to raise horses with exceptional bucking ability which is linked to the value of the horse. Most are allowed to grow up in a natural, semi-wild condition on the open range, but also have to be gentled and tamed in order to be managed from the ground, safely loaded into trailers, vaccinated and wormed, and to load in and out of bucking chutes. Initially they are introduced to bucking work with cloth dummies attached to the saddle. 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.
The Abuse Controversy: Animal cruelty groups have long sited Bronco Riding as a cruel sport. Injury and death records are sited to validate this claim. The modern rodeo industry responds to this claim with the explanation that all accredited rodeos are closely regulated with a set of clear rules which are strictly enforced. They further explain that the value of the animals alone ($8,000 to $10,000 per animal) requires that they be cared for. Animal cruelty groups, counter these explanations by stating that these rules may not be as closely adhered to as claimed and that these rules do not exist in other countries especially third world countries. This is a controversy that is not likely to go away.