Every term.

Roughstock event where a rider must stay on a bucking horse for eight seconds using only a rigging strapped to its back.

Bareback riding is the first event at most pro rodeos. The rider grips a leather rigging that sits where a saddle would on a bucking horse, marks out (spurs the horse on the first jump), and tries to stay aboard for eight seconds. Judges score the ride out of 100, half on the rider and half on the horse. PRCA and NIRA contest bareback; college rodeo also runs it.

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Timed event where a horse and rider run a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels at high speed.

Barrel racing is a WPRA event run on a tight cloverleaf pattern: the rider enters the arena, circles the right barrel, then the left, then the back barrel, and sprints home. Times are measured to the hundredth of a second. Knocking a barrel over costs five seconds. The NFR field is the WPRA top-15 by USD earnings on September 30.

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Timed event where a mounted cowgirl ropes a calf and the rope breaks free from the saddle when the loop catches.

Breakaway roping has been the fastest-growing event in rodeo. A cowgirl on horseback chases a calf, ropes its head, and the rope, attached to the saddle horn with a string, breaks free when the loop catches and the horse stops. Time stops when the string breaks. Top times are around two seconds. The WPRA contests breakaway under its own world standings.

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Roughstock event where a rider stays on a bucking bull for eight seconds with one hand on a flat-braided rope.

Bull riding is the headliner. The rider wraps a flat-braided rope around the bull behind its shoulders, grips with one hand, and tries to stay on for eight seconds. Free hand cannot touch the bull or the ride is disqualified. The PBR runs its own bull-only tour with separate world standings; PRCA contests bull riding within its broader rodeo card.

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Timed event in college and high school rodeo where a rider chases down a tethered goat and ties three legs.

Goat tying is contested in NIRA college rodeo and NHSRA high school rodeo. The rider gallops to a tethered goat, dismounts, throws it down, and ties any three legs together with a leather pigging string. The tie has to hold for six seconds. Top times are around seven seconds. WPRA does not contest goat tying at the pro level.

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Roughstock event where a rider stays on a bucking horse for eight seconds using a specialized saddle and a single rein.

Saddle bronc riding is the classic rodeo event, the one most associated with the cowboy image. The rider holds a single thick rein attached to a halter, marks out on the first jump, and rides to the buzzer at eight seconds. Form matters: judges reward smooth spurring in time with the horse and penalize loose, frantic riding. PRCA, NIRA, and CPRA all contest it.

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Timed event where one mounted cowboy ropes, throws, and ties a full-grown steer alone.

Steer roping is contested only in a limited PRCA regional circuit and at the National Finals Steer Roping in Mulvane, Kansas, run separately from the NFR. The cowboy ropes a 600-pound steer around the horns from horseback, lets the steer cross the rope, trips it, then dismounts and ties three legs. The PRCA awards a separate world title.

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Timed event where a mounted cowboy chases a steer, drops onto its horns, and twists it to the ground.

Steer wrestling, also called bulldogging, is a timed event. The cowboy starts in the box on horseback, breaks a barrier when the steer leaves the chute, rides up alongside, slides off his horse onto the steer's horns, and brings the steer to a stop with all four feet pointed the same direction. A hazer rides on the other side to keep the steer running straight. Top times are around three seconds.

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Timed event with two cowboys: a header who ropes the steer's horns and a heeler who ropes its hind feet.

Team roping is the only true partner event in rodeo. The header starts in one box, the heeler in another, and a steer is released between them. The header ropes the horns or head, dallies (wraps his rope around the saddle horn), and turns the steer to face the heeler. The heeler ropes both hind feet. Time stops when both ropes are taut and the horses face each other. Half-head or half-heel catches incur penalties.

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Timed event where a mounted cowboy ropes a calf, dismounts, throws it down, and ties three legs.

Tie-down roping, sometimes called calf roping, starts with a cowboy in the box and a calf in the chute. When the calf is released the cowboy ropes it from horseback, dismounts, runs to the calf, throws it down by hand, and ties any three legs together. The tie has to hold for six seconds after the cowboy remounts. Top times are around seven seconds.

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Title given to the cowboy or cowgirl who earns the most prize money across two or more events at a rodeo or in a season.

The all-around award goes to the athlete who earns the most prize money across two or more events. At a single rodeo it's usually a buckle plus prize-money credit. At the season level the PRCA all-around world champion is one of the most prestigious titles in pro rodeo, often awarded to a header or heeler who also competes in tie-down or steer wrestling.

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The top 15 in PRCA world standings on September 30. The cut sets the field for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

The NFR cutline is the boundary between making the National Finals Rodeo and watching from home. The PRCA and WPRA both qualify their top 15 by USD earnings on September 30. Athletes inside the line ride the NFR; those right outside it are "on the bubble" and chase every check at fall rodeos. A 16th PRCA spot comes through the Playoff Series.

See nfr cutline ->

A rodeo athlete sitting just outside the top 15 in world standings, in striking distance of qualifying for the NFR.

A bubble rider is one who sits at or near rank 16 in the world standings, with the top 15 going to the NFR. Bubble math gets covered hard in August and September when athletes can move three or four spots on a single big check. Buckin' Rodeo tracks the bubble live on the standings cutline page.

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A mounted cowboy who helps the rider safely off a bucking horse after the eight-second buzzer.

Pickup men ride in pairs at every roughstock event. After the eight-second buzzer they ride alongside, the rider grabs the pickup man, and they pull the rider off the bucking horse onto safer ground. They also unbuckle the flank strap and lead the horse out of the arena. The job requires precise horsemanship and steady nerves; pickup men get inducted into the rodeo Hall of Fame too.

A rope across the box that gives the steer or calf a head start. Breaking it adds a ten-second penalty.

In timed events (steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, steer roping) the cowboy starts in a box separated from the steer by a barrier rope. The animal gets a head start measured by the length of the chute. If the cowboy breaks the barrier early, ten seconds get added to the time, which usually wrecks any chance at a check.

A wrap of the rope around the saddle horn after a roper makes a catch, holding the steer to the horse.

Dallying is what happens after a header catches a steer in team roping or a steer roper makes his throw: the cowboy wraps his rope around the saddle horn so the horse, not the cowboy's hand, holds the steer. A bad dally can cost a thumb. Tie-down ropers don't dally; their rope is tied hard and fast to the saddle.

In roughstock events, the rider must spur the horse on its first jump out of the chute or be disqualified.

Marking out is a rule in bareback riding and saddle bronc: at the moment the horse's front feet hit the ground on the first jump, the rider's feet have to be above the horse's shoulders and touching its neck. Miss the mark-out and the ride is disqualified, no matter how good it looks afterward. Bull riding does not have a mark-out rule.

The total time or score across all go-rounds at a multi-round rodeo. The average winner gets the biggest paycheck.

At rodeos that run multiple go-rounds, the average is the total of all those rounds combined. In timed events that's total seconds; in roughstock that's total points. The cowboy with the best average usually wins the rodeo and the biggest paycheck. The NFR average is its own coveted title and pays separately from the round wins.

Random assignment of which bucking horse or bull a rider will compete on at a given rodeo.

In roughstock events the rider does not pick the animal; the animal is drawn at random or by ranking among the available pen. A "good draw" is a horse or bull known to buck hard and score well. The day-of draw publishes a few hours before each performance and shapes who the contenders are.

A single performance at a multi-day rodeo. Top times each go-round earn payouts.

A go-round is one performance at a multi-day rodeo. The NFR has ten of them, one per night. Some major rodeos like Houston and San Antonio run a long bracket structure with multiple rounds and a championship round. Each go-round pays out separately, and the average across all go-rounds is its own paycheck. "Round wins" matter for highlight reels and pace.

The owner who provides the bucking horses and bulls to a rodeo, paid by the rodeo committee.

Stock contractors are the supply side of pro rodeo. They breed, raise, and haul the bucking horses and bulls. Top contractors have stock that's in demand at every major rodeo and the NFR; the PRCA elects Stock Contractor of the Year by athlete and judge vote. Names like Pete Carr, Powder River, Burns, Stace Smith, and Dakota Rodeo run the strings most NFR riders draw.

A soft strap around the bucking horse or bull's flank that encourages it to kick higher and buck harder.

The flank strap is a sheepskin-padded strap, lined with fleece, that wraps around the loose area in front of a horse or bull's back legs. It's loose, not painful, and is removed after the eight-second ride. The American Veterinary Medical Association has confirmed it does not cause injury or distress; the animal's natural reaction to the pressure encourages a fuller buck.

The suitcase-handle leather grip a bareback rider holds onto, anchored to the horse with a cinch.

A bareback rigging is a small leather pad with a stiff handhold built in. It sits where a saddle would and is held to the horse with a cinch. The rider grips the handhold with one hand for the entire eight seconds. Custom riggings vary by maker and rider preference. Saddle bronc riding does not use a rigging; it uses a specialized saddle and a single rein.