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To
get an idea of the strength required in bareback riding, imagine
riding a jackhammer as if it were a pogo stick, holding on with
only one hand. Bareback riders claim their sport is not quite
that simple.
Bareback riding is the most physically
demanding event in rodeo. Immense physical stress is placed
on the arm and back, and bareback riders face more long-term
injuries, such as elbow and lower back problems, than other
roughstock cowboys.
Sheer strength isn’t all
that’s required. A bareback rider is judged on his spurring
technique, the degree to which his toes remain turned away from
the horse throughout the ride and his “exposure,”
or willingness to lean far back and take whatever may come during
a ride. The horse’s bucking action also contributes half
a rider’s score.
Bareback riders grasp a “rigging,”
a handhold made of leather and rawhide, that is secured to the
horse with a cinch. The rigging must meet size and design specifications
set by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Bareback riding also requires
the rider to “mark out” his horse —to place
his feet above the horse’s shoulders until the animal’s
front feet hit the ground on its first move out of the chute.
Failure by the cowboy to keep his feet in place results in disqualification.
After the initial jump out of
the chute, the cowboy pulls his spurs up the horse’s neck
and shoulders until the spurs are nearly touching the rigging.
The rider then straightens his legs, again placing his feet
on the horse’s shoulders, in anticipation of the next
jump.
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