Barrel Racing Horse: A barrel horse must have the ability to reach top speed fast, turning quickly and precisely around a barrel; thus making three turns around a cloverleaf pattern. After completing the final turn, the horse must reach full speed again and race the clock out of the arena.

Steer Wrestling Horses: A pair of equine athletes, the steer wrestling horse and the hazing horse compete in this event. Their jobs are to go from a complete stop to a top speed of more than 35mph in less than three strides. The hazing horse prevents the steer from moving away from the steer wrestler, and the steer wrestling horse must out run the steer, as his cowboy teammate jumps off and wrestles the steer to the ground.

Team Roping Horses: The primary attributes of the two horse team for roping are speed, agility, and timing. The first equine athlete is called the heading horse, and his human teammate is the header. His partner, the heeling horse is ridden by the heeler. The heading horse’s job is to accelerate quickly from a standstill, catch up to the steer, and put the header in a position that he can rope the steer’s horns. He then makes a 90 degree turn pulling the steer into a position that enables the heeling horse to turn in behind. The heeler takes over and ropes the calf’s two hind legs.

Tie-Down Roping Horses: A tie-down roping horse must accelerate out of the roping box to catch a calf that has been given a head start. The cowboy then ropes the calf, but it’s the talented horse that must come to a sliding stop and balance as the cowboy steps off. Here’s when a horse’s training and independent thought comes into play. This equine athlete, backs up, keeps the rope tight and enables the cowboy to tie three of the calf’s legs.

Rough Stock Events

Bucking Horses: Athletic bucking horses, saddle broncs, and bareback horses buck as hard as possible, sending the cowboy to the ground or the pay window. Bareback horses are ridden with a rigging, placed where the cinch of the saddle would sit and a hand-hold as the only point of connection between the horse and rider. Saddle bronc horses are ridden with a specially designed saddle and a halter with an attached rope called the “buck rein.” Half of the points scored by the cowboy are determined by how well the horses buck. When the horse jumps up high, rounds his back, and then kicks with both hind feet high and up over his head, while moving across the arena, you’ve seen a winner.

Bucking Bulls: Bucking bulls are truly amazing athletes. Weighing an average of 1500-2000 lbs, their speed, agility, and power are truly astounding. As with great bucking horses, exceptional bucking bulls sincerely love to buck. They are bred for it. Bucking bulls combine the high jumps and kicks of a horse with twisting and spinning of a bovine. Greater scores are given to bulls that spin in both directions during a single ride.

Reading Rambo
The canine reading helper who’s human?
By Debbie Bumstead Winans,Reno, NV

A week in the life of Rambo, the little brown and white shi tzu belonging to Colleen Daughtery of Reno, begins with a telephone call. As soon as Colleen picks up the phone and says, “It’s Monday, time for our walk with Jenny and Debbie,” Rambo knows he’s going to see his girlfriend, Jenny the Border Collie mix, who lives next door. He doesn’t calm down until we are all together, hiking up the street in the fresh country air.

Tuesdays Rambo takes a bath. He likes to be clean for workday Wednesday when he goes to school. Each Wednesday morning Rambo and Colleen go to the Lemmon Valley Elementary School to help children read. Rambo has been reading with kids for five years now, and he’s gotten very good at it, or at least that’s what the children believe as they show Rambo the way to sound out words. Rambo helps in the Comprehensive Life Skills class with Mrs. Harrower, and then he goes to Mrs. Koliha’s first grade room to read with the children there. Practically the whole school knows Rambo. He’s the famous reading dog!

Rambo’s week includes browsing the aisles in Savers thrift store, sleeping by the woodstove in his Papa’s office, and teasing Tiko the parrot. Tiko takes revenge by bothering Rambo with questions, like “Rambo, where are you?” and “Rambo, did you go potty?” On Sunday, Rambo makes a trip to church where he rests quietly on the pew beside Colleen until he hears the minister say “Amen” in the particular way that means church is over. Then he hops up and shakes his collar to wake up the rest of the congregation.

Rambo does so many human activities that he’s almost forgotten he’s a dog. At our Halloween Dog Party last year, Jenny and my mom’s two poodles, Cinnamon and Curly George, gathered eagerly around my feet, squirming and panting for fresh Pupperoni, Stuff-ems, and liver tidbits. Rambo simply sat nearby watching aloofly, as if to say, “I am above such doggy behavior.” But I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He was observing real dogs, seeing how they grab and gobble and feel so happy with food. Finally Rambo reached for a treat from me—and he gobbled it!

I told Colleen that Rambo should come over to our house daily to learn how to be a dog. We all laughed. Rambo went home feeling proud of himself, one of the bunch. Of course, I’m glad to report that he soon remembered that he wasn’t just any old dog; he was Rambo, the nearly human canine, the reading dog who goes to school every week to help children learn.