Performance Events:

Steer Wrestling
'07 Stampede Champion: Todd Suhn

Steer wrestling requires a unique blend of speed, technique and power. It is generally the quickest event in rodeo with winning times often dipping below five seconds.

Steer wrestlers begin their event on horseback in the timed-event end of the arena. The steer, waiting in a chute to the cowboy's right, is released when the steer wrestler nods his head. Once the steer reaches a pre-determined point in the arena that gives him a head start, the cowboy rides out of the box in pursuit. If he leaves the box too early, he is assessed a 10-second penalty for breaking the barrier.

While steer wrestling is an individual event, the cowboy receives help from his hazer who rides to the right of the steer. The hazer keeps the steer running straight and typically receives a share of any prize money won. Once out of the box, the steer wrestler rides alongside the animal, at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, then slides off his horse and onto the steer, wrapping his arms around the horns. He grabs the steer's right horn with his left hand, then digs in his heels to slow the steer. The cowboy then lifts the steer's nose with his left hand and, using leverage and strength, flips the steer onto its side or back. Steer wrestling is the only event in rodeo that didn't evolve from ranch duties. It was created simply as competition and entertainment.

First called bulldogging, the event was started around 1881 by Bill Pickett, an African-American cowboy, who turfed steers by grabbing them and biting their lower lips until they fell to the ground. Pickett rode in the Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch Real Wild West Shows. The event evolved into steer wrestling in about 1910, and became a rodeo event much as it is seen today. According to old records, it was first contested in Nampa in 1922.