Steer wrestler wastes not an instant in his violent race against the stopwatch.
Steer Wrestler Brakes
Steer with Boot Heels
One of the most important
things about judging a rodeo
is knowing all the rules about the
event. Rodeo, like other sports,
has its share of unforseen
events that require a huddle of
officials on the field.
Steer wrestling, for example,
can be pretty routine. The dog
ger rides after the steer from
behind the barrier as in calf
roping. He has a hazer who
rides on the other side of the
steer to keep it from running
straight. The bulldogger, as he’s
called by the cowboys, drops out
of the saddle onto the horns,
brakes the steer to a stop by
digging in with his boot heels,
then twists him down. It's a tim
ed event und the quickest time
wins.
Nothing difficult about judging
an event like that. Hut what
happens if, the cowboy misses
the steer altogether? Or if the
sti-er gets out of the arena? Or
if the dogger loses his grip and
takes (Hit after the escaping
steer on foot?
Now let's see. Where's the
rule hook?
The rules say the steer, once
he's crossed the scoreline, be
longs to the contestant regardless
of what happens. Thus if an
over-enthusiastic spectator downs
the critter with a well-aimed
leap from the seats, the cowboy
gets another turn at the chutes.
But if the arena belongs to
the contestant, the stands are
forbidden him.
Should the steer escape the
arena, time is stopped, the
steer is returned to the chutes
and turned out again. The wat
ches are started where they were
stopped. The dogger can’t
wrestle the steer down in the
aisles or the runways under the
stands.
If the dogger misses the steer
' on his jump, like the calf roper
| tie gets another chance. Hut af
ter crashing into the ground full
i tdt from the hack of a galloping
1 horse, often the cowtxiy doesn’t
| feel like taking another jump
just now, thank you. So the
! rules require the field judge to
i ask him and the "dogger must
reply at once”.
To get another jump, the cow
boy must remount his horse and
make another run. He can't
___
take more than one step on foot
to catch the steer he’s lost.
“Houlihanning”, jumping on a
steer from the saddle in such a
way as to knock it down, is il
legal and if the judge feels a
contestant does it intentionally,
the cowboy can lx* disqualified.
Occasionally the steer will
stumble accidentally as the dog
ger makes his jump. When that
happens the cowboy must let the
steer regain all four feet and
twist it down again.
Stopping the steer and then
throwing it must be two dis
tinct movements. Should the
contestant down the critter be
fore it is brought to a full stop,
the field judge will not flag
time until the steer is let up and
thrown properly. In the violent
action, which may take longer
than a few seconds from chute
to stopwatch, judging this im
portant distinction requires the
practiced eye of an experienced
contestant.
Also outlawed is the practice
of “pegging" — sticking a horn
into the ground to gain leverage.
But the most crucial decision
the steer wrestling judge must
make — and the one he faces
most often — is calling time on
the fall. The field judge drops
his flag only when the steer is
flat on its side, with all four
feet straight and free, pointing
the same way as the head.
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