Steer Wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event where a steer is released from a chute and a horse-mounted rider chases the steer, jumps off the horse next to the steer, and wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns.
Steer wrestling is the quickest event in rodeo. Using strength and technique, the cowboy wrestles a steer to the ground as quickly as possible. There’s one catch however. The steer weighs more than twice as much as the cowboy.
As with calf ropers and team ropers, the bulldogger starts on horseback in a box. A breakaway rope barrier is attached to the steer, then stretched across the open end of the box. The steer gets a slight head start before the barrier is released and the bulldogger pursues the catch. If the bulldogger breaks the barrier before the steer reaches its head start, a 10-second penalty is assessed.
When the cowboy reaches the steer, he slides down the right side of his galloping horse, hooks his right arm around the steer’s right horn, grasps the left horn with his left hand and, using strength and leverage, wrestles the animal to the ground. His work isn’t complete until all four of the animal’s feet face upward.
In order to catch up to the running steer, the cowboy uses a hazer, another mounted cowboy who gallops his horse along the right side of the steer, keeping it from veering away from the bulldogger.
The hazer can make or break a steer wrestler’s run, so his role is as important as the bulldoggers. The hazer usually receives a fourth of the payoff if the steer wrestler places.
Steer Wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event where a steer is released from a chute and a horse-mounted rider chases the steer, jumps off the horse next to the steer, and wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns.
When the cowboy reaches the steer, he slides down the right side of his galloping horse, hooks his right arm around the steer’s right horn, grasps the left horn with his left hand and, using strength and leverage, wrestles the animal to the ground. His work isn’t complete until all four of the animal’s feet face upward.