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What’s a Ranch Rodeo?
A ranch rodeo is a traditional type of rodeo in which teams of cowboys or cowgirls from different ranches compete against each other in events based on the type of work they do every day.
History
Although community brandings and roundups were commonplace for ranches across North America, formal organization of ranch rodeos grew slowly and organically. The first organized ranch rodeo events in the United States — complete with betting and prizes — occurred in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
While rodeo stresses its western folk hero image as a genuinely American creation, in fact, it grew out of the practices of Spanish ranchers and their Mexican ranch hands known as vaqueros, as a mixture of cattle wrangling and bullfighting that dates back to the sixteenth-century conquistadors of Spain. The term “rodeo” (from the Spanish word rodear) means “to surround” or “go around,” and was first used in American English about 1834 to denote a “round up” of cattle.
This sport has been around since the days when cattle were rounded up and branded. Cowboy contests would take place at these gatherings, with competitors from other local ranches trying out their skills in roping calves or horses — all for money! Over time this transitioned into an event known as “roundup” which later evolved into modern day rodeos we know today…
