Ranch Rodeo is the missing competitive link between the heritage of the American West and the bright lights of the Vegas-hosted National Finals Rodeo.
Before there was Pro Rodeo, there was Ranch Rodeo. Teams of cowboys earned bragging rights completing ranch tasks the fastest long before professional cowboys were tying calves and bull dogging steers in the arena.
Who can get that steer out of the pasture and on its way to market the fastest? Which group is the quickest to get that calf to the fire and branded properly? Who has the strongest man? The fastest horse?
It all started with Ranch Rodeo.
And we bring you the best of it right here at the Ring of Fire Ranch Rodeo.
Steer Loading
The History
The steer loading is just that - steer loading. It seems like there's always one steer that's not in the pen. Maybe they don't come to feed. Maybe they're in a great big pasture and just didn't get spotted the first time the cowboys rode through. Or, maybe they fight.
Either way, cattlemen are in the business of selling beef.
So, one way or another, the beef has to get to market.
The Event (not official rules: descriptive purposes only)
During the Steer Loading, a cattle trailer is pulled into the arena and staged in the same manner as it would be in the middle of the pasture. The ranch rodeo team (usually a 5-member team) waits inside a chalk-line starting box for the steer to be released into the arena. When the steer has an adequate head start, the arena judge drops the flag, the time starts and the cowboys ride toward the steer in an effort to rope it.
Usually, the steer is roped on both ends (horns and feet) in order for the team to more easily control the animal's speed and direction while attempting to load. When the steer is loaded into the trailer and the gates properly closed behind it, the time stops.
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Wild Cow Milking
The History
Do cows sometimes pass away while giving birth to their calf? Yes. Do ranch-hands have to milk a nurse-cow in order to keep those babies alive? Yes. Are those nurse-cows sometimes wild? Yes. Are they this wild? Nope.
Wild Cow Milking evolved from a very serious need on the ranch - the need to keep cattle alive. However, the practice usually involves what is known as a nurse-cow that is accustomed to the procedure.
But, how fun would it be to see five guys milk a nurse-cow?
So, rather than ask one question to a determined team of cowboys, Wild Cow Milking begs two:
'Bout how big a boy are ya?... And how fast?
The Event (not official rules: descriptive purposes only)
As is common within ranch rodeo events, Wild Cow Milking begins with the ranch rodeo team eagerly awaiting the appearance of their cow and the drop of the arena judge's flag. They quickly get a rope on the cow and things start to get interesting.
It is required that the animal remain standing at all times. Cowboys must dismount and restrain the cow long enough for another team member to obtain an amount of milk that can be poured from the bottle.
At this point, the milker must run on foot to a designated finish line and cross it to stop the clock.
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Calf Branding
The History
The brand has been around ever since thieves have been around. That's a long time. Even company logos ranging from the Apple to the Nike Swoosh are the result of years of evolution dating back to the humble fire brand.
So where did the fire brand come from? Well, every rancher that has worked hard enough to have cattle of his own wants to be damn sure they stay that way. One way to guarantee ownership was to mark cattle for life with a mark that represented a certain ranch or owner.
Large ranch 'works' became common at certain times of the year when cowboys and day-hands would gather to assist different ranches with their branding. There are several methods for getting the job done. Some methods are faster than others and most cowboys think it's theirs.
The Event (not official rules: descriptive purposes only)
The term calf is used pretty loosely here. Most "calves" in ranch rodeo weigh over 350 pounds. Well, that 350+ calf gets released into the arena and given a head start. The arena judge drops the flag and the time starts.
Five cowboys ride hard to get a rope on the animal as fast as they can. Upon roping the calf, several cowboys will dismount in order to either (a) get the calf down, or (b) keep it stationary long enough to be branded.
You will sometimes see one cowboy remain mounted in order to get a second loop on the calf in an effort to assist the cowboys on the ground with restraining the animal. The designated brander then removes a branding iron from the "fire". The fire will usually be a bucket near the fence containing paint used to designate where the brand was placed. The cattle are not actually fire-branded.
The brander runs from the fire to the calf, brands it with the paint-dripping branding iron and must return the branding iron to the fire in order to stop the clock.
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Hide Race
The History
Who has the fastest horse? Every child who has ever ridden a horse next to someone else riding a horse has asked this question.
Ranch hands are no different. This event evolved from what was once called the shovel race - a horse-race-turned-relay that enabled more people to get involved in the event.
Old timers report shovels tied to the end of a rope rather than a cow hide during family rodeos where one ranching family competes against another ranching family.
It's fast. It's dirty. And it's fun.
The Event (not official rules: descriptive purposes only)
Horse riders start behind a chalk line ready to pull a hide rider. The flag drops and the race begins. Two riders race to another designated chalk line where the hide riders turn loose and a different hide rider takes their place.
The horse riders then race to the original chalk line where they cross to stop the clock.
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Steer Tying
The History
Steer Loading deals with getting cattle out of the pasture and transported to another location. Sometimes it's not that easy. If there is not another ranch-hand that can bring the truck, or if there are multiple strays that remain in the pasture cowboys have to crack out their tie-ropes. Is a tie-rope different than the piggin' string used in PRCA tiedown roping? You better believe it.
Most strays are strays for a reason. They aren't young enough to still be on the cow. They aren't gentle enough to pen easily. Or... both. So, longer (roughly 4.5 - 6 foot) tie-ropes are usually strapped behind the cantle of the saddle where they are out of the way, but easily accessed.
Cowboys to this day are paid to find cattle, rope them, tie them down and return to transport them to the headquarters or to market.
The Event (not official rules: descriptive purposes only)
Five cowboys wait impatiently in the chalk-line box until the steer has an adequate head start and the arena judge drops the flag to start their time. Then, as in several other events, the ranch-hands barrel toward the animal and get it roped as quickly as possible.
This is when things start to change. Some cowboys dismount. Some remain horseback in an effort to get another rope on the steer. Large cattle are easier to get down if the team can get a rope on the horns and the feet.
Once the steer is down, it must be tied and remain tied for an amount of time designated by the arena judge. Upon completing the tie, the cowboys must remount their horses in order for the clock to stop.
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Rescue Race
The History
Although both horse races are relay races, the Rescue Race enjoys a slight twist. Each horse has TWO riders.
A raging river, stampeding cattle, desert sand storm and there you are. You're stuck. And it's not even a proverbial creek, but a real one. Although you probably have no paddle.
What you do have is a cowboy riding your way. You jump on the back of his mount and the two of you ride to safety.
A common occurrence found in the heralded past of Western heritage? Of course not. This rarely happens. If ever. However, there are times when one cowboy ends up without a horse and hitches a ride with another. Can't see why they shouldn't race while they're at it.
Plus, if you're ever up Cibolo Creek without a paddle, one of these guys could definitely get you to safety.
The Event (not official rules: descriptive purposes only)
As in the Hide Race, horse riders start behind a chalk line. The arena judge drops the flag and both riders race to the other end.
Two barrels stand on the other end and on top of those wait two cowboys. The riders approach the barrels, the second riders mount the horse behind the first rider and they race back to the starting line.
Upon crossing the starting line, the second rider dismounts and the rider returns to the barrel two more times to rescue a total of three cowboys. At some point, the rider must dismount and remount a different horse in order to finish the race on a horse other than the one that started the race.
