Etymology The term comes from the
Spanish language word
bronco meaning "rough" (adj), or "gruff" (n), which in
Mexican usage also describes the horse. It was borrowed and adapted in U.S.
cowboy jargon. It has also been spelled "broncho", though this form is virtually unknown in the
western United States, where the word is most common. In modern English, the "o" is commonly dropped, particularly in the
American West, and the animal is simply called a "
bronc". Many other instances of cowboy
jargon were similarly borrowed from Mexican cowboys, including words such as
lariat,
chaps, and
"buckaroo", which are in turn corruptions of the Spanish "
la reata", "
chaparreras", and "
vaquero". The exact term also refers to the bucking horses used in
rodeo "roughstock" events, such as
bareback bronc riding and
saddle bronc riding. Some dictionaries define bronco as untrained range horses that roam freely in western North America, and may associate them with
Mustangs; but they are not necessarily feral or wild horses. The only true wild horses are the
Tarpan and
Przewalski’s horse.
Modern usage In modern usage, the word "bronco" is seldom used for a "wild" or
feral horse, because the modern rodeo bucking horse is a domestic animal. Some are specifically bred for bucking ability and raised for the rodeo, while others are spoiled riding horses who have learned to quickly and effectively throw off riders. Informally, the term is often applied in a joking manner to describe any horse that acts up and bucks with or without a rider. In modern times, contractors that supply bucking horses for bronc riding events are called rough stock contractors. The
silhouette of a cowboy on a bucking bronco is the official symbol for the State of
Wyoming. In 2016, the Bucking Horse Breeders Association (BHBA) was founded to serve as a bucking horse
DNA registry for the purpose of documenting and preserving the names and lineages of bucking horses. ==Bucking behavior==