National Finals Rodeo

The NFR is the final rodeo of the PRCA season. World championship titles are awarded to the individuals who earn the most money in his or her event throughout the year. Seven events and nine championships are sanctioned by the PRCA: • Bareback riding - a rider has to stay on a bucking horse and is only allowed to hang on with a "rigging" attached by a cinch and latigos. The rider must stay on the horse for eight seconds to be considered a successful ride. Each successful ride is then judged for a maximum score of 100 points. The more difficult the horse is to ride and the more control the contestant has during the ride, the higher the score. After a successful ride, two pickup riders in the arena assist the contestant by helping him safely dismount the still-moving horse. The bareback rider with the highest score wins. • Steer wrestling - also known as "bulldogging," is a rodeo event where the rider jumps off his horse onto a Corriente steer and 'wrestles' it to the ground by grabbing it by the horns. The contestant that wrestles the steer to the ground the fastest wins. This is probably the single most physically dangerous event in rodeo for the cowboy, who runs a high risk of jumping off a running horse head first and missing the steer, or of having the thrown steer land on top of him, sometimes horns first. • Team roping - also called "heading and heeling," is the only team event in professional rodeo. Two ropers capture and restrain a Corriente steer whose horns have been reinforced for protection. One horse and rider, the "header," lassos a running steer's horns, while the other horse and rider, the "heeler," lassos the steer's two hind legs. Once the animal is captured, the riders face each other and lightly pull the steer between them, so that both ropes are taut. The team that ropes their steer the fastest wins. This technique originated from methods of capture and restraint for treatment used on a ranch. • Saddle bronc riding - similar to bareback riding, but the rider uses a specialized western saddle without a horn (for safety) as well as a bronc rein and has to stay on the bucking horse for eight seconds. Like in bareback riding, two pickup riders attempt to help the contestant dismount the still-moving horse after a successful ride. Also like bareback riding, each successful ride is then judged for a maximum score of 100 points. The more difficult the horse is to ride and the more control the contestant has during the ride, the higher the score. The saddle bronc rider with the highest score wins. • Tie-down roping - also called calf roping, is based on ranch work in which calves are roped for branding, medical treatment, or other purposes. It is the oldest of rodeo's timed events. The cowboy ropes a running calf around the neck with a lariat, and his horse stops and sets back on the rope while the cowboy dismounts, runs to the calf, throws it to the ground and ties three feet together. If the calf falls when roped, the roper must lose time waiting for the calf to get back to its feet so that the roper can do the work. The job of the horse is to hold the calf steady on the rope. The contestant that ropes his calf the fastest wins. A well-trained calf-roping horse will slowly back up while the cowboy ties the calf, to help keep the lariat snug. • Barrel racing - is a timed speed and agility event. In barrel racing, horse and rider gallop around a cloverleaf pattern of barrels, making agile turns without knocking the barrels over. The contestant that successfully passes the cloverleaf pattern the fastest wins. In professional, collegiate and high school rodeo, barrel racing is an exclusively women's sport, though men and boys occasionally compete at local O-Mok-See competition. Barrel racing takes place with other PRCA sanctioned events, but it is sanctioned by the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA). Results are shown on that web site. • Bull riding - an event where the contestant attempts to ride a full-grown bucking bull for eight seconds. Like the bucking horse events, each successful ride is then judged for a maximum score of 100 points. The more difficult the bull is to ride and the more control the contestant has during the ride, the higher the score. The rider with the highest score wins. Although skills and equipment similar to those needed for bareback bronc riding are required, the event differs considerably from horse riding competition due to the danger involved. Because bulls are unpredictable and may attack a fallen rider, rodeo clowns, now known as "bullfighters", work during bull-riding competition to distract the bulls and help prevent injury to competitors. • All-around - the All-around cowboy is actually an award, not an event. It is awarded to the highest money winner in two or more events. The All-around world title is awarded at the end of the NFR to the highest-earning cowboy who has regularly competed in more than one event during the year. In addition to world championships, an average winner is crowned in each event. Note: Steer roping is publicized separately and its finals are held separately at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR). The National Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR), held in conjunction with the NFR since 2020, has been held to determine the WPRA's world champion breakaway roper. Since the NFR is extremely popular, it sells out all seats for all of the events. Many casinos carry the events live in their sportsbooks or host special parties to accommodate all of the fans in town who cannot get tickets for the events. Most of the major hotels and casinos book special entertainment into their showrooms with a country theme offering many of the regular shows an extended break. ==History==