Quick! How do you tell Saddle Bronc from Bareback? This bucking (roughstock) event also pits horse against cowboy and the easiest way to tell them apart is thus; Bareback riders don’t use a rope “buck shank” and don’t have stirrups. Where saddle bronc athletes require excellent riding skills and balance, bareback competitors hang onto a handhold and rely on strength during their eight second trip.
Inside Bareback
An event similar to saddle bronc, the bareback bronc is given the first
opportunity to defeat the cowboy before they leave the narrow bucking chute. The
cowboy settles astride the horse and grips a handle (Rigging) with one gloved
hand. Similar to power lifting's dead lift event, he will use a short
string wrapped tightly around his wrist to maintain flexion in his fingers - In
fact, this technique pretty much assures him of a solid grip as his fingers will
not open even if relaxed - he then leans way back and raises his spurred feet above the horse’s shoulders.
Failure to place his feet above the horse's shoulders (Mark out) is an immediate
disqualification and the horse wins.
A quick nod signals to the chute boss that he's ready to go, the gate swings open, horse and rider begin their eight second dance. While the crowd urges the cowboy on, two judges mark both horse and rider out of 25 points. A twisting, turning, hard-bucking horse will get the best score while a lackluster, galloping horse scores lower. Because the cowboy needs a good score from the horse, he wants to be assigned (Draw) a horse that consistently performs in the 20 - 25 point range. Bareback broncs may weigh a little less than their saddle bronc counterparts, at about a thousand pounds, which allows them to be a wee bit quicker in their attempts to unseat riders.
The cowboy's 25 point score during the ride depends on his strength and style. The higher and wider the cowboy can spur without falling off, the better his score. While saddle bronc spur rides are done in an arc from front to back, bareback spurring is done with the knees turned slightly out. The cowboy uses his hip muscles to pull his legs up, kicks wide at the top, then puts his feet back down over the horse's shoulders in time to have his spurs touching the animal when its forelegs touch the ground! While the cowboy is thinking about his spurring (Licks), he
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