Rodeo Events

Welcome to the 102nd annual Fortuna Rodeo, the centerpiece of the Friendly City’s weeklong summer celebration! Fortuna is proud to o er the largest rodeo in the region, giving cowboys up and down the state a chance to show o the skills that built the American West. In addition to competing in the individual events, which are described in the following pages, each cowboy’s individual scores are totaled together to make them eligible for three all-around cowboy prizes — the rodeo’s top honors. They are:

Award given to the cowboy who has won the most money overall across all events of the rodeo.

Sponsor: Mobley Construction (MCI)

Law Offices of Patrick J. Barry

Award for the Humboldt County Top Hand. Given to the Humboldt County-based cowboy with the highest overall standings in all events of the rodeo.

Sponsor: Law O ces of Patrick J. Barry

Awarded to the cowgirl who has won the most money.

Sponsor: Jack Hurst Trucking

Maybe the most popular event and probably the most dangerous, bull riding is a battle of wits and brute strength between a cowboy and the most dangerous of ranch animals. The cowboy attempts to ride for eight seconds, strapped to a bucking, whirling 1-ton bull, holding on with only one hand. This is a judged competition: Points are awarded for the cowboy’s form and for the di culty of the ride. But if the rider is bucked o , or if he touches the bull with his free hand, he is disqualified.

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Tie-down roping — also called calf roping — introduces another element into the mix. Not only must the cowboy rope the animal, as in breakaway roping, he must also bring it to a full stop and immobilize it. After the animal is lassoed, the cowboy dismounts and runs to the calf carrying a small rope in his teeth. He then throws the calf to the ground and binds three of its legs, after which he signals to the judges and time is called. The event isn’t over, though — if the calf kicks o the rope on its legs within six seconds, the contestant is disqualified.

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Bronc riding comes from the essential cowboy skill of taming (or “breaking”) a horse for use. As in bull riding, a contestant must stay atop the wild animal for eight seconds using only one hand. But the bronc rider has additional considerations — he is also judged on how well he spurs the horse to action with his boots, and he must keep his feet in the stirrups at all times. Bronc riders come out of the chute with their legs over the horse’s shoulders in order to give the animal the initial advantage.

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Steer wrestling (or “bulldogging”) tests the cowboy’s strength as well as his skill at handling both horse and cattle. In this timed event, the steer leaves the chute at a run, tailed by one horseman (“the hazer”) who keeps the animal running in a straight line. After a head start, the barrier holding back the mounted contestant is tripped, and the steer wrestler races after his quarry. When he catches up, he dismounts his horse at a run and transfers his weight to the steer, which he then wrestles to the ground. Quickest time wins, but as with all timed events the contestant gets a 10-second penalty if he leaves the chute too early.

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In this two-person, timed rodeo event, the roper, who starts out in the box, and the runner, who starts from another location in the arena determined by the field judge, attempt to rope a steer and take a ribbon from its tail. Once the steer comes through the barrier, the roper can use any catch to rope it, then loop the rope around their saddle horn. The runner then snatches the ribbon from the steer’s tail and sprints to the box with the barrier as the finish line.

Sponsor: Hohman & Associates Forestry Consultants

The only team event in the rodeo, team roping features two di erent styles of lasso work. A steer leaves the chute running. After a short head start, two cowboys follow on horseback. The first must rope the animal’s head or horns to stop its forward progress, moving it into a turn. Then the second — the “heeler” — attempts to lasso the animal’s rear legs. A five-second penalty is assessed if he manages to rope only one leg. The clock is stopped when the steer is fully roped and the contestants’ two horses face one another.

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