Rodeos

AMERICAN CULTURE: TRADITIONS

RODEO

USEFUL VOCABULARY

Cattle Cowboy Cattle ranching

Pastures Slaughter= to kill

Skills= abilities

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN Rodeo /´roʊdi:oʊ/ or /roʊ´deɪ.oʊ/ The American English term was taken from the

Spanish word “rodeo”, which means “round up”. At the beginning, this activity consisted of gathering

cattle for different purposes: taking the animals to new pastures, separating them from different owners (ranchers) or for slaughter.

Later (1820s and 1830s), the rodeo events were informal exhibitions performed by cowboys who showed their skills at cattle ranching against one another.

After the American Civil War the rodeo competitions became more popular, and the first one was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1872; at this time it turned into a competitive sport.

GEOGRAPHY

Early rodeo events were performed in the western United States and northern Mexico.

Cheyenne, Wyoming (1872)

USEFUL VOCABULARY

Steer= bull Rope Loop

Barrel Cattle branding Horns

Hind legs Saddle

COMPETITIVE EVENTS: TIMED EVENTS

Roping: in these competitions the cowboys throw a rope with a loop (known as “lariat” or “lasso”) over the head, horns or hind legs of an adult cattle. It can be played individually or in teams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGJyJr5MqSc Barrel racing: this sport is only played by women;

each cowgirl runs a race rounding some barrels without knocking them over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KwgACnR3_U Steer wrestling: this is the most physically

dangerous event in rodeo; the cowboy jumps off his horse onto a steer grabbing it by the horns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNyM3mnyXNE

TIMED EVENTS

Roping Barrel Racing

Steer wrestling

COMPETITIVE EVENTS: ROUGH STOCK EVENTS

Saddle Bronc Riding: the cowboy holds onto a handle of a saddle whilethe horse is jumping and bucking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEzbDQzjPTY Bull riding: the same as the event above but the cowboy must ride a bull.“Rodeo clowns” (now bullfighters) took part in this event to distract the bullsand protect riders from possible attacks.

USEFUL VOCABULARY: EQUIPMENT

To learn more about the clothes, visit the following website: http://www.cartermuseum.org/edu_guides/smith/cowboylife/clothing

.htm

Bandana

Spurs

Chaps

Boots

PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT

Between 1890 and 1910 rodeos became public entertainment and sometimes were performed together with Wild West Shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnkv6ZVBCo

Very popular stars such us Buffallo Bill Cody

and Annie Oakley featured in these shows.

OTHER EVENTS: THE “GRAND ENTRY” It is the parade which takes place at the beginning of

a rodeo. It is to introduce the participants who carry flags representing their country and sponsors.

OTHER EVENTS: NATIVE AMERICAN DANCING For many years, Indian tribes were a popular

attraction. In 1945, Yakama Indians performed at rodeo and rode in the parades. This reservation is located in southern Washington state.

Ellensburg rodeo, September 1945.

(Washington)

NATIVE AMERICAN DANCING

A BIOGRAPHY OF A COWBOY

Activity 1: Read the article and summarize the main ideas

with your partner. Then answer the following questions:

1. What are the skills required to be a cowboy?

2. Describe a cowboy´s lifestyle: eating habits, training, travelling, etc.

3. Would you like to be a cowboy/cowgirl? Why? Why not?

Activity 2: Match the pictures to the statements. Activity 3: Now you work in pairs.

Student A: you are a cowboy/cowgirl; Student B: you are an interviewer. Ask your classmate some interesting questions

about his/her lifestyle.

FAMOUS RODEOS

The Pendleton Round- Up and the Cheyenne Frontier Days were established in Western North America by 1910.

Activity 4: Find out some information about these famous rodeos on their websites:

http://www.pendletonroundup.com/

http://www.cfdrodeo.com/home

ANIMAL WELFARE

Activity 5: Read the following articles and express your opinion about animal treatment within rodeos. Are you in favour or against them?

http://aldf.org/resources/when-you-witness-animal-cruelty/rodeo-facts-the-case-against-rodeos/

http://www.cfdrodeo.com/pages/rodeo/animal-care

COWBOY QUIZ (SOME OF THE ANSWERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN

MENTIONED; IN OTHER CASES, YOU WILL NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH!)

1. Why do cowboys use chaps? 2. What are some uses for a cowboy's bandana? 3. Why were cattle branded? 4. What is a calf? 5. What is a brand? 6. Why do cowboys go on round-ups? 7. Why do cowboys wear tall boots? 8. What is a lasso? 9. Why do cowboys wear hats? 10. What are spurs and why do cowboys wear them? 11. What is a stampede? 12. How do you measure the height of a horse? 13. What is a slicker? 14. What is a remuda? 15. What is a mouth harp? 16. What would be considered livestock? 17. What would a rustler steal?

FIND THE WORDS

MORE RESOURCES

Visit this virtual museum to play and learn more

about cowboys and rodeos:http://cowboykids.nationalcowboymuseum.org/