Horses and Humans- The Western Riding World

We've looked at the equestrian sports found under the English category, but there is a whole other side of riding that millions of people enjoy. Western riding has evolved from ranching and warfare traditions into over 15 different sports. These different sports all come together to create the Rodeo.
The first rodeo-style events took place in the 1820's and 1830's and became a form of public entertainment between 1890 and 1910. Rodeo events include roping, steer-wrestling, bull and Bronco riding, and barrel racing.
Roping is based on the same tasks that early working cowboys had to do everyday in the Old West. The three categories of roping include Calf Roping, Breakaway Roping, and Team Roping. Each event is timed and consists of the use of calves, and either an individual horse and rider pair or a team of two to three pairs.
In the event of Steer Wrestling, a steer is released at the same time as the cowboy and his horse. Once the pair gets close enough to the bull, the rider jumps from the saddle to the horns of the steer, pulling him to the ground where the hooves are then restrained as quickly as possible. This is considered one of the most dangerous rodeo sports because the rider could fall head first onto the ground and miss the steer completely, or land directly on one of the immense horns.
Perhaps the most well-known rodeo events is Bronco/Bull riding. In these events, cowboys ride on either a mustang or a full-size bull, holding only onto a small rope tied around the horse's breast. Each rider has to stay on the animal for at least 7 seconds to qualify.
Barrel Racing is one of the most popular western sports found in the United States. In a barrel racing event, the horse and rider will gallop around a set of three barrels in a clover-leaf pattern as fast as they can, without knocking over any barrels. It is an exclusively women's sport, although a few men and young boys do it for there own recreational purposes.
The extent to which the horse and human interact today is incredible. But, the horse also provides an extremely important role in physical and mental therapy for handicapped children and adults. But what are the ways in which the horse can do so?
Interactive Marketing Technologies. (2005). About the rodeo. Retrieved from http://www.friendsofrodeo.com/aboutrodeo.html