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Steer Wrestling

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Speed and strength are the name of the game in steer wrestling.  In fact, with world record sitting at 2.4 seconds, steer wrestling is the quickest event in rodeo.

The objective of the steer wrestler, who is also known as a "bulldogger" is to use strength and technique to wrestle a steer to the ground as quickly as possible.  That sounds simple enough.

Here's the catch:  The steer generally weighs more than twice as much as the cowboy and at the time the two come together, they are both often traveling a 30 miles per hour.  Speed and precision are the two most important ingredients in steer wrestling.  The steer wrestler is assisted by a "hazer", another cowboy on horseback who rides on the right side of the steer to deep the steer running in a straight line.

The bulldogger starts on horseback in a box.  A breakaway is attached to the steer and stretched across the open end of the box.  The steer gets a head start and when the steer reaches the advantage point, the barrier is released and the bulldogger takes off in pursuit.  When the cowboy reaches the steer, he slides down and off the right side of his galloping horse, hooks his right arm around the steer's right horn, grasps the left horn with his left hand and using strength and leverage, slows the animal and wrestles it to the ground.  His work isn't complete until the steer is on its side with all four feet pointing the same direction.

Local steer wrestlers include past and present John Gwatney, Mary Macolmus, Bob Meyers, Cody Rush and Randy Rush.