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Steer Wrestling
Steer wrestling (also commonly called "bull dogging") is a competitive event in which a
contestant leans off of a
running horse to grab a running steer by the
horns,
then leaves the horse entirely to lay the steer on its side. It is a timed event
in which the fastest time wins.
At the start of the steer wrestling event a steer is
standing in a box or chute with a gate at the front. A man on a horse, the
steer
wrestler, is to the left of the steer. Another man on a horse, the hazer, is to
the right of the steer. When the steer wrestler nods his head the steer is let
loose into the arena with a running head start. After the steer has reached the
end of his head start a barrier in front of the steer wrestler (usually a small
diameter rope) is released so that the steer wrestler can begin his pursuit. If
the steer wrestler does not allow the steer his proper head start (known as
"breaking the barrier") he is assessed a 10 second penalty.
The hazer chases after the steer on the opposite side
of the steer wrestler. It is the hazer's job to help the steer wrestler by
trying to keep the steer running in a straight line. Steer wrestling is the only
event in rodeo that allows the use of a helper during actual competition (since
the hazer does not pay an entry fee and does not receive any official prize
money they are considered to be a helper and not a contestant). However, the
role of a good hazer in a winning steer wrestling run cannot be overstated and
it is therefore customary for a steer wrestler to pay the hazer a percentage of
his winnings.
Steer Wrestling and Bill Pickett
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Steer wrestling was first done by a man named
Bill Pickett
who was born in Texas in 1870. A life–long cowboy from a young age, Mr. Pickett
one day became
angry at a steer that would not enter the pens. He galloped his horse alongside
the steer, jumped off, and wrestled the steer down by its horns. Soon, Mr.
Pickett was steer wrestling for paying crowds.
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In addition to being a working cowboy, Bill
Pickett was a star performer for the
Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch Wild
West Show.
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Bill Pickett is the first African-American cowboy
inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1971, almost 40 years
after his death in 1932.
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Steer wrestling is sometimes called bull dogging
because early steer wrestlers (including Bill Pickett) sometimes bit the
steer on the lip the way
bull dogs were known to do when catching livestock.
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