The run begins when the calf trips the automatic barrier to start the time. It ends when the roper throws his hands out to signify completion of the tie. There are a lot of factors that combine to make this fast paced event a perennial crowd pleaser. The calves can run more than thirty miles an hour and weigh close to five hundred pounds.
Some calves are harder to throw than others, others kick and fight and are hard to tie.
Once the roper remounts his horse and takes one step forward, the calf must remain tied for 5 seconds on the field judge's watch. Should the calf kick free before the time is up the roper will be disqualified. A black Cowboy named Bill Pickett is credited with inventing the sport of steer wrestling. He performed at Wild West shows and rodeos all over the world in the early twentieth century. Today's Steer Wrestlers do not use their teeth to throw the steers.