A very important part of this event is the horse, which needs to come out of the barrier box at full speed and position the rider to enable him to get down on the steer's shoulders. As the rider drops down on the steer, a well-trained doggin' horse pulls ahead to leave the cowboy's legs extended at a 45 degree angle to the steer's path. The run is complete when the steer, weighing between 450 and 700 pounds, is caught from the horse by the cowboy and thrown on its side or back with all four feet out.
Steer wrestling is a timed event that uses a barrier to give the steer a head start.
If the cowboy breaks the barrier, a 10 second penalty is added to his time. Performed by women, this event requires immense training of the horse and superb riding skills. The barrel race is run in a clover leaf pattern. As arenas differ in size, the distance will vary, but the standard course calls for a 20-yard scoreline. There are 30 yards between the first and second barrel, and 35 between the second and third, and third and first barrels.