The rodeo is a staple in American culture, and especially in the West. Though the thrill and competition of the rodeo found its origin in America, the roots of American rodeo owe great thanks to the Mexican cowboys and Spanish ranchers of the early 19th century. The rodeo consists of cowboys and cowgirls working together with horses and steer. Rodeo competitions access the thrill and excitement of a dangerous game, along with showcasing the talent and connection brought about by good horsemanship and teamwork. 

Rodeo competitions grew out of the ranching practices of Spanish ranchers and Mexican cowboys in the early 1800s. Bull riding and wrestling are a common sight in today's rodeos but, in the Mediterranean world, these practices have been a long part of ancient tradition.  The rodeo website Mountain Top Rodeo explains, “bull wrestling may have been one of the Olympic sports events of the ancient Greeks.”  They also add that, if it had not been for an African American man named Bill Pickett, who devised the idea of bulldogging steers that is seen in America’s rodeos today, steer wrestling in America would not exist. Mexican cowboys, also known as Vaqueros, are the ones who aided in the perfecting of riding and roping skills, which are heavily used in today’s rodeos. Leather boots, big hats and riding chaps are key rodeo wear, and this fashion was also derived from the Vaqueros. The Smithsonian magazine expressed: “It was in Mexico that the sport got its name, derived from the Spanish verb rodear: to encircle or round up.” 

When looking at America, with great influence from the Vaqueros and Spanish ranchers, the rodeo known and loved by Americans today came from a man named William F. Cody. William F. Cody, also known by the name “Buffalo Bill”, was born in 1846. He began his “Wild West” journey when he was eleven as an ox-team driver. Cody, at the age of fourteen, became one of the youngest horse-mounted mail deliverers involved with the Pony Express Riders. As an adult, Cody’s town of North Platte, Nebraska, asked him to organize a western-themed Fourth of July event. Named “The Old Glory Blowout”, Cody’s 1882 event has been recognized as the beginning of rodeo in the United States. 

With such great success, the following year, Cody opened “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show”. This event brought in real cowboys and cowgirls from various western ranches who showcased their skills in bronc riding and roping, amongst other rodeo areas. In fact, the website Cody Yellowstone added that Cody’s show had participants such as the famous female sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Cody’s show had a speedy rise to international fame and as the Smithsonian explains, in 1893, Cody’s rodeo “drew three million attendees outside Chicago during the World’s Columbian Exposition”, which was a world’s fair held in Chicago. 

In 1936, the first cowboy union was formed, which transformed into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1975. Today, the association contains over 5,000 actively competing rodeo members and several thousand others who hold non-competitive roles. Hundreds of events are held by the association each year, ending in finals with millions of dollars in prize money. Cody’s creation of the American Rodeo stands as a very important part of the nation’s culture, and attending a rodeo is something every person should accomplish at least once in their life.

Rodeos have many components. The majority of events contain being on horseback, but some include bull riding. Rodeos have classic events that are present at almost every single rodeo. These are: barrel racing, bronc riding, bull riding, and chute dogging.