SADDLE BRONC RIDING

SADDLE BRONC RIDING
I. Time Limit:
1. Saddle bronc riding shall be timed for eight (8) seconds.

2. Time to start when animal’s inside front shoulder passes the plane
of the chute.
II. General Rules:
1. Contestant is not to use sharp spurs.
2. Contestant will have the right to call judges to pass on whether animal
is properly flanked to buck the best of its ability.
3. Fall—If any part of rider contacts ground, animal has fallen.
4. No contestant will ride two head in the same event during a performance
except for rerides.
5. Contestants may pull riggings, and cinch saddle from either side.
III. Event Rules:
1. This event is open to boys only.
2. Either stock contractor or contestant has the right to call the judges
to pass on whether or not horse is properly saddled and flanked to
buck its best.
3. Riding rein and hand must be on the same side.
4. Horses to be saddled in chute.
5. Rider may cinch own saddle.
6. Saddles shall not be set too far ahead on horses wither.
7. Middle flank belongs to rider but contractor may have rider put
flank behind curve of horse’s belly.
8. Flank cinch may be hobbled.
9. To qualify, rider must have spurs over the break of the shoulders
and touching horse when horse’s front feet hit the ground on its initial
move out of the chute.
10. One arm must be free at all times and must not touch animal with
the free hand.
11. The judge on the latch side of the chute gate shall serve as a backup
timer in the saddle bronc riding event or a person assigned by the
Arena Director may serve as the back- up timer. The judge’s stopwatch
reading shall be used as a means of verification when the length of the
qualified ride is in question. The judge shall stop his watch when, in
his opinion, the contestant has been disqualified for any reason, or
when he hears the whistle or horn, whichever comes first. In either
instance, the judge will refer to his watch for a time verification on
each ride. In any instance where the time is eight seconds or more on
the judge’s watch, the contestant shall be entitled to a marking without
penalty. In the instance the whistle blows before the eight seconds,
the judge must go with the whistle.
IV. Scoring and Penalties:
1. Ride and animal to be marked separately.
2. Mark the ride according to how much the contestant spurs the animal.
3. Figures used in marking the riding events shall range from 1 to 25

on both bucking animal and contestant and use the full spread.
4. If a horse stalls coming out of the chute, either judge may tell contestant
to take his feet out of the horse’s neck and first jump qualification
will then be waived.
5. Contestant shall receive no score for not following judges’ instructions
to take feet from neck of horse stalled in chute.
6. A rider will be given a no score for any of the following reasons:
a. Being bucked off.
b. Changing hands on reins.
c. Wrapping rein around hand.
d. Pulling leather.
e. Losing stirrup.
f. Touching self, animal, saddle, rein, etc., with free hand.
g. Riding with locked rowel or rowels that will lock on spurs.
7. Anyone using any foreign substance other than dry resin on chaps
and saddle shall be disqualified. The judges will examine clothing,
saddle, rein and spurs and exception be made if local rules make it
necessary for the covering of spur rowels.
8. Judges may disqualify bronc rider who has been advised he is next
to go if he is not above the animal with his glove on, if used, when previous
horse leaves arena.
V. Rerides:
1. The matter of rerides shall be decided by the judge.
2. Contestants shall not influence the judges by asking for a reride at
any time.
3. If reride is given, judge shall inform the contestant immediately of
his marking and an option of a reride.
4. Contestant may refuse reride and take his marking.
5. Contestant must make his decision immediately.
6. If halter comes off, rider must have reride providing contestant has
made a qualified ride up to the time the halter comes off. Rider must
reride or take no score for that ride.
7. No reride will be given due to faulty or broken equipment furnished
by contestant in any event.
8. If an animal that is drawn for a reride is already drawn for another
contestant in the same- go- round, the contestant with the animal
drawn will take it before the man who draws the animal for a reride.
9. If an animal that is drawn for a reride is already drawn for another
contestant in a later go- round, the contestant with the reride in the
prior go- round will take the animal first.
10. When a final head is to be ridden in riding events, at least two
additional head of stock will be available for rerides.
11. Rerides may be given when stock fails to break, stops, or fouls the
rider.

12. If, in the opinion of the judges, a rider makes two honest efforts to
get out on a chute- fighting animal and is unable to do so, he may
have a reride given.
13. Contestants who are fouled at chute and declare will be entitled to
a reride at judges’ discretion, or the spurring out rule may be waived.
14. If animal falls down out of chute, contestant will be entitled to a
reride at the discretion of the judges.
15. If animal loses flank, fails to break, stops, or fouls rider, rider may
take same animal back, providing stock contractor is willing, or he
may have reride drawn.
16. If rider takes same animal back, he must take that marking given
on reride.
17. If an animal that runs off is already drawn for another contestant,
that contestant must take the animal already drawn.
18. If that is the second consecutive time the animal has run off, he
must be taken out of the draw and an animal drawn for the contestant
out of the rerides.
19. If the pickup man or horse comes in contact with bucking horse
before qualified time has elapsed, reride will be given on the same
animal drawn.
20. The last day, contestant may have same animal back if stock contractor
is willing or reride drawn if requested. If stock contractor is not
willing, reride will be drawn.
21. If in the opinion of the judges, a saddle bronc deliberately throws
himself, the rider shall have the choice of that horse again or he may
have a horse drawn for him from the reride horses.
22. A contestant will only have the option of a reride if the flank comes
off the animal and the contestant did not complete a qualified ride
but was qualified up to the point of the flank coming off.