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Horse back riding has two main schools, the most prevalent in India being the English style of riding. The other is the western school. To see a classic example of the western style watch any old Clint Eastwood movie, you will see saddles with a horn or a handle in front and differently shaped saddles.

Also the whole technique differs. While the English school of riding, (which has been derived from the classical school of riding) seeks to fine tune movement and embodies grace and elegance. The western school is more “functional”, it was developed by the quintessential American cowboy as a style. Although somewhat lacking in grace, it is a riding style is comparatively easy to work with. All the equipment used was designed for field work, keeping in mind the long hours of horseback riding required while rounding up cattle or other livestock.

It is in this way that the exciting sport of the Rodeo evolved. The rodeo in its self how ever isn’t a sport, if you go to a rodeo you will see many other events happening within it. Among them, the most famous is saddle-bronco riding. Its where you see a cow boy try and I say try to stay on top of a horse for 8 seconds while the horse throws every trick in its book at him to get him off his back. The horse bucks, rears, pitches and yaws this way and that till every bone in the poor cowboy’s body has been well rattled. And guess what? It’s not how long you stay on top of the bronco, it’s the style. Yup, it’s how you stay on for those 8 seconds that decide if you win or loose. The judges expect you to “synchronize with the horse while spurring the horse from shoulder to flank with blunt rowelled spurs. Oh yes I forgot to mention, you are allowed only one hand to hold on to a braided rope which connects to a stout head collar worn by the horse. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? And if you think that’s bad then wait till you hear this, there is a category where there is no saddle either, just a single hand hold fastened to a strap around the horse’s chest (girth) to help him stay on.

This sport evolved in the old days of the Wild West when horses needed to be broken in fast. The cowboy’s mounts were usually mustangs (from the Spanish word mustengo meaning wild); the term bronco was coined for a horse that couldn’t be broken in, however today, broncos are specifically trained for this sport. (They start bucking when the bucking strap is fastened around their loins, other wise some of them can actually be ridden bareback.) And Like the cowboys even the horses are famous, they are known for their ability to dust off even the most determined cowboys.

Even more in line with the elemental and gladiatorial spirit at the rodeo is the riding of the quick moving massive horned Brahma bulls it is judged in the same way as the ridden contests but it is necessary to have men on foot to distract the very angry bull incase the rider falls or when his time is up.

Some of the other events are roping, steer wrestling and team penning. These show the cowboys and the horses cattle handling skills. The other classes are the show class where the horses are shown either in saddle or in hand, the western trail class is where the horse has to negotiate an obstacle course, Barrel racing another exciting sport is where men and women compete equally. They have to race around three barrels arranged in a triangular formation. The contestants are clocked electronically because often the diff between the winner and second position is a few tenths of a second.

But definitely the most exciting equivalent to dressage in the western school is the reining class. Here the horse and rider show off the various gaits of the horse, called the walk, jog, lope, and gallop (read walk, trot, canter and gallop), they are called upon to perform intricate maneuvers like the famous sliding halt, where the horse comes from a gallop to a flat halt by tucking its hind feet under it and sliding to a halt, or galloping to a point and doing a 180 degree turn and returning, all in top speed. It involves superb timing, co-ordination and top notch horsemanship and very unlike dressage, the movements are carried out at top speed.

I’ve been to the Calgary stampede in Canada, which is supposed to be one of the biggest rodeos in the world and it left a lasting impression on me. Some of the things that were done by the competitors left me amazed at their skills and daring. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.