Steer Wrestling

What is Steer Wrestling?

Steer wrestling, also known as "bulldogging," involves two "cowboys" who work together to try to catch a steer (a castrated male bovine animal) and get the steer wrestled to the ground by twisting their neck and aggressively pulling them down to the ground. It is a timed event, so the man catching the steer will try to get them wrestled to the ground and subdued as quickly as possible. The rider qualifies for a time once the steer's whole body is down on the ground and their legs are all facing upwards. 

The steer starts in a holding chute that they are forced into. On one side of the chute on horseback is the "bulldogger," the man who will wrestle the steer and on the other side of the chute on horseback is the "hazer," the man who will gallop along the opposite side of the running steer as the bulldogger so the steer can't veer away and evade capture. Before the chute opens the steer is agitated by rodeo personnel who hurt the steer by twisting and bending their tail, causing pain and initiating a fleeing motion as soon as the chute opens. 

When the bulldogger reaches the steer he lowers himself off of the horse, grasps the steer's horns by wrapping his right arm around the steer's right horn and grabbing the left horn with his left hand, putting his full bodyweight on the head and neck of the steer before he lowers his feet to the ground to dig his heels in and slow the steer down. The man violently twists the steer's neck and head and forces them down to the ground. 

Steers used for this event can sustain common injuries such as broken necks and broken legs. Like all the other main rodeo events, sometimes the animals, or so-called "animal athletes," will die from their mistreatment.