Teresa the Traveler
Follow Teresa the traveler...
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Tips for Travelling on a Budget
    • Fan Mail
  • Central America
    • Nicaragua >
      • Corn Islands in Nicaragua
      • Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua
    • Costa Rica >
      • Volcanic Mud Bath in Costa Rica
      • Costa Rica Eco-Adventure
  • North America
    • Canada >
      • North Pacific Cannery
      • Terrace Lava Beds
      • Center of the Universe at Vidette Lake
      • Gold Panning at Barkerville
      • Salmon Glacier
      • Niagra Falls
      • CN Tower
      • Calgary Stampede
    • United States >
      • Florida Everglades
      • Florida Keys
      • Disney World
      • Orlando Sea World
      • Kennedy Space Center
      • Grand Canyon
      • Hoover Dam
      • Las Vegas >
        • Vegas Pool Party
      • Hawaiian Island of Oahu >
        • Polynesian Cultural Center
        • Hanauma Bay
        • Pearl Harbour
        • Shark Cage Diving
        • Submarine Ride
        • Dole Plantation
      • Hawaiian Island of Maui >
        • Haleakalā Crater
        • Piiholo Ranch Ziplining
        • Turtle Town
      • Johnson Space Center
      • Disneyland
    • Mexico >
      • Cabo San Lucus
  • South America
    • Argentina >
      • Repel down a Waterfall
      • Boat Ride to Iguazu Falls
      • Evita Museum
      • Learn to Tango
      • Salinas Grandes Salt Flats
    • Bolivia >
      • Eduardo Avaroa National Park
      • Salar de Uyuni
      • La Paz Witch Market
    • Colombia >
      • Plaza de Toros Santamaria
      • Zipaquira Salt Cathedral
      • Guinea Pig Gambling
      • Mount Monserrate
    • Peru >
      • Climb Machu Picchu
      • Fly Over the Nasca Lines
      • Sand Dune Boarding in Huacachina
      • Mountain Biking down Chachani Volcano
      • Visit the Catacombs in Lima
      • Moray
      • Inca Salt Pans
  • Europe
    • England >
      • Big Ben and the Parliament
      • Buckingham Palace
      • Hyde Park
      • St. Margaret’s Cathedral
      • London Eye
      • London Dungeon
      • Tower of London
      • Tower Bridge
      • London Museums
      • Trafalgar Square
      • Stonehenge
      • Bath
    • France >
      • Eiffel Tower
      • Louvre Museum
      • Notre Dame Cathedral
      • Arc De Triomphe
      • Moulin Rouge
      • Sacre-Coeur Cathedral
      • Palace of the Popes
      • Les Pont St-Benezet
      • Les Grottes de Thouzon
      • Roman Aqueducts
      • Fontaine De Vaucluse
      • Antique Theatre in Orange
      • Monaco
      • Cannes Film Festival
      • Fort Royal State Prison
    • Germany >
      • The Reichstag
      • Brandenburg Gate
      • Jewish Memorial
      • Checkpoint Charlie/Berlin Wall
      • Museum Island
    • Greece >
      • Acropolis
      • Santorini
    • Hungary >
      • Vajdahunyad Castle
      • Buda Castle
      • Hero’s Square
      • Fisherman Bastion
    • Italy >
      • Venice
      • Sienna
      • Florence
      • Pisa
      • Pompeii
      • Trevi Fountain
      • Roman Forum
      • Pantheon
      • Vatican City
      • Roman Colosium
    • Poland >
      • Wieliczka Salt Mine (The Old Salt Mine)
      • Cracow's Main Market Square
      • Kazimierz: Cracow's Jewish Quarter
      • Wawel Hill
      • Schindler's Cracow Factory
      • Auschwitz and Birkenau
    • Romania >
      • Bran's Castle
      • Rasnov Fortress
      • Poenari - The Real Dracula's Castle
      • House of the People
      • Peleş Castle
    • Spain >
      • Party all Night in Ibiza
      • Sagrada Familia
      • Island of Formentera
      • Giants Parade
      • Watch the Castellers
  • Middle East
    • Egypt >
      • Giza Pyramids
      • Khan el-Khalili
      • Saqqara
      • Felucca Boat
      • Philae Temple
      • Magic Spring
      • Western Desert
      • Unfinished Obelisk
      • Abu Simbel
      • Cairo
      • Alexandria
      • Valley of the Kings
      • Hapshepsut Temple
      • Karnak Temple
    • Israel >
      • Oskar Schindler's Grave
      • Jaffa
      • 14 Stations of the Cross
      • The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
      • Western Wall
      • Manger Square
      • Dead Sea Scrolls
    • Jordan >
      • Dead Sea
      • Monestary in Petra
      • Wadi Rum
      • Bethany Beyond the Jordan
      • Ma'in Hot Spa
      • Mount Nebo
    • Lebanon >
      • Star Square
      • Pigeon Rock
    • Syria >
      • Citadel of Aleppo
      • Ummaayad Mosque of Aleppo
      • Grand Mosque of Damascus
      • Damascus Old City
      • Latakia
    • Turkey >
      • Shop at the Grand Baazar
      • Spice Market
      • Harem at Topkapi Palace
      • Blue Mosque
      • Ephesus
      • House of the Virgin Mary
      • Pamukkale
      • Love Valley
      • Derinkuyu Underground City
      • Selime Monastery
      • Ihlara Valley
      • Goreme Open Air Museum
      • Cappadocia Balloon Ride
      • Take a Turkish Bath
    • UAE >
      • Burj Dubai
      • Wild Wadi Water Park
      • Indoor Ski Hill
      • Al Arab Seven Star Hotel
      • Palm Islands
  • Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic >
      • Hoya Azul
      • Dune Buggy Tour
  • AFRICA
    • Tanzania >
      • Go on an African Safari
      • Explore Zanzibar
    • Kenya >
      • Visit an Elephant Orphanage
      • Kiss a Giraffe
      • Visit Nairobi National Park
    • Zimbabwe >
      • Walk with Lions
      • Explore Victoria Falls
  • Contact

Get Your Cowboy On at the Calgary Stampede

Held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the Calgary Stampede is a ten-day event, which bills itself as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, attracting over one million visitors and featuring the world's largest rodeo, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations exhibitions. During Stampede, Calgary takes on a party atmosphere.  Residents put on their cowboy hats and boots and attend events held across the city including the ever popular pancake breakfasts and barbecues.  Twenty of the world's highest rated competitors qualify to compete in each of the six major events - saddlebronc, bareback, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing followed up by the crowd favorite: wagon racing.
Saddle Bronc - Based on the necessity to break horses and make them safe to ride, the saddlebronc event has similar rules to bull riding in that the rider comes out of a chute riding the horse and attempts to hang on for 8 seconds while the horse tries to buck the rider off.  The cowboys and horses both receive a score between 0 and 50 which are combined to achieve a total score.  On the first jump out of the chute, the cowboy must “mark the horse” meaning he must have the heels of his boots in contact with the horse above the point of his shoulders before the horses front legs hit the ground.  The cowboy is disqualified if his free arm touches the horse during the 8 seconds; he also gets points for spurring. 

Bareback - Bareback, horseback riding without a saddle, is the most physically demanding rodeo event with a high injury rate. Using one arm, the cowboy must hold onto the rawhide handhold of a riggin (a leather pad cinched around the horse's girth).  The rider will be disqualified for touching the animal or equipment with his free hand, or getting bucked off before eight seconds.   The bareback rider strives to reach as far forward as he can with his feet rolling his spurs back up toward the riggin. At the same time, he must keep from being pulled away from the handhold. The higher and wilder the rider spurs, the higher his score.

Bull Riding - Bull riding is the most dangerous rodeo sport and accounts for approximately 50% of all traumatic injuries to rodeo contestants not to mention injuries inflicted on the bullfighters who protect the contestants.
                It is thought that bull riding was born in 1869 in Deer Trail, Colorado when two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches were having a “We are better cowboys than you” dispute and decided to solve it with a competition, which caught on giving birth to the rodeo.  Today cowboys from all over the world can finally figure out, once and for all, who the best cowboys are.  What a relief!
                The healthiest and strongest bulls are chosen for the competition and the cowboys are assigned to one via a random draw.  A rope with a hand-hold braided into it is wrapped around the bull with a weighted cowbell hanging underneath.  The rope is pulled snug around the bull’s hind quarters and is kept tight by the cowboys grip, once the cowboy lets go the rope falls free.  Once out of the gates, the cowboy attempts to hang onto the bull for 8 seconds. This is not an easy task.  The cowboy is only allowed to hang on with one hand (his riding hand) and if he touches the bull with his other hand or gets bucked off before his 8 seconds is up he gets disqualified.  The ride is scored from 0-100 points (0-50 for the bull and 0-50 for the cowboy) usually by two judges: one for the bull and one for the cowboy. 
Picture

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.