Equipment
Rigging (a handhold made of leather and rawhide)
Goal
Stay aboard for a full eight seconds and achieve a perfect score of 100.
Disqualified When
- Rider touches the animal with his free hand
- Rider touches himself or his equipment with his free hand
- Rider fails to have his feet in the proper "mark out" position (feet must be at the break of the animal's shoulder when the horse hits the ground on its first jump out of the chute)
- Rider fails to stay aboard for the full eight seconds
Scoring
The contestant can receive up to 100 points for a qualified ride. The ride is scored by two judges each allowed 25 points for the animal's performance and 25 points for the rider's performance. A rider's spurring action begins with the rider in control, his heels at the horse's neck (mark out position). He then pulls his feet, toes turned outward, to the horse's withers until the cowboy's feet are nearly touching the bareback rigging which is strapped around the horse just behind its shoulders. The horse is judged on his bucking pattern and power. The rider is scored on his strength, control, and spurring action.