The Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo is an event that features athletes from all over the continent in competitions such as bareback riding, steer wrestling and bull riding.
The Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo attracts an average of 30,000 people, an event that started in 1934 as a celebration of Ogden’s early days. While the city of Ogden struggled through the Great Depression, Mayor Harman Peery planned to take advantage of the rodeo interest from cattle ranchers and attract tourists. In the past, there have been some high-profile attendees, namely President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
For the pre-rodeo festivities, there are numerous barbecue and food trucks offering a variety of sweet and savory options for the crowd. Miss Rodeo Utah Freestyle took place, along with Mutton Busting. Mutton Busting is an event where children under the age of 8 ride sheep and are judged on how long they can stay on and how well they hold on.
To kick off the rodeo, they honored all the men and women who have previously served or are currently serving in the military. After honoring the military, the cowboy prayer was recited, offering hopes for the safety of both the athletes and animals, followed by the singing of the National Anthem.
Event one was bareback riding, where riders ride on the back of a bucking bronco with no saddle and try to stay on as best as they can. In bareback riding, a successful ride earns a score of 100 points, with 50 points awarded to the rider and 50 to the horse. Riders are judged on their technique, control and spurring action, while horses are judged on their bucking style, power and overall performance. A rider must stay on for eight seconds and avoid disqualification by not touching the horse, themselves or their equipment with their free hand. Ethan Mazurenko from Thorhild, Alberta, Canada, had the highest score of the day with 80 points.
Next up on the list was steer wrestling. Cowboys chase down their steer, jump off their horse and wrestle the steer to the ground as quickly as possible. Emmett Edler of State Center, Iowa, finished victorious with a time of 4.2 seconds.
Team roping was next on the agenda. In team roping, there are two cowboys on horses: a “header,” who is responsible for roping the front of the steer legally and turning it to the left, and a “heeler,” who must rope the steer’s hind legs as quickly as possible. Five-second penalties are applied if the heeler only ropes a single leg. Tanner James of Porterville, California, and his partner Trey White of Los Osos, California, finished first in the event with a time of 4.2 seconds.
In ladies breakaway, cowgirls must rope their steer as quickly as possible. This event was the fastest, with cowgirls finishing in under three seconds each. Macy Young of Wittman, Arizona, won with a time of 1.9 seconds.
Saddle bronc riding is similar to bareback riding, just with a saddle. Stetson Wright from Beaver, Utah, earned the top score of 90 points.
Tie-down roping, also called calf-roping, involves the cowboy roping a calf, dismounting and quickly tying three of its legs. A 10-second penalty is added if the cowboy leaves the barrier too early. Britt Bedke of Oakley, Idaho, won the event with a time of 8.2 seconds. Many riders had their runs shut down when the calf escaped.
Barrel racing was next. Cowgirls rode their horses in a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels to see who could do it the fastest. Julie Plourde of Krum, Texas, won the event with a 17.12-second run.
The final event was bull riding, where out of 13 riders, only one managed to stay on for the full eight seconds. Stetson Wright won his second event of the night with a score of 88 points.
The night ended with a drone show featuring cowboys and animals against the starry sky, along with a display of Ogden heritage.
