Editing Rodeo (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of rodeo}}
[[File:Cattle branding (Grabill 1888).jpg|thumb|right|[[Livestock branding|Branding]] calves, 1888]]
[[File:Buffalo Bill’s Mexican Vaqueros Riding Wild Cattle.jpeg|thumb|Exhibition riding in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show]]
Many rodeo events were based on the tasks required by cattle ranching. The working [[cowboy]] developed skills to fit the needs of the terrain and climate of the American west, and there were many regional variations. Some of the skills required to manage cattle and horses date back to the 16th-century rodeo traditions of the Vaqueros in the lands of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, present day Mexico and the American Southwest.

Early rodeo-like affairs of the 1820s and 1830s were informal events in the western United States and northern Mexico with cowboys and vaqueros testing their work skills against one another.{{sfn|Allen|1998|p=17}}{{sfn|Groves|2006|p=3}} After the [[American Civil War]], rodeo competitions emerged, with the first held in [[Deer Trail, Colorado]], in 1869.<ref>"Field and Farm Magazine", Denver Public Library Western History Division</ref><ref>"Treasured Memories", Deer Trail Pioneer Historical Society</ref><ref>Colorado House Joint Resolution No. 1025, 1969</ref><ref>"Colorado Rodeo Roots" Kathryn Ordway, 1980</ref><ref>Pro-rodeo Hall of Fame, Colorado Springs, Colorado</ref> [[Prescott, Arizona]] north of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] claimed the distinction of holding the first professional rodeo, as it charged admission and awarded trophies in 1888.{{sfn|Allen|1998|p=18}} Between 1890 and 1910, rodeos became public entertainment; sometimes combined [[Wild West show]]s featuring individuals such as [[Buffalo Bill Cody]], [[Annie Oakley]], and other charismatic stars.{{sfn|Groves|2006|p=3}} By 1910, several major rodeos were established in western North America including the [[Calgary Stampede]] in [[Calgary|Calgary, Alberta]]; the [[Pendleton Round-Up]] in northeastern [[Oregon]], and the [[Cheyenne Frontier Days]] in [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]]. 

On July 4, 1883, in the frontier town of Pecos an argument between Trav Windham, a cattle driver, and Morg Livingston, an accomplished cattle roper, led to what the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' refers to as the "world's first public cowboy contest" and is often referred to as the first official rodeo. The two men chose to have the competition on the flatland on west side of the Pecos River. The July 4th public holiday allowed ranchers, cowboys and townsfolk to attend. Many other ranchers and cowboys chose to take part in the event including Jim Mannin, John Chalk, and Brawley Oates, many whom traveled from distant ranches. Windham would end up winning the roping contest. Other winners include Pete Beard of Hashknife Ranch and Jeff Chism. Prize money was $40 and blue ribbons donated by a young resident.<ref name="Pecos"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Coppedge |first1=Clay |title=The First Rodeo |url=http://texasescapes.com/ClayCoppedge/First-Rodeo.htm#:~:text=So%2C%20if%20anybody%20asks%20you%20when%20and%20where,Colorado%2C%20Arizona%2C%20New%20Mexico%20or%20even%20Canadian%2C%20Texas. |access-date=25 September 2021 |archive-date=27 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327052351/http://www.texasescapes.com/ClayCoppedge/First-Rodeo.htm#:~:text=So%2C%20if%20anybody%20asks%20you%20when%20and%20where,Colorado%2C%20Arizona%2C%20New%20Mexico%20or%20even%20Canadian%2C%20Texas. |url-status=live }}</ref>

Rodeo-type events also became popular for a time in the big cities of the Eastern United States, with large venues like [[Madison Square Garden]] playing a part in popularizing them for new crowds. There was no standardization of events for a rodeo competition until 1929, when associations began forming.

In the 1970s, rodeo saw unprecedented growth. Contestants referred to as "the new breed" brought rodeo increasing media attention. These contestants were young, often from an urban background, and chose rodeo for its athletic rewards. By 1985, one third of PRCA members had a college education and as many as one half of the competitors had never worked on a cattle ranch.{{sfn|Allen|1998|p=32}} Today, some professional rodeos are staged indoors in large, climate-controlled [[arena]]s and many are telecast. Other professional rodeos are held outdoors.

===Women===
[[File:FannieSperrySteele.jpg|thumb|[[Fannie Sperry Steele]], Champion Lady Bucking Horse Rider, Winnipeg Stampede, 1913]]
Historically, women have long participated in competitive rodeo. [[Prairie Rose Henderson]] debuted at the Cheyenne rodeo in 1901, and, by 1920, women were competing in [[Roughstock|rough stock]] events, relay races and trick riding. But after Bonnie McCarroll died in the Pendleton Round-Up in 1929 and Marie Gibson died in a horse wreck in 1933, women's competitive participation was curbed.<ref>[[#Johnson|Johnson]]: 30</ref> Rodeo women organized into various associations and staged their own rodeos. Today, women's barrel racing is included as a competitive event in professional rodeo, with breakaway roping and goat tying added at collegiate and lower levels. They compete equally with men in team roping, sometimes in mixed-sex teams. Women also compete in traditional roping and rough stock events at women-only rodeos.