Editing Rodeo (section)

===Modern practice===
It is a myth that a modern [[bucking horse]] is a wild animal. The modern bronc is not a truly [[feral horse]]. Some bucking horses are riding horses that learned to buck off their riders.<ref name="AVMA2000"/> Other bucking horses are specifically bred for use in rodeos.<ref name="Diamond"/>

A proven bucking horse can be sold for $8000 to $10,000 or more, making rough stock a valuable investment worth caring for and keeping in good health for many years. Likewise, [[bucking bull]]s are also [[selective breeding|selectively bred]]. Most are allowed to grow up in a natural, semi-wild condition on the open range, but also have to be trained in order to be managed from the ground, safely loaded into trailers, vaccinated and wormed, and be loaded in and out of bucking chutes.<ref name="Diamond">Partian, Chris.  "Diamond in the Rough."  ''Western Horseman,'' July 2007, pp. 132-140</ref>

Young bucking horses are initially introduced to work with cloth dummies attached to the saddle.<ref name="Diamond"/> Others are already well-trained on the ground. Some champion bucking horses got their start as riding horses that learned how to quickly and effectively unseat riders.<ref name="Bronc Riding">"Is Rodeo Bronc Riding Cruel?" Web article accessed June 28, 2007 at http://www.cowboyway.com/BroncRiding.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624004252/http://www.cowboyway.com/BroncRiding.htm |date=2007-06-24 }}</ref> Due to the rigors of travel and the short bursts of high intensity work required, most horses in a bucking string are at least six or seven years old before they are used extensively, and are expected to be sound performers for many years.<ref name="Diamond"/> Awards are given to the owners of the best bucking horses, who are respected as equine athletes and perform for many years.<ref>"Rodeo History"  ''Long Rodeo Company.'' Web site accessed June 28, 2007 at {{cite web |url=http://www.longcompany.com/history.htm |title=History |access-date=2008-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210065352/http://www.longcompany.com/history.htm |archive-date=2007-12-10 }}</ref> Many are retired to pasture at the end of their careers.<ref name="AVMA2000"/> Many bucking horses understand their job well and reduce or stop their bucking, even while still wearing a flank strap, as soon as they either unseat the rider or hear the buzzer.