Rodeo bulldogging is a 'big man's event'

Bulldogging is the "big man" rodeo event. In many events a lighter build can be a real advantage, but in steer wrestling size matters just as it does in football.

Leaping from the back of a galloping horse to tackle a 450 pound charging bovine and wrestle it to the ground also underlines a certain craziness that defines the difficulty of the sport we have come to love in rodeo.

Bulldogging has gone through a change of name to Steer Wrestling, partly to ease tensions with animal rights groups; however, most old-timers think that if it had to be renamed for that purpose, it should have been called Manual Bovine Control.

One of the top competitors in the sport is Micheal Reger from Redmond, who on his first attempt last Thursday during "slack" turned in a time of 5.9 seconds, which was good but not good enough for a win as the competition heated up.

"I've been doing this for about 12 years. I travel around as much as I can, but it depends on how work is and if I have the time," said Reger.

Rodeo competitors in the timed events can compete in as many as 70 events during the short rodeo season. Although Sisters was the only rodeo Reger competed in last weekend, he will sometimes compete in two separate rodeos on the same weekend commuting back and forth to catch his events.

Steer wrestling is the quickest of the rodeo events. It requires strength, speed and timing. Most of competitors are large and strong cowboys, which has led to the nickname, the "big man's" event. Steer wrestling is a timed event, and the cowboys compete against each other, as well as the clock.

Bulldoggers start out in the box. A barrier is placed across the box, and the steer is loaded into the roping chute. As soon as the cowboy nods his head, the steer is released and the cowboy charges after it on his horse. The steer wrestler catches up to the steer as quickly as possible and then leaps off of his horse to grab the steer by its head. The bulldogger then plants his feet and tosses the steer onto its side which will stop the clock.

A winning time is often clocked-in between three and four seconds, but these big cowboys keep getting faster and faster and their times have really dropped in the last few years. If a cowboy jumps the gun and breaks the barrier, he will receive a ten second penalty, making it virtually impossible for him to collect any prize money.

For bulldoggers age is much less of a factor than it is in many other sports.

"There are a lot of guys that are in their late to mid 30s, along with younger guys, of course. With the right kind of horsepower you can keep at this for a long time. I'm going to go until I can't throw them down anymore," said Reger.

Although many began to compete at an early age, it is not always the case.

"I started when I was 45. I lost 50 pounds and started bulldogging, but I had been around cattle and horses all my life, so it wasn't like I didn't have an idea of what to do," said John Lindstrom from Pendleton.

Not everyone in Linstrom's family was as excited as he was about the new challenge he had taken on.

"My wife said it was a mid-life crisis, and I told her I could have chosen young women and fast cars, and I never heard another word about it after that," said Lindstrom.

One of the keys to a good time is the ability of the hazer. When the steer emerges from the shoot, the hazer rides on the right side of the steer to keep it from breaking to the right.

"There are a lot of good hazers, but I personally think that Jeff Green is the best. He lives in Pendleton and taught me a lot about bulldogging. I'm really fortunate living in Pendleton with some of the world's top cowboys. They are really positive and helpful to me," said Lindstrom.

The Sisters Rodeo has an enviable reputation and always draws a good crowd and world class competitors.

"I've been doggin' about 10 years seriously. I didn't want to miss this rodeo, cause I've been here before and really like this rodeo. The people here are great," said Clay Schricker from Adrian, Oregon.

Even though he is fresh to the event, "I wouldn't give this up for nothing. Live your dreams. The end is right out in front of us. Don't wait until we get there," said Lindstrom.