What is a Rodeo Clown?
A rodeo clown is a rodeo performer who works on bull riding contests. Also called a bull fighter, historically the primary job of the rodeo clown is to protect the rider from the bull after he dismounts or is bucked off, by distracting the bull and providing alternative targets for the bull to chase. Additionally, bull fighters may improve the bull rider’s score by turning a bull back that runs down the arena (for example, by grabbing his horn or getting the bull to follow him while the rider is on his back). Rodeo clowns also provide traditional clowning entertainment for the crowd between rodeo events, often parodying aspects of cowboy culture. Rodeo clowns enter the rodeo arena on feet, before the bull is let loose, wearing bright, loose-fitting clothes. Their role is particularly important when a rider has been injured, in which case the rodeo clown interposes himself between the bull and the rider, or uses techniques such as running off at an angle, throwing a hat, or shouting, so
During a professional bull riding competition, one of the few people standing between a cowboy and an angry 1200 pound bull is a man known as a rodeo clown. It is the rodeo clown’s job to distract the bull by any means necessary after a rider has been bucked off. A rodeo clown often wears brightly colored clothes and clown make-up as part of his costume, but most of his duties are very dangerous and are taken very seriously by others. A good rodeo clown uses his athleticism and quick reflexes to assist the cowboys, while simultaneously using his physical comedic skills and timing to entertain the audience between competitions.
Our job is to protect bull riders. We distract the bull so the cowboy can get away safely. If the rider falls, it’s our job to step between him and the bull. That’s when you might have to take a hit. You might get hit by his horn, he might kick you, he might run over you, you might end up underneath him. How dangerous is it? If you want to do the job properly, you’ll get right in there and take the hit. I go as close as I can, touching the bull’s head, grabbing him by the horn, by the ear, whatever it takes to get the bull away. Have you ever been injured? At Rockhampton, a bull got me up against the fence and he just kept hitting me. I got up and finished the night with broken ribs. I went back again two days later. A week after that, I got right in between a cowboy and a bull and the bull knocked me out. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of a death in bullfighting, but guys end up in wheelchairs with broken necks and broken backs. Why do you do it? My family was in rodeo and I was bred
During a professional bull riding competition, one of the few people standing between a cowboy and an angry 1200 pound bull is a man known as a rodeo clown. It is the rodeo clown’s job to distract the bull by any means necessary after a rider has been bucked off. A rodeo clown often wears brightly colored clothes and clown make-up as part of his costume, but most of his duties are very dangerous and are taken very seriously by others. A good rodeo clown uses his athleticism and quick reflexes to assist the cowboys, while simultaneously using his physical comedic skills and timing to entertain the audience between competitions. Originally, a rodeo clown’s main duty was to entertain the audience during the rodeo’s downtime, not necessarily protect the cowboy during bull riding competitions. A rodeo clown might have performed slapstick comedy routines, or set up controlled confrontations with one of the bulls. An original rodeo clown learned many of the same stunts and trademark sketches
