A bareback rider begins his ride with his feet placed above the break of the horse’s shoulder: If the cowboy’s feet are not in the correct position when the horse hits the ground on its first jump out of the chute, the cowboy has failed to “mark out” the horse properly and is disqualified.

Throughout the eight-second ride, the cowboy must grasp the rigging (a handhold made of leather and rawhide) with only one hand.

The rider is judged on his control and on his spurring technique. The score also is based on the rider’s “exposure” to the strength of the horse, and the horse’s performance accounts for half the total score. A rider is disqualified if he touches his equipment himself or the animal with his free hand.