Rodeo clown
From Free net encyclopedia
- For the british rock band see The rodeo clowns.
A rodeo clown or bull fighter is a rodeo performer who works on bull riding contests. His primary job 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 are also hired to improve the bull riders score. For example, turning a bull back that runs down the arena, 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 events in a rodeo, often parodying aspects of cowboy culture.
Rodeo clowns enter the ring on foot, before the bull is let loose, wearing bright loose-fitting clothes. Their job is particularly important when the rider has been injured. The rodeo clown may interpose himself between the bull and the rider, run off at an angle, throw a hat, shout, etc., while the rider seeks safety.
Typically, rodeo clowns work in groups of three, two free-roaming bullfighters and a third who is known as the barrel man. The barrel man uses a large padded barrel that he can jump in and out of easily and which is capable of withstanding a full charge by an angered bull.
The rodeo clown has one of the most dangerous jobs in all of show business. He must protect other performers from charging bulls while also entertaining the audience. He is, in essence, a comedy stuntman who must perform live improvisation with half-wild animals. As a result, injuries to rodeo clowns are common.
The rodeo clown is sometimes called a matador, because his bright clothes and bull-taunting actions are superficially similar to those of the main performer (matador) of Spanish bullfighting. However, this word (which means "killer" in Spanish) is a misnomer, since rodeo clowns do not actually kill the bull.
Well known rodeo clowns include Quail Dobbs, Johnny Tatum, and Slim Pickens.
