Rodeo Clowns - Technique

Technique

The rodeo clowns enter the rodeo arena on foot, before the bull is released from the bucking chute. They stand on either side of the chute as the bull is released and work as a team to distract the bull and thus protect the rider and each other. 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 that the injured rider can exit the ring. When a rider has been hung up, they face the extremely dangerous task of trying to free the rider, with one team member going to the bull's head and the other attempting to release the rider.

Typically, at larger rodeos, rodeo clowns work in groups of two or three, with two free-roaming bullfighters and a third clownish-behaving team member, who is known as the barrel man. The barrel man uses a large, well-padded steel barrel that he can jump in and out of easily, and the barrel helps to protect the rodeo clown from the bull. In Australia, rodeo clowns generally do not use barrels.

All members of the protection team wear loose, baggy clothing. The comic may wear the most outlandish clothing in bright colors, which may include things like wearing an inflatable female costume, and uses noisy colorful props such as rubber chickens and exploding garbage cans.

Typically, the clown carries a microphone and heckles the rodeo announcer, the crowd and anyone else he recognizes. During the bull riding event, the clown supports the bullfighters, including taunting the bulls by calling them names and waving props at them, usually from within the safety of the barrel. Rodeo clowns may also tell jokes and use topical humor, though in one case, a clown told a racist joke about Michelle Obama, which offended many and for which he and the rodeo's organizers subsequently apologized.