Strange as this event may sound, it is a common stay of youth and college rodeos.
It’s a test of speed, agility, and the ability to tie a solid knot.
This is a relatively old event that has been a common sight at youth rodeos since at least the 1950s.
Let’s find out more.
What is the point of tying goats?
Well, there isn’t really a point to it—it’s a rodeo event that is run as entertainment and friendly competition.
There’s not really any specific skill that is being tested, beyond a general talent for animal wrangling.
The point of the actual event is to mount your horse with a lasso.
Then, a goat is put in the center of the pen, and the competitor has to use their lasso to catch the goat from the back of the horse.
Then, they have to dismount, while keeping hold of the goat.
They then have to approach the goat and use the lasso to tie any of its three legs together.
They then step back, and a timer is set.
If the goat remains bound for six seconds, then the competitor can get a score based on how long it stays tied.
If they touch the goat after they have tied it or signaled they have finished tying it, they are disqualified and get no points.
It’s a test of speed and dexterity and is usually found only in youth and college rodeos, rather than professional ones.
It is also, generally, seen as a girl’s event for a few reasons.
What’s a good time to get in a goat tying event, then?
What is a good goat tying time?
Naturally, it does depend on the level of competition.
You might be surprised to learn there are even goat-tying world championships and have been since at least 1952.
In a typical event, you might expect a solid, winning time to be seven to nine seconds.
The benchmark of six seconds really is to show that the goat is properly tied, and then any time beyond that is considered quite good.
A good time, then, is really just anything over six seconds—many in the events do not score at all because they can’t keep the goat tied for longer than this.
So which breeds are generally used in goat tying?
What breed of goat is best for goat tying?
There are a few breeds that are used, but in general, anything small is favored.
This is usually a kid’s event, remember, and kids couldn’t really be safely expected to tie a Boer goat down.
One of the most popular breeds used in goat tying are Spanish goats.
They are generally considered tough enough to deal with the somewhat bruising nature of the event, while also being small enough for kids to comfortably tie them.
Again, though, depending on what breeds are locally available, event organizers will often find small or even young goats to use.
What is the fastest goat tying record?
The time that you take to actually tie the goat is also a metric.
The current world record came from Luke Mavity’s record time of 7.96 seconds.
This remains the fastest time for the actual tying.
This is not usually how the event is scored, though—it’s just another statistic that the judges keep in mind and make note of.
Tying times generally are around 10-15 seconds, again depending on the level of competition.
Realistically, you can’t get much lower than a certain time, since it’s always going to take a base amount of time to actually get the goat tied.
But that’s not to say Mavity’s record is unbeatable—but it’s not going to be easy.
Do boys do goat tying?
So, despite the fact that I said these events are normally considered girl’s events, a boy holds the world record for the fastest tying time.
So, do boys generally do goat tying?
Today, the simple answer is yes.
Many boys participate in the events, and many are not gender exclusive at all.
Still, though, most of the big events are girl’s events.
There are a few reasons for this, but most are really just about tradition.
As I said, these goat tying events have been going on for a long time, and at least at first, they were seen as something fun and safe that the girls could do.
Of course, we know now that they can do all the rodeo events boys can—but goat tying is still fun!
Strange as it may sound to a lot of us, this event has become more and more popular over the many years it has been taking place.
It’s a really popular event in the right contexts and is for many their first real experience of competing in a rodeo.
There’s a lot of interesting history to it, and it’s really impressive to watch—even if we do feel a bit bad for the goats!
