The skill or activity of breaking and training wild horses, typically done for ranching, riding, or rodeo competition.
From 'broncobuster' with the gerund suffix '-ing', creating a noun that describes the action or practice. The term became widespread in American English during the 19th-century expansion into the West.
Bronc busting is one of the most dangerous rodeo events because broncos are basically professional buckers—they've evolved to get humans off their backs. A rider has to last eight seconds (that's the official rodeo rule), and some broncos are so good at bucking they've become legendary.
The practice itself is gender-neutral, but 'broncobusting' was professionally dominated by men due to deliberate exclusion of women from sanctioned competitions through the mid-1900s.
The word itself is fine; context matters. If discussing history, note that women were excluded. For contemporary use, it's now inclusive.
Modern professional rodeo has integrated women into bronc riding competitions with prize parity initiatives, though legacy barriers remain in some circuits.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.