Charro, in Mexico, is historically the horseman from the countryside, the Ranchero, who worked on the haciendas and rural areas performing all his tasks on horseback, working as vaqueros and caporales, among other jobs. He was renowned for his superb horsemanship, for his skill in handling the lasso, and for his unique costume designed especially for horseback riding. Today, this name is given to someone who practices charreada, considered the national sport of Mexico which maintains traditional rules and regulations in effect from colonial times up to the Mexican Revolution.

Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, Steer roping, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.