The first gay rodeo was held in 1976 in Reno, Nevada, organized as a charity fundraising event. Several regional gay rodeo organizations were formed in the following years to promote the concept of gay rodeo and to organize events. In 1985, these five existing organizations came together to form the IGRA as a national sanctioning body.[2] As of the 2008 rodeo season, there were 28 regional associations with 19 rodeos on the schedule.[3][4].