Bull Riding 101

Being a country girl, raised in the country I naturally
would like bullriding. I first saw it on TV about 4 years
ago. I was hooked instantly. For those of you who
do not understand it - Let me give you a quick crash
course.

The Event always opens with ALOT of LOUD music and
pyrotechnics... fireworks and "PBR" burning in the
arena, like the picture below. Next they sing the
National anthem as in all sporting events and then
introduce the COWBOYS!!

The Cowboys come in all sizes but are all hunks!!
They range anywhere from 18 to 38 yrs. old.

The cowboy on horseback captures runaway bulls
after the ride is complete with his lariat and herds them
back into the chutes.

Flint, the rodeo clown entertains between rides...
and he is V E R Y entertaining!

The 'Bull Fighters' keep the bulls away from the
cowboys once they are on the ground. ( bucked off)

Seen here in action. Their job is very dangerous but
necessary to protect the cowboy.The magic time is 8 seconds. A cowboy must stay aboard
that long to qualify and get points by the judges.

And of course, the BULL.... They are athletes just
like the cowboys, bred to buck.

The cowboy, in this case Chris Shivers, is in the chute..
Where he mounts the bull and puts on the bull rope
to ride.

One hand is in the bullrope and the other is in the air. It
must not touch the bull or his body or he is disqualified.

He makes the ride and tips his hat to the crowd.

If you want to see his ride, watch the video. It shows the action of bullriding.




Yes! That was me at the end screaming. Chris is my favorite cowboy.
More about Chris. http://www.chrisshivers.com/

If you get bucked off and the bull hits you, kicks you
or you get hung up in the rope, it is called a wreck.

If a bull can not be ridden he is called 'Rank'

The Last 15 rides are the top point riders. The top rider
takes a seat in the middle of the arena and each rider in
succession has a chance to knock him out by points won.

As the crowd thins out I can't wait for the next
opportunity to watch PBR again!

My window on nature takes on many different looks. When
you can't see birds, bulls are just as much fun!! Maybe
even more so.

For More info on the PBR you can check out PBR President,
Ty Murray's crash course on bullriding...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmxtHv6WpR0