©Andy Watson

There are two parts to bull riding... The Bull and the Rider. This page is from the Bull's perspective; of sorts. At least it is a brief explanation of the bull's involvement in the rider's success. Hey, up to 50 of the possible 100 points a bull rider might score in any one ride are the Bull's!

"Clayton's Pet" ©Jerry Nelson

Bulls, like their riders, are scored every ride. And it makes no difference if there is a rider on board or not: If he [the bull] puts on a "good show" his score goes up. There are two judges; who may apply a maximum of 25 points each to the bull. The judge's scores are averaged; producing the Bull's score. A score of 25 is a "Perfect Ride" for the bull... Pity the rider. Finesse - Extreme Finesse.

"Freckles" ©Jerry Nelson

Of course, a good bull must perform well. High kicks, sudden and frequent violent turns and a true dislike of having a foreign object [rider] on his back and a bell on a rope tied in uncomfortable places make for a "Good" bucking bull. An all-round nasty disposition would be a good general description of a bucking bull.

Riders, rodeo stock providers and rodeo promoters want the very best riding stock for every rodeo and the best way to see that the right stock is used in any event is through statistical analysis of each animal. Extensive statistics are kept on each bull. Number of appearances. Number of times the bull has been ridden. Age. Even a bull's bucking "habits" are carefully scrutinized and recorded... And studied by every rider. A peek into a rider's "Little Black Book" might reveal names like "Addiction", "Puddin", and "Big Red" and numbers like 3 for 20, 5 of 110 or 22.2% and footnotes like: "Likes to turn left, then quick right" or "Rolls right, kicks left". Don't worry ladies.

A "Good" bucking bull is not a fluke of nature. These prime ribs on the hoof are bred, cultured and nurtured with extensive use of genetic tracking and animal husbandry degrees that would make any genealogist proud. There are a host of ranchers that do nothing more than produce quality riding stock for the rodeo industry and every effort is made to ensure their stock is the absolute best.

"Law Dog" ©Terry Williams

Generally a bucking bull's "career" will begin when he is three to five years old and he may participate in rodeos until his early teen years. Like great riders, the bull's continued high marks in competition make for a good retirement. With consistently high scores, his "worth" goes up. Not a bit different than the rider, and in a quirky way he gets a better deal than the rider! The bull isn't consistently hitting the ground with a resounding "thud", doesn't have to worry about broken bones and the aches and pains a rider feels the next morning. One other side affect of being a good bucking bull; the "Ladies" are brought to him.

Again, like great riders, there are legends in bucking bull stock. For example... "Mr. T Copenhagen", "Dodge Dakota" or "Red Rock" all PRCA greats now retired to greener pastures [literally] and current PBR bucking bull stock stand-outs like "Mossy Oak Mudslinger", "Sports Machine" and "Law Dog".

The most basic "good" bull ride is a ride where the rider and the bull "become one" for 8 seconds. As was mentioned earlier, there are a possible 100 points at stake in any ride and up to 50% of those points are for the bull's actions. The other 50% comes from the "Style" the rider exhibits during the actual ride.

"Perfect Storm" ©Herrington

With one of the rider's hands wrapped tightly with a rope around the bull, as a "temporary handle", the rider must keep his free hand from touching either himself or the bull during the actual ride. Judges look for a rider's ability to "control" himself atop the bull and good body positioning. Spurring the bull is not a requirement but, when a rider does use his spurs for something more than an anchor to the bull's hide, he may garner extra "Style" points, and every point counts. If the rider loses control... His hand comes loose from the bull rope [before an elapsed 8 seconds], time stops, the rider is disqualified and the rider receives NO points. The bull on the other hand, may very well receive a 25 point score: