Professional Bull Riding

[Gabe Ayers]

Anyone else on this board watching the PBR finals? The leaders are on separated by 1/2 a point at the moment and the conculsion is today at 4:00 pm on NBC.

It is a captivating entertaining distraction….

We are pulling for the Carolina kid, but enjoy the Colorado Cowboy too! They are all brave men and good athletes.

[CharlyBonifaz]

They are all brave men and good athletes.

Hope that includes the bulls 😉

[Gabe Ayers]

Oh absolutely, the bulls are incredible. We are watching third and fourth generation sons of the first bulls we ever saw buck. There is an interesting quest for breeding super athletes, that have good attitudes and don’t go after the riders when they are on the ground. But man – they can buck….

There are bull teams and stock contractor competitions. It is a pro sport.

[J-L]

I like watching it too Jason, but haven’t watched much this year. Turned the T.V. off a month or two ago to encourage my kids (and myself) to read more and concentrate on their homework.
Always liked to watch the bull riding and I think it’s a remarkable job that the breeders have done breeding so many great bucking bulls. Unbelievable. Not so long ago you’d see a few good bulls and then some just average and then a definite bottom end. Not as much of a drawing contest anymore.
A very good friend of mine (grew up with me and actually lived with me on the ranch for a few years) is married to a gal who works for the PBR. I believe she’s Randy Stephens assistant. Andy Lamoreaux is her name. Great gal. Her husband and my close friend, Richard, just won the Old Timers and Canadian old timers world championship in Saddle Bronc.

[Scott G]

Sorry Gents, PBR just doesn’t do much for me. It has gotten to the point where other rough stock events in Rodeo have taken a back seat. Use to be cowboys, cowgirls, and wranglers competed in Rodeos. Don’t see as much of that in PBR these days. A lot of money and glitz and not much more than a general public hoping somebody’s gonna get stomped. Don’t get me wrong, these guys are great athletes and the breeding on bulls has went up a few notches but it doesn’t resemble the true Rodeos I grew up with.

I’d much rather watch team roping and bareback & saddle bronc any day.

Some of the best events were the community jackpot ropings that were common in every little town out here. I use to earn some decent pocket change when I was a kid working the chute.

[mother katherine]

Almost any sport on tv won’t be the same as those of us born before 1960 or ’70 will remember.
However, when I was in Virginia for an ox symposium, I couldn’t find RFD-TV but came across some channel whose name I forget. Every night I watched PBR until I fell asleep. It was a good ending to the day. All day with oxen then the evenings with PBR. I was intrigued that the bulls get points and a standing for their efforts at “beating” the riders’ attempts. Makes it more of a contest from two points of view.
When I go to visit my mother in Florida I watch RFD-TV.
oxnun

[Gabe Ayers]

I bet it was the Versus channel or it used to be known as the Outdoor Life Channel.

Scott, you are right, the PBR starts all their events with the blaring statement of “This is not a Rodeo”…. it is indeed just bull riding and hypes the sensationalism of bull riding as the most dangerous sport on dirt. It is interesting to see the research about the spectators. They are not the Nascar kind that ask the conflicted question “did you see any good wrecks”….

I think most of the serious fans want success for the rider’s and the bulls. Most of the fellows that do this are quite humble and serious athletes and the bulls are highly prized and priced.

It is just sensationalized entertainment….and I enjoy it. I guess having a young son (Brenton Chaffin) of one of our practitioners that has been in the top ten High School bullriding for a couple of years has refined my interest. He will probably make it to the top PBR level one day. We also have another practitioner (Jerry Atkins) that was once on his way to the top and was seriously injured and his wife decided he was just going to raise bucking bulls from now on….

The incredible Colorado bull rider Cody Lostrow (sp) world the world title (and a million bucks) last night continuing the history of no rider east of the Mississippi ever winning that PRB title. The closest thing is a fellow from NC named Jerome Davis who was seriously injured and is now paralyzed from the waist down a few years back and now raises bucking bulls and teaches young guys the skills. One of his students (J.B. Mauny) was second this year and was the only person ever to ride all eight bulls at the finals.

PBR is just pure entertainment that is not mainstream stuff, but nonetheless has the pitfalls of judges assigning points for the rider and bulls performances and thereby reeks with partiality. It also is an international sport with contestants from five countries.

The season is over for the year now and will start up again in a couple of months.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

I LOVE PBR! 99.9999999999% of people in the UK don’t know of it, or if they do think it’s cruel. So did I until I watched it – now I’m hooked. Sadly, we don’t have a telly, let alone Sky (cable?) with obscure channels….:( it’s one of the few things I miss.

What happened to Marchi!? My ‘money’ was on Mauney….

[Gabe Ayers]

Marchi, despite having one of the highest riding percentages, bucked off his first five bull of the eight possible at the finals and finished third for the season. This ended his quest to be the only person to ever win back to back World Championships. He will be back, he is young and has many rides in front of him. He doesn’t respond well to the pressure and seemed to look off much like his mentor Adriano from Brazil.

We love the Brazilians, they are great bullriders. They never get the same scores as the Americans, and there are no Brazilian judges…

Marchi was our favorite last year, but we were pulling for J.B. this year, but are happy that the sport got through another year without anyone dying….

It is just an entertainment sport and much better than football, baseball or
nascar…..

The sport will continue to evolve. It has changed annually to make it more fair, but there are still judgment calls by officials that reflect human error and bias.

[Robert MoonShadow]

When they took to sawing off the horns blunt, donned kevlar vests & helmets, then bred the bulls’ aggressiveness down…just got too placid – took the heart & thrill out of it. Like exhibition karate, fuel/HP governers on race cars & putting race cars on oval tracks = kinda boring, to me.
Just my own opinion, of course.

[Bumpus]

@Robert MoonShadow 12650 wrote:

When they took to sawing off the horns blunt, donned kevlar vests & helmets, then bred the bulls’ aggressiveness down…just got too placid – took the heart & thrill out of it. Like exhibition karate, fuel/HP governers on race cars & putting race cars on oval tracks = kinda boring, to me.
Just my own opinion, of course.

I agree … nothing like the good old days with bulls
that weighed a ton or more.

Next they will be riding controlled mechanical bulls,
with high, medium, low, slow and reverse.
.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

I’m glad the bulls aren’t aggressive – the buck is coming out of athleticism rather than stress. They know their job, like a racehorse.

I’m not in it to see people hurt, i actually like the bucking and skill.

[Robert MoonShadow]

I do like that they actually train the bulls, now, and not use fear/pain to “motivate’ them (at least most don’t), but for the same reason I quit following Spanish (as opposed to Mexican) Bullfighting: if the bull wins (gores/kills the matador), he used to be retired – now he’s slain. I like the ‘edge’ – the raw aggresiveness – of the original sports (‘fighting & ‘riding), that gave an opportunity for the animal to win. Now, it’s just a platform for the rider to perform/showcase his skill, if any. I just don’t see any “sport” to anything that is so designed, that one side can’t win.
What I’d like to see, sometime, is a ‘draft-animal diverse working competition’ = where the animal(s) are hitched/yoked up, and not just put to moving a log or plowing/etc.; but for ALL of it: hitching w/ speed & safety points, pull a log through an obstacle course {including crossing a “bridge”}, same with a wagon/cart, then plow a small piece, harrow, then plant. Wagon/cart (or perhaps under saddle?) in “traffic”. Riding & walk-behind equipment both used…sort of a versatility/utility competition. Showcase the best team/single animal (including oxen) AND teamster skills. Points added if you don’t need to tie up your animals to harness them. Lift legs for “shoeing”, etc. You get the idea; Who can best take a loose animal out in a small paddock, prepare it for work, use it on anything one’s likely to use it for around the ranch/farm/daily life (hence the simulated “trip to town”). Safety being foremost, and lack thereof, being penalized. Who can “do it all” the best, and look damn good doing it? Heck, I’d might even come east of the Mississppi to see something like that! 😀

[J-L]

Robert I must watch at different times than you. I sure lot’s of cowboys biting the dust in bull riding everywhere.
I do have to agree that it’s taken away from Rodeo somewhat. To me the ultimate is still the NFR. Saddlebronc is my favorite event and then calf roping. Both of which I used to do.
Rodeo itself has changed somewhat around here too. We used to have 3 or 4 local rodeos that were full of local people and some folks that’d travel around to some shows. The stock was from around here too. It was a fun contest where you felt like you could actually compete and win whatever event you’re in.
Now we have associations putting on rodeos with people who travel with them and know the stock. Many of them do nothing but rodeo on their folks money and are at a level that is hard for the average working cowboy to compete at. Not as fun and the people are not as fun.
Robert I hear you on a draft animal event, but unfortunately it wouldn’t be a big bang with anyone but us! I tried to incorporate a chore team race into the county fair and one of the ranch rodeos but can’t get anyone to drag their teams to town around here.

[Scott G]

J-L,
Ranch chore races are the highlights of our draft shows at the Larimer & Weld County Fairs! They run them side by side to add to the excitement/competitive spirit. Great event!

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