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Bull Riding
Bull riding is a competitive event in which a rider tries to ride a
bucking bull for eight seconds. If the rider makes the eight
second time, he will receive a score for his riding skills and the bull will
receive a score for its bucking skills. The two scores are added together with
the highest total score being the winner. While bull riding is competed in by
men far more commonly than women, there are women bull riders. A brief overview
of some of the differences in the rules for men's and women's bull riding can be
found at the end of this article.
Bull Riding Ropes
In bull riding competition the contestant rides the
bull bareback. He is allowed the use of a "bull rope," a flat, braided rope that
circles the bull around the chest, just behind the front legs. The rope has a
handle braided into it that the rider holds on to. After the rope is wrapped around
the bull one end of the
bull rope (the "tail") is threaded through a loop on the
other end. The rider then wraps the tail around their hand, sometimes weaving it
through their fingers. The idea is that when the rider opens their hand at the
end of the ride or when they are bucked off, the bull rope will fall off on its
own. A bell is attached to the bottom of the bull rope to act as
extra weight to help ensure it falls off freely.
Bull Riding Vests and Helmets
First worn by bull riding and bronc riding superstar Cody Lambert in the
early 1990’s, a protective vest (often called a "bull riding vest" or "bronc riding vest")
is now worn by the vast majority of bull riders, rodeo clowns, and bull
fighters, as well as most bronc riders. The protective vest offers protection from
direct trauma (such as when a contestant is stomped on by a bull or bronc or hit
with a horn) by absorbing shock and dissipating an otherwise crushing blow over
a larger area. Bull riding and bronc riding vests are credited with saving
countless men and women from serious injury in the rodeo arena.
Bull riding
helmets are also frequently worn by bull riders.
A bull riding helmet looks similar to helmets used in other sports, but a bull riding
helmet differs both in its construction and its design. Similar to the way a
protective vest helps to protect a bull rider's midsection, a bull riding helmet
offers protection from crushing blows to the rider's skull. Most bull riding
helmets have a face guard so that not only is the rider's skull protected but
also their face.
Scoring
If a bull rider makes a qualified ride on a bull for
eight seconds he and the bull are eligible to receive a score from the judges.
There are two judges, and at the end of a qualified ride their scores are added
together to arrive at the total score. Each judge can score the bull from 1–25 points
(for a total of 50 points possible for the bull) and
the rider from 1–25 points (for a total of 50 points possible for the
rider). Therefore, the total number of points that can be awarded is
100.
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