Bull riding
28/01/12 05:44
When I was a kid, the rodeo was a big deal. Our town had a one-day rodeo each summer. Rodeo day started with a parade and my folks always came up with a float for the parade. When I was five years old, my dad landed a Piper Tri-Pacer airplane on a road at the edge of town, rigged up a tow bar, put a saddle on the tail and adjusted the nose gear shock so the tail would “buck” up and down. I rode the plane down Main Street to promote my parents’ business.
Later, when my folks went into the business of selling farm equipment, the grand marshal led the parade driving a shiny new John Deere from our shop.
The Big Timber Rodeo is a NRA/NWRA sanctioned event. There is calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc and bull riding and barrel racing. It used to be known as the biggest one day rodeo in the west, though I suspect other small-town rodeos might have made the same claim.
Rodeo week was good for business. Farm and ranch folks came to town. Tourists filled up the motels and campgrounds. And at our house it always meant some new clothes. We each got a new pair of jeans and a new western shirt for rodeo week. I still have a liking for western clothes. Shirts with grippers instead of buttons have always appealed to me. And although the closest I’ve ever come to being a cowboy is helping move cattle on my cousin’s ranch, you can see me wearing a hat and boots quite often.
This week is our annual stock show and rodeo here in Rapid City. We have a large Civic Center, so there is room for an indoor rodeo. Actually with the events center at the fairgrounds, Rapid City can host multiple indoor stock events at the same time. The transformation of the civic center is dramatic. They haul in a lot of dirt to create a rodeo arena. I try to make it to the stock show at least once each year. My favorite part is just wandering around the displays looking at all of the things that vendors have to offer. I have no need of a $2,000 saddle or a $40,000 horse trailer. I won’t be buying any tractors in the coming year or portable corral panels or squeeze chutes. But it is interesting to see all of the things that they have for sale.
I love to wander through the show animals. It seems to me that a real tough bull might be a bit embarrassed to be shown all gussied up with its coat shampooed and brushed out, but there are some beautiful animals displayed each year.
Many years, I don’t get to the events, though there is always a good show going on everyday during the week. I think my favorite show is the sheep dog trials. The display of partnership between dog and owner, the speed and skill of the dog, and the ways the owners signal the dogs are fascinating to me. And I grew up in sheep country. Being around the wooly critters brings back memories of my growing up years.
Once again this year I won’t be attending the Xtreme Bulls Tour. The show kicked off last night and continues tonight with 70 of the world’s top bull riders competing for a $52,000 purse. 35 riders compete each night with the one with the most points being crowned champion at the conclusion of tonight’s show.
There is a lot of hype as a part of the show. They start out with fireworks and introductions of the riders before they get down to the action. Bull riding has been called the most dangerous eight seconds in sports. It might be true.
Humans have long been fascinated with bulls. They are big animals and essential to the process of producing beef. Although humans have long domesticated cattle as a food source, the process of controlling the animals is always tenuous at best. Fences and pens can contain a bull, but there are plenty of stories of the big critters making their way through human-built barriers to do what they want. And there are lots of stories of people getting hurt by bulls. The weight of a bull is enough for a bone crushing experience if you get stepped on. And the horns can rip a person open.
I’m not sure where bull fighting began, but we often associate it with Spain and Mexico. It is a popular sport throughout Central America. I’ve never fully understood why people find it entertaining to watch such an event. I know that since I eat meat I cannot claim innocence in the killing of animals, but torture and agonizing death for public spectacle is not my preferred form of entertainment. Somewhere along the line bull fighting evolved into various forms of bull riding. In one form of the sport, matadors with capes tired the bull and eventually one would be able to mount the bull and ride it until it died. That practice gave way to a practice of riding the bull until it stopped bucking. In modern bull riding, the animal is kept tightly constrained in a pen and the rider mounts in the pen with the animal at its peak strength. One hand of the rider is wrapped in a braided rope that stretches around the animal. When the chute is opened the animal explodes from it bucking and turning in tight circles, trying to throw of the rider. If the rider stays on for eight seconds, a horn sounds and the rider dismounts or is thrown from the animal. The audience gets to see the toughest bucking and the bull is kept and well cared-for for the next rodeo.
There are plenty of injuries. The bulls step on cowboys. Occasionally one doesn’t get out of the way of the horns and is gored. In many ways the stars of the show are the clowns and barrel men who distract the bull so the cowboy can get out of the ring and up on the gates.
It is entertainment and a lot of people love to watch. It is just not my cup of tea. I don’t like the idea of watching another person getting injured. It seems to me that the animals don’t have a very good life, either, constantly being trucked from show to show. They are kept healthy and well fed, but they belong out in a pasture enjoying the open country, not being cooped up for entertainment.
My opinion, however, is not the only one out there. The stands will be full tonight at the Civic Center. There will be plenty of excited people who go away having enjoyed the show. There will be winners and losers among the riders. And even the biggest prize winner won’t go away with enough cash to pay for the $62,000 pickup truck that is on display at the entryway of the building.
Later, when my folks went into the business of selling farm equipment, the grand marshal led the parade driving a shiny new John Deere from our shop.
The Big Timber Rodeo is a NRA/NWRA sanctioned event. There is calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc and bull riding and barrel racing. It used to be known as the biggest one day rodeo in the west, though I suspect other small-town rodeos might have made the same claim.
Rodeo week was good for business. Farm and ranch folks came to town. Tourists filled up the motels and campgrounds. And at our house it always meant some new clothes. We each got a new pair of jeans and a new western shirt for rodeo week. I still have a liking for western clothes. Shirts with grippers instead of buttons have always appealed to me. And although the closest I’ve ever come to being a cowboy is helping move cattle on my cousin’s ranch, you can see me wearing a hat and boots quite often.
This week is our annual stock show and rodeo here in Rapid City. We have a large Civic Center, so there is room for an indoor rodeo. Actually with the events center at the fairgrounds, Rapid City can host multiple indoor stock events at the same time. The transformation of the civic center is dramatic. They haul in a lot of dirt to create a rodeo arena. I try to make it to the stock show at least once each year. My favorite part is just wandering around the displays looking at all of the things that vendors have to offer. I have no need of a $2,000 saddle or a $40,000 horse trailer. I won’t be buying any tractors in the coming year or portable corral panels or squeeze chutes. But it is interesting to see all of the things that they have for sale.
I love to wander through the show animals. It seems to me that a real tough bull might be a bit embarrassed to be shown all gussied up with its coat shampooed and brushed out, but there are some beautiful animals displayed each year.
Many years, I don’t get to the events, though there is always a good show going on everyday during the week. I think my favorite show is the sheep dog trials. The display of partnership between dog and owner, the speed and skill of the dog, and the ways the owners signal the dogs are fascinating to me. And I grew up in sheep country. Being around the wooly critters brings back memories of my growing up years.
Once again this year I won’t be attending the Xtreme Bulls Tour. The show kicked off last night and continues tonight with 70 of the world’s top bull riders competing for a $52,000 purse. 35 riders compete each night with the one with the most points being crowned champion at the conclusion of tonight’s show.
There is a lot of hype as a part of the show. They start out with fireworks and introductions of the riders before they get down to the action. Bull riding has been called the most dangerous eight seconds in sports. It might be true.
Humans have long been fascinated with bulls. They are big animals and essential to the process of producing beef. Although humans have long domesticated cattle as a food source, the process of controlling the animals is always tenuous at best. Fences and pens can contain a bull, but there are plenty of stories of the big critters making their way through human-built barriers to do what they want. And there are lots of stories of people getting hurt by bulls. The weight of a bull is enough for a bone crushing experience if you get stepped on. And the horns can rip a person open.
I’m not sure where bull fighting began, but we often associate it with Spain and Mexico. It is a popular sport throughout Central America. I’ve never fully understood why people find it entertaining to watch such an event. I know that since I eat meat I cannot claim innocence in the killing of animals, but torture and agonizing death for public spectacle is not my preferred form of entertainment. Somewhere along the line bull fighting evolved into various forms of bull riding. In one form of the sport, matadors with capes tired the bull and eventually one would be able to mount the bull and ride it until it died. That practice gave way to a practice of riding the bull until it stopped bucking. In modern bull riding, the animal is kept tightly constrained in a pen and the rider mounts in the pen with the animal at its peak strength. One hand of the rider is wrapped in a braided rope that stretches around the animal. When the chute is opened the animal explodes from it bucking and turning in tight circles, trying to throw of the rider. If the rider stays on for eight seconds, a horn sounds and the rider dismounts or is thrown from the animal. The audience gets to see the toughest bucking and the bull is kept and well cared-for for the next rodeo.
There are plenty of injuries. The bulls step on cowboys. Occasionally one doesn’t get out of the way of the horns and is gored. In many ways the stars of the show are the clowns and barrel men who distract the bull so the cowboy can get out of the ring and up on the gates.
It is entertainment and a lot of people love to watch. It is just not my cup of tea. I don’t like the idea of watching another person getting injured. It seems to me that the animals don’t have a very good life, either, constantly being trucked from show to show. They are kept healthy and well fed, but they belong out in a pasture enjoying the open country, not being cooped up for entertainment.
My opinion, however, is not the only one out there. The stands will be full tonight at the Civic Center. There will be plenty of excited people who go away having enjoyed the show. There will be winners and losers among the riders. And even the biggest prize winner won’t go away with enough cash to pay for the $62,000 pickup truck that is on display at the entryway of the building.