by Laura Sullivanlyndall

Created on: June 24, 2009   Last Updated: August 08, 2009

"Ride cowboy ride", as the song goes, is exactly what a cowboy has to do for a bull riding event, at least for eight seconds anyways. A cowboy must stay on and ride a bull for eight seconds in a bull riding competition to score points. All the mean while, the bull rider must hang on with only one hand, while kicking and spurring the bull while taking the ride of his life for eight seconds. However, before a cowboy can ride a bull , he needs his equipment. Bull riding equipment is essential to help stay on the bull and to minimize injuries to the rider.

The object of a bull riding event is for a cowboy, AKA ,"bull rider" in this event, to mount a bull in a shoot and hang on for the next eight seconds after the gate opens without falling off. Scores are given for the technique of the bull rider, the quality of the ride, and the difficulty of the bull. A bull rider can stay on longer than eight seconds, but is only scored for an eight second ride, nothing more nothing less. A rider will score poorly if his bull is lazy and doesn't do many difficult bucks, jumps, and turns. The more active the bull the better the score, usually. A good ride will consist of a bull rider staying on for eight seconds while the bull runs, jumps, and bucks while turning different directions the entire time, trying to throw the bull rider off his back. However, this is also part of what makes bull riding so dangerous and that is why some of the equipment is a necessity.

A bull rider can get seriously injured by a bull, in many different ways. A bull can run a rider against the fence panels or wall and crush, scrape, break or cut their legs. With all of the bucking and turning going on, a rider can get throw on the ground hard, causing broken ribs and other body parts. Even Superman (Christopher Reeves) was a victim of being thrown. He was thrown from a horse and became paralyzed from the injuries. Once a rider is on the ground, a bull can trample them, breaking bones and causing deep lacerations from being cut by the hooves. Rodeo bulls tend to be mean. It is very common for a bull to turn on a rider after throwing him. Many times bull riders have serious cuts and punctures from a bulls horn gauging them. Rodeo clowns are in the arena to distract the bulls, so riders can get up and out of harms way. However, way too often the cowboys don't have a chance before the bull turns on them. This is why the equipment is so important. Here is an overview of the equipment used in a bull riding

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