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Bull riding is fun to watch. The cowboys try to ride an animal that weighs nearly a ton (some more than a ton), while it tries to throw them off its back by bucking, kicking, and jumping. Sometimes the cowboy gets thrown right away, some a few seconds into the ride, and others actually stay on for the full eight seconds.

The cowboys have only a rope coated with rosin wrapped around their hand to hold on to, and their free hand may not touch their body or the bull's during the ride. They occasionally get caught in the rope and get thrown around by the bull. Rodeo clowns try to distract the bull and get the cowboy loose safely. Often, after the ride is over, the bull will chase the cowboy and try to gore him.

Sure, it can be violent, but what is football without the tackles? Or hockey without the fights? Is NASCAR as exciting if no one wrecks?

Cowboys who ride bulls have to be in good physical condition. They have to have strength, balance, stamina, and coordination. The ability to mentally prepare themselves for the ride is also important. Imagine being bounced around and thrown from side to side for eight seconds by a creature ten times your weight.

The bulls used in rodeo come from stock contractors from across the country. These bulls are bred for their bucking ability. They are becoming stronger and harder to ride. This makes the competition stiffer.

Bull riders go to a rodeo school, since this is a sport you learn by doing it. Since each bull is different, there's no such thing as a 'game plan'. Even a bull a cowboy has ridden before can act differently on another ride.

There is an old saying in rodeo: It's not IF you get hurt, but WHEN you get hurt.
Dr. Tandy Freeman, an orthopedist who has worked with several bull riding cowboys, had this to say: "Every time these guys go out there to ride, there is a realistic risk of being maimed or killed."

Protective vests are worn to protect the chest and vital organs. Helmets may or may not be worn, at the cowboy's discretion.

Since the early 1990's, there has been a 15-fold increase in prize money for professional bull riders, and national television broadcasts bull riding competitions. These have caused a great increase in the interest of the sport of bull riding.

Learn more about this author, Rebecca Foster.
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