Ninh explains, the Rules of Professional Bull Riding.
The object of the game is for a rider to stay on the bull for as long as possible.
Bull riding is popular in North and South America, and is the most popular of all the
rodeo sports.
The process starts with the rider mounting the bull.
He is allowed to hold onto the bull with one arm only.
This is usually via the flank strap which is this thing attached to the bull.
He is not allowed to touch the bull with his other hand for any reason.
Once the rider is ready, he will indicate this to the gate crew.
As soon as the bull’s shoulder or flank, breaks the plane of the gate, the timer starts.
He must try and ride the bull for as long as possible, and he only scores if he stays
on the bull for at least 8 seconds.
The bull, being a typical bull, will try and jump, buck, twist, and kick the rider off.
Bulls are selected for their aggressiveness and ability to dismount riders.
The rider is considered to be off the bull, if he touches the ground, if he lets go of
the flank strap, or if he touches the bull with his non riding hand, which is known as
a slap.
If the rider lasts longer than 8 seconds, judges will give the rider an overall score
out of 50.
It’s based on how well he matched the bulls movement, how fluid his riding is, and generally
style points.
Obviously if the rider falls short of 8 seconds, he scores zero.
The bull is also scored out of 50, regardless of the rider lasting 8 seconds or not.
Judges look for drop in the front end, kick in the back, spin, and any directional changes.
The riders score and the bull score are added together to give a ride score.
This is the magic number that all bull rides are scored as.
A score of 90 or above is considered to be exceptional.
Bull Riding is contested in varying formats depending where you go.
But in general the rider with the highest overall score at the end of all the rounds
… wins.
This all seems pretty dangerous to me?
Yep – it’s definitely that.
Bull riding is known as the most dangerous 8 seconds in sports, and you can see why.
The danger that a rider could be injured … or worse, appeals to most fans of the sport,
and there’s a few more things that you need to know before watching or attempting bull
riding.
For example: Spurring.
Spurring is where the rider lifts his legs away from the body of the bull and returns
it.
Spurring is not required, but this demonstrates difficulty and control, and will add points
to the rider’s score.
Wreck.
If the rider is forcibly ousted by the bull, this is known as a wreck.
Wrecks can be pretty spectacular and it’s not a case of if you get hurt ... it’s when.
Bull fighters.
Also known as ‘rodeo clowns’, these are the colourful gentlemen surrounding the bull
during a ride.
Contrary to their official job title, they don’t actually fight the bull.
Their job is to distract the bull once the rider comes off and get them away from the
rider.
They risk their own lives ensuring that the rider lives to fight another day.
And yes, sometimes these guys get hurt too.
Re-Ride.
If judges feel that a bull has underperformed, or something unexpected happens that ruins
a rider’s chances of scoring highly, such as a strap breaking or a rider being railed
against a wall.
The judges may offer a re-ride.
This is essentially a do-over and he gets another chance to ride again in order to better
his score.
They will signal a chance at a re-ride by throwing a red flag into the ring.
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Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK