How to Make a Rodeo Bull Buck
Athletes come in all shapes and sizes--tall basketball players, sculpted ballerinas and 2,000-pound, mud-caked, monstrous rodeo bucking bulls. Not many bulls make it to the Professional Bull Riders Finals, and owners put a lot into their stock to ensure they get beyond the burger and to the rodeo.
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Instructions
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Choose the right bull. Breeders of bucking bulls put as much time and effort into the pedigree of their stock as race horse breeders do into theirs. Bulls are tested at a young age to verify their athleticism and heart. If a bull is not going to buck he simply is not going to buck, so make certain yours is one with grit.
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Flank your bull. For young bulls it is best to start with a bull training dummy that releases with a remote control. These dummies look like a box that is placed on the bull where the rider would sit and have a pin that connects to the flank strap. When the dummy comes off, so does the flank strap. This is important because it teaches bulls that when they buck hard they are rewarded by having something that annoys them falling off. Attach your flank rope by simply tying it on with a quick-release knot. Tie it loose to begin with--you should be able to pull it off the bull's back about three inches. Make sure the knot is not centered over the bull's spine or it may hurt him. At futurities events, where young bulls compete against each other, the bulls are required to buck for only four seconds before the dummy is released along with the flank strap. The idea is to release the pressure before the bull gets tired. You want him to get release when he bucks his hardest--not when he starts to slow down.
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Experiment. If the loose flank rope is not getting good results, you can always try tightening it, but not so much that you cannot fit a finger under it. Some bulls buck better if the flank rope is positioned back further on one side so it goes over the bull's hip. Occasionally, flankmen will pull the flank rope so it goes over both hips.
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Exercise your bull. A fat, lazy bull is not going to be the next rodeo star. Stock contractors regularly drive their bull herds from horseback to keep them fit and healthy.
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Give high-protein, high-quality feed to your bull. Many stock contractors are very secretive about their feed mix, so you will probably have to experiment to find a feed mixture that helps a bull layer on the muscle without getting too chubby.
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Make sure no one rides your bull past eight seconds unless the bull quits bucking--in which case a cowboy should not dismount until the bull begins bucking again. Riding the bull too long will tire him and he will eventually quit trying.
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Tips & Warnings
Flank ropes do not in any way hurt the bull or touch its testicles. The flank rope is intended only to create a tickling sensation to encourage the bull to aim his kicks up instead of out.
Use of electrical prods or other pain-inducing devices is strictly forbidden at PBR and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events. Do not train a bull using harsh methods.
