How Do You Make a Bull Riding Rope?
In bull riding, a rider uses a rope wrapped around the midsection of a bucking bull to try to stay on for eight seconds. A key piece of the rider's equipment, ropes are made of either grass or nylon blends and are braided into five, seven and nine plaits, according to Allan Jordan, former bull rider and pro official with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. A handhold is braided into the rope with pieces of leather; the leather stiffens the handhold so that it will not roll over when the cowboy bucks off, causing his hand to stick in the handhold. A bull rope has three parts: the body, the handhold, and the tail.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Nylon or grass rope
- Small leather strips
- Gloves, preferably with fingers cut out
Instructions
-
-
1
Hang the rope over a hook to create a loop. Pull the two ends toward one another so that they lie flat next to each other. Separate three strands from one side and weave the other end through the loops created by separating the strands. This will keep the two pieces of the rope together and create the body of the rope.
-
2
Tie knots into both ends of the rope. Pull the bottom ends of the rope apart, separating into the individual strands. Group the resulting strands into five, seven or nine plaits, depending upon the desired result. Begin to braid.
-
-
3
Weave the leather strips into the braid to create the block, the flat piece that begins the handhold. The block should be about 2 1/2 inches wide by 3 1/2 inches long. Once the desired length of the block is reached, begin to braid the handhold by creating a top and bottom strand of the rope. Once the handhold is complete, braid both strands back into a single rope.
-
4
With all strands again braided into a single rope, complete the tail. Tails are grouped as either regular, soft or mush, depending on how tight the braid is. Tie another knot to finish off the rope.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Personal preference dictates most attributes of the bull rope.
On average, the body of the rope is 6 to 10 feet, the handhold is 10 to 12 inches, and the tail is 5 to 6 feet.
The more plaits, the wider the rope will be.
Stiffer leather or wider pieces of leather will make the handhold stiffer.
References
- Photo Credit bull throwing rider image by Clarence Alford from Fotolia.com
