How to Use Bull Riding Spurs
A bull rider's spurs are among the most important parts of his gear. Used properly, spurs help you hang on to the bull. "If you're not using your spurs you're not going to ride very good," says Ross Coleman, one of the top riders on the professional bull riders circuit. You can choose from several different styles of spurs, depending upon how far out you turn your toes when you ride. The blunt, five-point roweled spurs grab onto the thick hide of the bull, but you will be fined if they cut into the bull's skin.
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Instructions
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Preparing Spurs
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Choose boots that have a groove just above the heel so your spurs fit securely.
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Select snugly fitting boots or wear lace-up boots to ensure a tight fit. Loose boots can be pulled off when you dig your spurs into the bull and he starts to buck. Tie regular cowboy boots with rawhide strips.
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Slide the spurs' heel-bands, or U-shaped pieces that fit onto your boots, snugly into the grooves above your boot heels.
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Buckle your spur straps tightly.
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Wrap a piece of wire around one of the metal buttons on your right spur, and run it underneath the sole of your boot just in front of the heel. Then wrap the wire around the other metal button. There are metal buttons that hold the spur strap on each end of the heel-band.
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Pull the wire tight and twist each end with pliers so it won't come loose. Repeat this process with your left spur. The wires will hold your spurs in place and keep them from turning up.
Using Spurs
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Straddle the bull's back with your knees slightly bent. Do not ride straight-legged.
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Turn out your toes.
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Push your spurs into the bull's hide just behind the rope.
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Do not dig your spurs into the bull rope or knot holds. This will result in disqualification.
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Use the spurs to maintain your balance. Dig your right spur into the bull and push yourself to the center with your right leg if you begin leaning left. Use your left spur and leg to center yourself if you lean to the right.
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Swing your legs and poke the bull with your spurs to gain extra points from the judges if you are feeling balanced and confident. In rodeo terminology, this is called "spurring" the bull.
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Tips & Warnings
Most rodeo associations require bull riding spurs with five-point rowels and a minimum of a quarter-inch of play. Bull riding spurs have longer shanks than Western horseback riding spurs, and they are offset so the rider can turn out his toes.
Bull riding is a dangerous sport. Do not attempt to mount a bull and use bull riding spurs without guidance from a knowledgeable professional.
References
- YouTube: Information About Bull Riding Gear
- YouTube: The Basics
- Professional Cowboys Bull Riding Association: Rules and regulations for PCBRA sanctioned event
- Discovery Channel: Rodeo World
- Professional Bull Riders: Bull Riding Equipment
- ESPN: Gear 101: A Gear Guide to Making Eight Seconds on a Rank Bull
Resources
- Photo Credit Kimball Hall/Photodisc/Getty Images
