WHAT’S with the vests? And those leather chaps? How is it scored? It’s time to get informed on the daredevil sport of bull riding.
We spoke to Australian professional bull rider David Mason to answer all those questions and more, on this rapidly growing sport.
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1. What is the kit and equipment worn?
Pro bull riders are required to wear a padded vest and leather chaps. Some riders choose to wear a cowboy hat, while others go for a helmet. Spurs are also essential to anchor riders’ feet.
“The vests are protective, they save a lot of broken ribs. If you get stepped on, it does help a hell of a lot,” Mason said, ahead of the PBR Australian Nationals in Sydney on July 11.
But while the vests serve a purpose, the chaps, not so much.
“The chaps might glance the blow, but they don’t do a whole lot other than that. I wouldn’t wear them if I didn’t have to. When you get up to those bigger events, you have to wear them.”
2. What sort of training to pro bull riders do?
“We do a lot of crossfit, not too many heavy weights because we don’t want to get big or you’ll get slow on your reflexes. It’s about lifting your own body weight more than anything. Myself, I go for at least an hour every day. We also ride practice bulls,” Mason said.
3. What are some of the worst injuries riders have had?
“I’ve had mates who are paralysed form the shoulders down. We all know it could happen, but it’s just what we do,” Mason said.
It’s clear this is a dangerous sport, but the riders can’t ever allow fear to enter their mind.
“Cuts, concussions, broken bones, ligaments, I’ve been hurt all over pretty much.
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“How many concussions? There’s no telling, I’ve lost count. It’s not really scary, because you don’t feel it until you wake up, and by then it’s all over.”
The PBR brought in a concussion rule recently, where riders suspected of having a concussion are required to undergo a series of tests with doctors before they are permitted to get back on a bull.
4. How much money does a professional bull rider make?
“There’s more and more getting into the sport, more sponsorships, it’s getting pretty big. Three-time PBR world champion Silvano Alves, in the last three years he’s won $3.2 million, for probably ten minutes work a year,” Mason said.
“Each event you can win $30,000-$40,000. In the US they are every weekend, and then at the end of the year if you win the title, there’s a million-dollar bonus. To win the world finals, it pays $250,000.”
5. Do the bulls feel any pain or distress?
“You can’t make a bull buck, they love it as much as we do,” Mason said.
“I have a friend who is a contractor, and in the backyard you can pat some of them. No matter what you do, it wants to buck, or it doesn’t want to buck. They’re not in any harm. The bulls get treated better than we do really. And once they stop bucking in the rodeo, they’ll live in the paddock until their days are done.”
6. How is PBR scored?
It’s the most important part of PBR — how to determine who is the best rider on the day.
“There’s four judges in the PBR,” Mason said.
“Two judges are there to make sure we have a clean go at the bull, so if the bull fouls us leaving the chute, we’ll get another one. But scoring-wise there’s two judges and they’ve got 25 points to give for how we ride the bull and 25 points for how the bull bucks. The more it kicks, the more it gets in the air, spins, and changes directions, the more points you’re going to win.”
7. What’s the technique around wrapping your hand in the saddle?
Before the bull is released onto the turned dirt arena, riders can be seen carefully wrapping their hand, securing it to the saddle. There is a method to this, however it can backfire.
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“Different fellas do it different ways. You can tug it through your finger, then when you fall off away from your hand, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get hung up. You don’t break your finger but you will get stuck,” Mason said.
“We don’t get on thinking we’re going to fall off though.”
8. Are rodeo clowns still used?
You know the old rodeo scenes — a colourfully dressed lunatic jumps straight into the path of a bull to distract it and pull it’s attention from the rider trying to get out of the way. It’s an equally risky job in bull riding, but in PBR, they’re called bull fighters, not clowns.
“They used to be called clowns because back in the day the fellas protecting the riders used to be comedians as well to entertain the crowd. Now they’re just there strictly to protect us,” Mason said.
“I prefer to be on the bull though because I can’t get hurt as much as if I stand in front of it.”
9. Where’s the best place to ride?
Professional bull riding is found wherever there are bulls, which is most of the world. Top bull riders come out of the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Australia.
“We travel all year around. I’ve lived in the US for the last six months. Over here there’s one event every second weekend, but it gets busier there, with three or four every weekend. There’s more people in the sport over there, so the level of competition is higher,” Mason said.
“It’s definitely grown here though. We used to go to events and there’d be a thousand people, now we come to Sydney and there’s 15,000. They fill the house.”
10. What age do most riders start out?
Bull riding is rarely something professionals pick up later in life. Most come from rural farming areas where livestock are in the backyard.
“I’ve ridden since I was a kid. I grew up in a little coastal country farm and my uncles have always had dairy farms,” he said.
“I was in my first rodeo at five years old. My mum’s brothers have been Australian champions and every chance I got I would go with them and watch.”
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
