Thank you, Bill, for your kind words. And, yes, in this case the rider was
just fine. The bull missed him, if only by a few millimeters.
But, then, as we used to say before metric became the way of the day, "an inch
is as good as a mile".
But it does make you realize what might have been, and why rodeo is considered
the most dangerous sport in the world.
David.
David,------
Superb illustrations for your explanation of the dangers of bull riding;
pictures are indeed worth a thousand words.
I notice in the the first three images here is a someone in the upper
left corner recording the event with the new ubiquitous 'Volkskamera,"
a smartphone, maybe an iPhone. He or she is out of the frame in Bull 4,
which is the most frightening of the group.
Was the rider okay?
Bill
On Aug 14, 2018, at 7:57 AM, David Young <dsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Bull riding has the highest rate of injury to humans of any rodeo
sport. It accounts for approximately 50% of all traumatic injuries to
rodeo contestants, and the bullfighters have the highest injury rate
of any non-contestant group. OTOH, I've never even heard of a bull
being hurt.
You will recall my earlier story of "losing all your marbles".
In order to ride a bull, you need some method of holding on. The
"Bull Rope" has a handle braided into the center of the rope and is
usually stiffened with leather. One side of the rope is tied in an
adjustable knot that can be changed for the size of bull. The other
side of the rope (the tail) is a flat braid and is usually coated with
rosin to keep it from sliding through the rider's hand.
The goal is to ride the bull for 8 seconds, holding on to the Bull
Rope with one hand and without touching the animal with the other hand.
A ride is scored by 4 judges. Two rate the rider's ability, out of 25.
Two rate the bulls bucking, again, out of 25. All four scores are
added together, and the ride is scored out of 100. Most professional
riders will score in the high 70's to low 80's.
Unfortunately, when a rider is bucked off, sometimes his hand gets
stuck in the Bull Rope, making it impossible to leave the bull, in
what can be a terrifying end to a ride. You can clearly see the
problem, here:
http://www.furnfeather.ca/look/Interlakes_18_Bull_1.html
This can result in a difficult dismount...
http://www.furnfeather.ca/look/Interlakes_18_Bull_2.html
Of course, eventually things will give way, creating it's own
problems...
http://www.furnfeather.ca/look/Interlakes_18_Bull_3.html
which can leave the cowboy in a perilous position...
http://www.furnfeather.ca/look/Interlakes_18_Bull_4.html
Comments, criticism welcomed, as always.
David.
--
David Young - Photographer
Logan Lake,BC, CANADA
Website: www.furnfeather.ca
Gallery: The Creative Co. Merritt, BC.
E-book: http://tinyurl.com/ABHoP
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