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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