Bull Riding Pictures - Page 3 of 3
Below are bull riding pictures.
Bull riding is a competitive event in which a rider tries to ride a bucking bull for eight seconds. If the rider makes the eight second time he will receive a score from two different judges for his riding skills, and the bull will receive a score from the judges for his bucking skills. The two sets of scores are added together with the highest total score being the winner. For more information on bull riding, please look for a brief article a little lower on this page underneath the pictures.
All photos are copyrighted © and property of CowboyWay.com
All photos are copyrighted © and property of CowboyWay.com
Bull Riding
Bull riding is a competitive event in which a rider tries to ride a bucking bull for eight seconds. If the rider makes the eight second time, he will receive a score for his riding skills and the bull will receive a score for its bucking skills. The two scores are added together with the highest total score being the winner. While bull riding is competed in by men far more commonly than women, there are women bull riders. A brief overview of some of the differences in the rules for men's and women's bull riding can be found beneath the pictures on this page: Bull Riding Wrecks - Page 1 of 3.
Bull Riding Ropes
In bull riding competition the contestant rides the bull bareback. He is allowed the use of a "bull rope," a flat, braided rope that circles the bull around the chest, just behind the front legs. The rope has a handle braided into it that the rider holds on to. After the rope is wrapped around the bull one end of the bull rope (the "tail") is threaded through a loop on the other end. The rider then wraps the tail around their hand, sometimes weaving it through their fingers. The idea is that when the rider opens their hand at the end of the ride or when they are bucked off, the bull rope will fall off on its own. A bell is attached to the bottom of the bull rope to act as extra weight to help ensure it falls off freely.
Bull Riding Vests and Helmets
First worn by bull riding and bronc riding superstar Cody Lambert in the early 1990’s, a protective vest (often called a "bull riding vest" or "bronc riding vest") is now worn by the vast majority of bull riders, rodeo clowns, and bull fighters, as well as most bronc riders. The protective vest offers protection from direct trauma (such as when a contestant is stomped on by a bull or bronc or hit with a horn) by absorbing shock and dissipating an otherwise crushing blow over a larger area. Bull riding and bronc riding vests are credited with saving countless men and women from serious injury in the rodeo arena.
Bull riding helmets are also frequently worn by bull riders. A bull riding helmet looks similar to helmets used in other sports, but a bull riding helmet differs both in its construction and its design. Similar to the way a protective vest helps to protect a bull rider's midsection, a bull riding helmet offers protection from crushing blows to the rider's skull. Most bull riding helmets have a face guard so that not only is the rider's skull protected but also their face.
Scoring
If a bull rider makes a qualified ride on a bull for eight seconds he and the bull are eligible to receive a score from the judges. There are two judges, and at the end of a qualified ride their scores are added together to arrive at the total score. Each judge can score the bull from 1–25 points (for a total of 50 points possible for the bull) and the rider from 1–25 points (for a total of 50 points possible for the rider). Therefore, the total number of points that can be awarded is 100.
