School's in Session!

On Saturday last, My husband and I took a drive to Canaan, CT.  It was a beautiful drive out thru the hills of Western CT.  Our destination was the "Let R Buck Bull Riding School".  A bull riding school right here in CT...how cool is that?!!!!

In just 5 years, JW Gowan's practice pen has grown in to a full blown bull riding arena!  In fact, JW is talking with CT State Legislator's about getting Let R Buck Bull Riding School accredited for High School Rodeo here in CT.  JW is also working hard on establishing the East Coast Bull Riding Association.  This format would allow students coming out of Let R Buck, to have a chance to compete in the minor leagues before turning pro.  They could display what they've learned and their ability to ride bulls before a large audience of bull riding fans throughout New England.  JW is working hard on a new website, promotional packets and with large venues like the XL Center in Hartford and the casino's here in CT.

It was immediately clear to me that JW is passionate about the sport of bull riding and teaching young cowboys the fundamentals of bull riding in a safe and comfortable environment.  So with the country rock blaring in the background and the bulls snortin' in the chutes, school was ready to start!

With all of the bulls around me, I must confess I had trouble concentrating on anything else!  These 3 just stared at me for a good long time!  How can you not love the handsome boy with the really big horns peeking out from in between the other 2?!?

I was a bit stunned when JW put me on the chutes!  Everyone there is put to work, so I was helping out with the gates and even instructed on how to tape a hand.  The gates I got ok!  Taping...not so much!

The House of Pain bull riding arena at Let R Buck

Big boys loaded and ready to go!

JW leads the young cowboys in a word of prayer before the event started.

Cowboys always helping each other out.

Words of instruction were constant, teaching these young men the proper way to tie on the rope and get out of the chute.

Let's ride!

Had a few hang ups through out the day, fortunately no serious injuries!

Snot shot!!

This bull was in the chute right in front of me, and I could only resist his charms for so long!  I gave in and started petting him! :)  Fortunately, he bucked really good.

After an intermission, the ranker bulls were loaded and the cowboys still had 2 bulls each to ride.

The cowboys gave it their all but the bulls won the day!

This big boy was quite a handful once he got loose in the arena.  Several minutes went by before the guys could get him to leave!  Even as I snapped this picture, he was turning back for another lap in the arena!

Hey, handsome!

The cowboys learn all aspects of arena work.  They work the gates, then hop up on the chutes to ready their bull.

Thankfully the rain held off until the end of the day.  This bull rewarded himself with a nice long shower before leaving the arena!  I think he was looking for shower gel!

I am thrilled to have met JW and his wife Cindi, who own and run Let R Buck Bull Riding School.  I look forward to getting out to Canaan many more times to help out with the school and learn more of the basics of bull riding.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll take JW up on his offer to climb on a bull in the chutes!

Please check out the Let R Buck website, cnobull2tuff.com and their Facebook page, Let R Buck.  If you are interested in learning more about the school, you can email JW at info@cnobull2tuff.com.  To get more information on the East Coast Bull Riding Association, go to www.eastcoastbullriding.com.

My sincere thanks to JW & Cindi for a wonderful experience at Let R Buck!  Thanks to the cowboys for tolerating this first-time chute helper!  Thanks to my husband for hanging out at the school with me, and being patient with me and my love for the bulls, as usual!  It was a great day!!

All photographs by and property of Susan Hanrahan