Bulls in the Heartland

Oklahoma City is in the center of bull country.  This event is known for the outstanding bull power it draws every year, and 2013 did NOT disappoint!  Not only were the Classic bulls (3-4 year olds) out for the first time, but 2011 World Champion Bucking bull, Bushwacker made his debut.  It was exciting from start to finish, but not without tragedy.  Fairy Tattoo, a rising superstar bull from Boyd & Floyd Bull Company, passed away after producing the round winning ride Friday night.  I have no details to share, just that I offer my condolences to his owners and fans of this great young bull. RIP Fairy Tattoo.

The Champion bull, BUSHWACKER, made his debut in Oklahoma City.  Bushwacker's handler, Kent Cox, was worried that after a long layoff, the superstar would be a bit "rusty".  Bushwacker was the High Marked Bull of the event....enough said!

 

I love to watch the young bulls...they are so entertaining, but difficult in the chutes!  In an unusual outing, there were 18 rides Friday night.  I say unusual because in the past, the Classic bulls have given the cowboys difficulty and not many rides allowed.  But for whatever reason, the young bulls did produce a good number of scored rides.  Three bulls in particular caught my attention: Honey Hush, American Gangster and Train Robber.  All three of these bulls handily bucked off the cowboys and did so in convincing style.  Honey Hush was awarded 44.25 points, American Gangster 43.5 points and Train Robber 44 points, all out of a possible 50 points.  Train Robber had big, long jumps out of the chute then just launched Luke Snyder as the bull turned back.  I must give one "shout out" to Woolley Bully.  Even though he did not have a great out, he's a good looking bull and I love his name!

5S Ranch's RED MAN was the pick of the pen Saturday night.  Prior to his out Saturday, Red Man was ridden 14 out of 18 times on the BFTS.  Unfortunately, Ryan Dirteater could not hang on and Red Man was awarded 43 points for his buck off.

The bulls dominated round 2, only allowing 11 rides.  The TV coverage Saturday night was the "Pure PBR", a behind the scenes look at the event.  While I do enjoy this style of broadcast, and I hope it continues throughout the season, there are a few things I'd like to see changed.  Number 1: please give the bulls name, stock contractor name and score!  Lachlan Richardson had a great bull Saturday night.  The bull bucked him off in powerful fashion.  It was only when I looked on the website did I find out the bull was Razor Blade and he was scored 44.5 points!  Another example is Harve Stewart's bull.  The bull was a beautiful bull with long horns that almost hooked Harve as the bull came out of the chute.  Harve rode him and the bull score was 40.5 points.  Again, I had to look up on the website to find out the bull was Wicked Game, from Martinez Bucking Bulls.  When will it sink in to the heads of the TV producer and announcers that there are fans who watch because of the bulls and we care to learn about them, more than the cowboys!  Number 2: I don't like the overhead camera during a ride.  I can not see how the bull preforms and it makes me dizzy.  You can't get the sense of power, height of the bull's kick or roll from above.  I may be in the minority on that, but those are two things I'd like to see changed.

Other notable outs on Saturday night were from Muddy Cat, who bucked off Dakota Beck and scored a 43.  He was a nice bucker and slung lots of snot! :)  Flirting with Disaster had a strong out scoring 43.25 points.  Announcer Justin McBride called him "the real deal".  My favorite "cowboyism" was stock contractor JW Hart describing his bull Cashin' In.  When JW was asked about the bull's typical pattern, he said, "this bull will cut 'em a donut", in reference to the fact Cashin' In is a real spinner.

 Round 3 had two stand outs for me.  One was Altercation, from Ohl, Barker, Leschyshyn and K-C Bucking Bulls.  Justin McBride described Altercation as a "championship caliber bull".  Even though Altercation was fussy in the chute, he was outstanding in the arena bucking off Brant Atwood and scoring 44.25 points.  The other bull, from Cody Ohl Bucking Bulls, Lacucaracha, had an awesome trip leaving Silvano Alves wondering what on earth had just hit him.  Lacucaracha made a quick turn out of the gate and used tremendous back end whip to turf Alves.

The Championship Round was truly all about the bulls!  They were magnificent, scoring a 10-0 shut out of the cowboys.  I'm sure I am one of the few people who delights in this, but I love to witness such great bull power and complete dominance.

TRAINABLE from D&H Cattle scored 44 points and is now 9-0 against the cowboys.  He's a mean bull, who remains unridden!

BUSHWACKER answered any and all questions about rustiness!  He was breathtaking in his 2.48 second buck off of Shane Proctor.  Bushwacker had a huge jump out of the chute, roll and powerful kick.  He was awarded 46 points and high marked bull of the event!

Rowdy All Night from Ohl/Keel/SPR Cattle had a great trip, bucking off Brazilian Agnaldo Cardoza. 

Other bulls in the Championship Round stood out as well.  Mississippi Hippy, who is a huge bull, bucked off Marco Eguchi and was scored 44.75 points.  Hippy is unridden in his two years on the BFTS.  This bull is so big, he barely fits in the chute, and in the arena his back end looks like it is in a different county from his front end!  Great bull!  Shepherd Hills Tested bucked twice in OKC.  Friday night he was the "Bonus Bull" and absolutely leveled Jory Markiss!  Shepherd Hills Tested was scored 45.25 points and is the reigning ABBI Classic Champion bull.  He left no doubt that he is a bull to be "reckoned with" in 2013.  Tested again bucked off Markiss in the Championship round, with a completely different style out, and was given a low 44.5 points Sunday.  Chad Berger's great bull Smackdown easily handled JB Mauney scoring 45.25 points and Yellow Jacket Jr made easy work of Guilherme Marchi.  These two bulls have been around for years and continue to be great buckers.

So, for this bull lover, it was a great weekend for the bulls!  I am so excited to see Bushwacker again in a few weeks, and World Champion bull Asteroid buck in Sacramento this weekend!

And on a personal note, as I write this blog exactly one year ago from my first entry, I'd like to thank all my followers, participants, and readers for coming along on my snot-filled journey in to the world of bucking bulls!  I truly appreciate each of you!  With over 8300 hits from 54 countries, I guess I'm not the only bull-lover around!

Happy 1st birthday Snotitude Bucking Bull Blog!

All photographs by Susan Hanrahan