Random Thoughts and Bull Snot!

As the PBR gears up for the second half of it's 2013 season, and the march toward the World Finals in Las Vegas, in October, it has me really excited for the return of the BIG bulls!  I've been thinking a lot about Bushwacker and Asteroid...how will their bucking battle end this year? Or what bull will come on strong and be in the conversation for Bucking Bull of the Year?  What younger bull has made a statement during the summer events who will get us bull fans excited about a new star?  Which bulls will retire this year and go on to breed future superstars?  The possibilities are exciting and endless...I just know I can NOT wait to see the snot fly!

So, I decided to take a look back at the first half of the PBR season.  I enlisted the help of ProBullStats.com for some facts and figures.

The #1 bull of 2013, so far, is BUSHWACKER!  He leads the herd with an average bull score of 46.824 points.

I, for one, can't wait to see Bushwacker buck again.  From posts and pictures on Facebook, by Bushwacker's handler, Kent Cox, Bushwacker just had his check-up with Vet, Dr. Warner and everything looks great!  Every time Bushwacker leaves the chute he does something different, so what next?  Isn't it fun to consider the possibilities?

The #2 bull listed on ProBullStats list of Top Bulls of 2013 is VERTICAL LIMIT, owned by Jeff Robinson.  This bull is bucked at PRCA events and has an average score of 46.8 points! Why is he not bucking in the PBR???

Rounding out the top 3 is ASTEROID.  His average score is 45.639 points in 2013.  He's bucked 9 times so far, and I hope the folks at Circle T Ranch will get him on the road and that he will have a strong finish to the regular season leading up to Las Vegas.

Jeff Robinson's NEW HOLLAND POWERSTAR leads the list in 2013 with 17 outs, followed by Wolf Creek Cattle's FORD HAMMER DOWN with 16 and Chad Berger's FLINT with 15 outs.

FLINT, shown here relaxing in Bull Housing in Albuquerque, NM, has been a busy bull this year!

In all, there have been 1,664 attempts on the PBR's BFTS series with 610 rides, equaling a 36.7% riding percentage.  The bulls are bigger, faster and stronger, and the cowboys will need to up their game in the second half of the season to increase both their riding percentages and points to qualify for the World Finals!

So that's about all of the numbers my mind wants to consider.  Let's just get to the big bulls bucking again.  But as I thought about what lies ahead, in the second half of the season, my mind wandered back to January...in New York City...a sold out show at Madison Square Garden...and the opening of the 2013 season for the PBR.  I was lucky enough to attend two of the three days of the event.  I met lots of new friends from NY, NJ and CT.  But the one thing that was hard to do was get up close to the bulls.  My extremely patient husband and I spent quite a bit of time on the side streets around MSG so we (mainly me) could see the bull carriers coming in and unloading the bulls.  Security is tight around the Garden and those guards just don't seem to understand the frenzy of fans who want to catch a glimpse of the bovine athletes!

Jeff Robinson's MR. SLIM peeks out of the trailer at me.

A buck-off Saturday night

Next, I remembered the near disaster attending February's Touring Pro event in Worcester, Mass.  Thirty inches of snow fell, and my development was not plowed out in time for us to attend the Saturday night round.  My dear husband was out at 7AM the next morning shoveling a path so we could get our car out, and get to Sunday's rounds.  (I personally don't think the man could stand one more minute with me, in that condo, missing a bull riding event!)

One of the many stubborn bulls who just wanted to play around in the arena!  I had no problem with that, personally.

March brought us to Albuquerque, New Mexico and the 3-day event at The Pit.  This event was a blast!!  A packed out arena, vocal and knowledgeable fans and some of the very best bulls in the business! Plus, I was on vacation in one of my very favorite places in the country!

Hmmm, this generally never goes well....for Flint's hat!

But the best moments of the entire event were the ones spent with the bulls.  Chad Berger's great bull SMACKDOWN was digging himself quite a hole to play in, while LINCOLN ELECTRIC"S BRING IT just enjoyed kicking the dirt in the air.

Between April and June, live bull riding came in the form of days spent at Let R Buck Bull Riding School and with the bulls I co-own.  Many pleasant and enjoyable hours have been spent out there, and quite honestly, I'm happiest when I can just spend a quiet afternoon watching them eat, play and nap!

THE SPOOK scared this cowboy right off his back!

Chad Berger's Touring Pro event over Father's Day weekend was fantastic!  Not only does Chad have a huge pen of incredible bulls, the #3 bull in the PBR, Smackdown, a sold out event with energetic fans, and a great venue to host the event...he owns BIG TEX! My very first bovine love.

SMACKDOWN hollering to his buddy a few pens over.

Me and BIG TEX...best moment and biggest thrill!

Chad retired BIG TEX that weekend, in front of his hometown crowd.  To say I was nervous when Big Tex was loaded to buck one last time, is the biggest understatement ever!!  He bucked off the cowboy in just under 5 seconds and ran out of the arena.  A special moment for me, to see him retired before adoring fans.

SNOT JAMMER tolerated this cowboy for much less than 8 seconds!
July has brought many more afternoons at school and an event for the East Coast Bull Riding Association.

THE SPOOK before dumping a student. 

As I conclude my ramblings of what has been, the common theme of those ramblings is the bulls.  Always about the bulls.

Obsessed? Yes...so what?
Crazy? well, maybe a little.
Love bucking bulls? ABSOLUTELY!! and proud of it!!

It's Monday and I can't wait for Friday...to see the return of the PBR.  Then Saturday...when I can go visit my bulls, and watch the PBR in the same day.
Life is good when it includes bulls!
Bring it on!

All photographs property of and by Susan Hanrahan