Bustin some broncs. ten second timer. Must keep one hand in the air, and must rake the horse with spurs. Failure to comply to any of these rules results in a no-score.
Getting ready to ride the bull. A bullrope with a cowbell attached is wrapped around the bull. The cowbell acts as a weight so that when the ride is over, it will safely fall off. the cowboy wraps the remainder of the bullrope around his hand tightly, trying to secure himself to the bull. When the bull is released from the chute, the cowboy must keep one hand in the air, and he may spur as often as possible for extra points. Touching himself or the bull with his free hand results in a no-score. (btw, guy with the shorts is a bullfighter. Who else would dress so colorfully?)
After the eight second horn blows, the cowboy must unwrap his hand and fall off...lets hope the bullfighters are ready to do their job! (bullfighters distract the bulls attention, and make sure the cowboy gets away safely.)
Unfortunately, bull riders do not always get away safely. The biggest problem is getting their hand free from the bullrope. A bull may slam a cowboy against the fence while he is still secured to the bull, or a cowboy may fall off before he can unwrap his hand, and he gets slung around pretty good, while the bullfighters try to help free his hand. I've never seen anyone get seriously hurt yet, thanks to the bullfighters, but I have seen them get banged up pretty good. Wow, I really admire the bullfighters abilities. I have seen them do some amazing things. I once saw a bull charging a downed cowboy, and the bullfighter jumped in front of him and ended up getting a ride on the bulls horns, he was actually pretty lucky he got off clean.
Hope you all enjoy the pictures, it is really hard to get decent pictures when it's so dark! Also, I think next rodeo I go to I am going to try getting a little more personal,and climb up on the chutes and get pictures of the bullriders getting ready to ride.
Until next time, cowabunga!
1 comment:
That last one is awesome! I know what you mean about the low light deal; I hate trying to work in low light conditions!
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