As a major part of rodeo, bull riding is generally thought to have originated during 1864. Two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met in Deer Trail, Colorado USA. The gathering was arranged to settle a dispute over which group was best at general ranch tasks. From this simple opposition, rodeo was born. Of course, since then the sports have much evolved, the showmanship and highly spirited nature of the games have never wavered.
A pivotal moment for modern bull riding, and rodeo in universal came in 1936 when the Professional Bull Rodeo ( PBR) Cowboys Association (PRCA) was founded. Through this organization many hundreds of rodeos are prearranged and held each year. Since that time, the fame of all aspects of the rodeo has risen, a considerable achievement for the sport came in 2002 when it earned Olympic sport status throughout the Salt Lake City Olympics. More recently, a separate organization has been formed for bull riding alone : The Professional Bull Riders (PBR), which too stages a large number of events.
The principles of bull riding are fairly simple. A rider mounts a bull gripping a leather rope, and after he fastens the rope the rider announce he is ready. The bucking chute (a small enlacement which opens at the front) is opened and the bull storms out. The following few seconds are vital, the rider have to attempt to stay on the bull for as long as he can while only touching the bull with one hand. His other hand must stay free for the duration of the ride.
The bull, as a prey animal, is wary of having amazing on its back. Thinking it may be in danger, as if attacked by a lion or similar marauder it runs about at high speed, bucking wildly. This process continues for a number of seconds until the rider loses his balance and falls off the animal or is just thrown off the bull's back by the sheer force the animal exerts. Each bull is given an person name, and around 75 bulls, each judged to be of good strength, health, nimbleness and age are selected to perform.
The scoring system in The PBR is also fairly simplistic. As two athletes are involved in the game (the bull and the rider), each athlete is awarded points ranging from 0-50. Scores of zero are quite ordinary as a lot of riders lose control of the animal almost immediately after the bull rages out of the bucking chute. Though, many experienced professionals are able to gain scores of 75 or more. A score above 80 is considered excellent, and a score in the 90's outstanding.
