PBR Stampede Era in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee – On Friday night, the PBR Stampede kicked off at Bridesgain Arena, featuring over 50 bulls. That might sound like a lot, but there’s a good reason. Each bull only rides once per night, which means they get a maximum of about 8 seconds of action. It’s quite a job if you can manage it.
Loading the bulls in and out each night is an impressive operation. While riders often take the center stage, it’s worth remembering that these bulls are athletes in their own right.
Bulls as Athletes
“These bulls have to physically shape to lower their hips with tremendous strength,” Dr. Douglas G. Corey, Chairman of the Animal Welfare Committee of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, explained. “They stand on the chute and immediately fire their hind legs, twisting and turning. It’s true athleticism, in my opinion.”
Of course, like all athletes, proper training is essential.
Lucas Manning, a stock contractor from Myacca, Florida, knows what it takes to prepare bulls for the big stage. “A lot of training starts with calves and box dummies; then they learn the routine,” Manning shared. “Once we put riders on them, they adjust fairly quickly. The better ones adapt really well.”
Feeding these animals varies from ranch to ranch. “My approach isn’t too unusual. I provide high-quality food and keep them on good grass,” Manning said. He noted that some ranches feed their bulls hay and grain instead. “But mine get quite a bit of grass along with their grain.”
Over the years, Manning has developed favorites among his bulls. He mentioned Buffalo Hafer as particularly special, along with Kickin Chicken and Satan Seeds.
How did he come up with such names? “Honestly, it’s a bit of brainstorming,” Manning said. “You hear interesting things in movies or songs and write them down. When a bull fits the name, I use it.”
High Standards for Bovine Athletes
Dr. Corey emphasized the impressive capabilities of these bulls: “A 1,200-2,000 pound bull that can leap four feet in the air and perform multiple spins in eight seconds is undoubtedly an athlete.”
And, like elite athletes, these bulls receive exceptional treatment. The PBR prioritizes the safety and welfare of the animals, ensuring they have a comfortable life on spacious ranches. “If one of my bulls makes it to PBR, he deserves to retire with dignity on my ranch,” Casey Simpson, a late bull breeder, once stated, adding, “We’ll even give him a gravestone when the time comes.”
As fellow stock contractor JW Hart noted, around 95% of retired bulls enter a program where they can continue to breed. “If their pedigree is good enough, they might even enjoy a quiet life with some cows,” he mentioned.
Overall, it’s a good deal if you can achieve it. However, injuries are rare among these athletes. According to the American Veterinary Association, the chance of a bull suffering a life-threatening injury during a PBR event is just 0.004%. In the rare case of an injury, they receive top-notch veterinary care.
One contractor, Matt Charping, compared the situation: “My son plays football, and I can tell you that bulls sustain fewer injuries than soccer players.”
When it comes down to it, bull riding features two athletes: one on top and the other underneath. Both need each other to make the whole sport work.
After the Friday night performance in Nashville, Manning expressed pride in his bulls. “We did something really good,” he reflected. “I’m proud of them all.”
