H2Andy
Contributor
RumBum:It's like a soap opera... except with horns.
oh no, soap operas have those too
(lots of horny people...hehehe)
I finally did it! Signed up for a bull riding school (trip report in this thread)
- Thread starter Ber Rabbit
- Start date
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oh no, soap operas have those too
(lots of horny people...hehehe)
DennisW
Contributor
Ber,
What a great story. I can't wait for the rest. Well, I have to wait, now don't I?
What a great story. I can't wait for the rest. Well, I have to wait, now don't I?
OP
Final Chapter...
My new bull was white with black spots and the tip of his left horn broken off. I found him in the lane and put my rope on him all by myself. My nervousness had been replaced by determination and my new found confidence in my ability to perform the pre-ride tasks after talking to Lyle. I was ready to get on this bull and give everything I had to stay on him. I stretched and mentally reviewed my chute and riding procedures while waiting my turn in the chute.
They loaded my bull and I was pumped! The chute gate was on my right and I told my partner to get in position to pull my rope then I eased down on my bull's back and handed Vince the tail of the rope. I double checked the location of the rope to make sure it was over the big muscle in the bull's shoulders then warmed up the rosin on my rope and gripped the handle. I got my hand in place with my pinky along the bull's spine then had Vince pull the rope tight and hand me the tail. I took my wrap, put the loose tail of the rope over my left leg and reached forward with my left hand to grab the top rail; I moved my feet forward on the lower rails so they were lined up with where my rope went around the bull. I bent my elbow, picked my butt up and put it on my rope then leaned forward and nodded. The bull and I came out of the chute together and I stayed on for 3 jumps before my free arm was too straight to allow me to keep riding and I went off his left side. That was the first time I started to realize I had a free hand, you can't control what you don't know you have and free hand control had been my major problem during the whole class. I was one happy camper when I got up and Lyle asked if I wanted another bull--"Heck yes!" The reloaded the same bull and while I was waiting I asked the flank man (who happened to be the owner) what the bull's name was. He said, "They nicknamed him Broken Horn here but his real name is Voodoo, that's the name he had when I bought him in Texas and I never changed it." Needless to say I was glad I hadn't asked before the first ride Vince was going to help me get the rope on Voodoo in the chute instead of the lane. I gently sat on his back and used my legs to push him away from the wall so I could feed my bells down his left side for Vince to hook. We got the rope on him and I positioned it then strapped myself in for the ride. I was in position on my rope and I nodded but the chute gate didn't open so I nodded again thinking they didn't see me. I hear clanking and turn to look and see what's going on, that's when they finally got the chute gate open. I still came out of the chute at the same time as Voodoo but my free arm was almost straight on the exit putting my body out of position and allowing him to make pretty quick work of me. I went off the left side rather hard and he stepped on the inside of my right knee when I hit the ground. Evidently he also stepped on my right ankle and maybe the inside of my left calf because I have bruises there but I only felt the hoof that hit my knee. I got up and hop-trotted over to Lyle who told me that no matter what happens you stay in position on the bull until the gate opens. Never look to see what's going on, sometimes the gate mechanism doesn't release immediately but you have to trust it's going to open and stay prepared. Oh, I also needed to keep my elbow bent and my arm up in front--same thing different ride.
I walked out of the arena and my wrist and hand, especially near the knuckles of my first two fingers, were starting to hurt. Actually when I made a fist the index and middle finger knuckles were one puffy area, they had taken a bit of a beating on those unexpected left-side exits as my hand rolled out of the handle. I signalled to Lyle I didn't want another bull and he said, "Save something for the ride-off!" I'm thinking "I'm not sure if I can make a fist long enough to hold on to the bull rope to go again."
There weren't very many people getting on bulls on Sunday morning. They were either too sore or they wanted to wait until the "ride off." I'm not sure how many of the Vision Quest students (those there to try bull riding) rode on Sunday, I know I was the only female because Christa said her chest still hurt a lot especially when she inhaled. The last call was made for anyone who wanted to get on before the ride off and then they called everyone over to the bleachers to sign up to participate in the ride off. You could choose the "easy" pen or the "rank" pen and the riders were pretty evenly divided, I think 10 chose rank bulls and 9 of us chose easy ones. The rank pen drew first, each cowboy picking a number from 1-10 and being told what bull had been assigned to that number. The easy pen drew next and I ended up with Broken Horn (Voodoo) again. I'm not sure how random the drawing was, I have a feeling Lyle gave me that bull on purpose but you never can tell.
They started loading the bulls and it was our responsibility to get a partner to pull our rope and to go find our bull and get the rope on him. I grabbed one of the Vision Quest guys who wasn't going to ride and asked if he knew how to pull a rope, "You just pull, right?" he said. I figured that was close enough to understanding and we went in search of my bull. I had asked his owner if he would flank Voodoo for me if he could since he knew the bull well. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to find my own flank man too but I figured "What the heck." Dan and I got the rope on Voodoo in the lane and he trotted off to pull for one of the other guys while I stretched and focused on my task. The ride off was judged on 4 things, chute procedure, ride, bucking stock and dismount with 10 points being allotted for each. You didn't have to make the whistle to get your points for the ride, you were judged on your improvement and your effort so the new people could compete with the experienced ones. Listening to the announcer call out names and banter while riders get settled on their bulls is so much more of a thrill when you're behind the chutes.
Pretty soon Voodoo was in the chute and I sent Dan around to get on the gate to pull my rope. I was going to go out with the gate on my right for the third time that day. I was trying to make sure my chute procedure was right and I wanted to stay back from the bull's shoulders while I waited my turn. I ended up sitting too far back and the chute judge told me I needed to move forward to give the flank man room to work. I didn't know you could sit too far back, we'd only been warned to stay back away from "the wall" at the bulls shoulders. I moved up and was starting to resettle myself when Lyle came over and said they were going to buck 2 more bulls before me so I just needed to sit tight and wait. He said this often happens in rodeos and I shouldn't let it distract me. I sat on my bull hoping he'd be happy to stand in the chute rather than starting to fight or lay down. I was pleased to see he had good chute manners, I had been sitting on him for several minutes and was trying hard to make sure my spurs weren't touching him while my feet were on the rails. Finally Lyle told me to get ready and I moved into position on my rope. What a thrill to hear your name announced as the next rider up! I took that as my cue to nod and off we went! We came out of the chute together and I remember seeing my left arm in position as I went into the first couple of jumps. My arm was straight by the third jump and we were starting to spin to the right when I went off his left side. I didn't let go of the rope, I had looked behind me and seen how close his hooves were to my legs and I KNEW if I let go he was going to step on my back, I tried to stand up but that just wasn't going to happen. I realized that in the right hand spin the laws of physics were on my side so I held on tighter and pulled to get my legs off the ground and increase the speed of my spin around the bull to get some momentum before letting go and being tossed out of range of his hind feet. Mind you this all happened during a single 180 degree spin and it was actually fun! Looks pretty cool on the video too LOL! Things would have ended badly if the bull had changed directions though so I lost a lot of points on my dismount, I got 4 out of 10 and Lyle told me not to hang on when I get thrown off. The whole thing was in slow motion for me at the time and hanging on through part of the spin was the only way I knew I wasn't going to get stomped on. My ride score was 7 of 10 even though I didn't make the whistle, the bull scored 5 out of 10 and I ended up with a chute score of 9 since the judge had to tell me to get out of the flank man's way.
Overall the class was a great experience. It was incredibly challenging but worth every minute of it! Bruce and Mandy really enjoyed watching me ride, Mandy wants me to take the class again and stay on the bulls longer so she can get some decent pictures :rofl: This is something I would definitely recommend to anyone who's ever thought about trying their hand at bull riding or even bronc or saddle bronc riding, they have schools for those sports too. This is the only school that lets you borrow professional quality equipment, evidently the others require you to bring your own gear. Want to learn something about yourself? Get ahold of Sankey Rodeo School.
I enjoyed myself so much I bought the spurs I used all weekend. Ed, one of the instructors said, "I thought you weren't going to ride anymore." I'm not planning on it, the spurs are more of a souvenir than anything but hey, you just never can tell.
Ber :lilbunny:
My new bull was white with black spots and the tip of his left horn broken off. I found him in the lane and put my rope on him all by myself. My nervousness had been replaced by determination and my new found confidence in my ability to perform the pre-ride tasks after talking to Lyle. I was ready to get on this bull and give everything I had to stay on him. I stretched and mentally reviewed my chute and riding procedures while waiting my turn in the chute.
They loaded my bull and I was pumped! The chute gate was on my right and I told my partner to get in position to pull my rope then I eased down on my bull's back and handed Vince the tail of the rope. I double checked the location of the rope to make sure it was over the big muscle in the bull's shoulders then warmed up the rosin on my rope and gripped the handle. I got my hand in place with my pinky along the bull's spine then had Vince pull the rope tight and hand me the tail. I took my wrap, put the loose tail of the rope over my left leg and reached forward with my left hand to grab the top rail; I moved my feet forward on the lower rails so they were lined up with where my rope went around the bull. I bent my elbow, picked my butt up and put it on my rope then leaned forward and nodded. The bull and I came out of the chute together and I stayed on for 3 jumps before my free arm was too straight to allow me to keep riding and I went off his left side. That was the first time I started to realize I had a free hand, you can't control what you don't know you have and free hand control had been my major problem during the whole class. I was one happy camper when I got up and Lyle asked if I wanted another bull--"Heck yes!" The reloaded the same bull and while I was waiting I asked the flank man (who happened to be the owner) what the bull's name was. He said, "They nicknamed him Broken Horn here but his real name is Voodoo, that's the name he had when I bought him in Texas and I never changed it." Needless to say I was glad I hadn't asked before the first ride
Vince was going to help me get the rope on Voodoo in the chute instead of the lane. I gently sat on his back and used my legs to push him away from the wall so I could feed my bells down his left side for Vince to hook. We got the rope on him and I positioned it then strapped myself in for the ride. I was in position on my rope and I nodded but the chute gate didn't open so I nodded again thinking they didn't see me. I hear clanking and turn to look and see what's going on, that's when they finally got the chute gate open. I still came out of the chute at the same time as Voodoo but my free arm was almost straight on the exit putting my body out of position and allowing him to make pretty quick work of me. I went off the left side rather hard and he stepped on the inside of my right knee when I hit the ground. Evidently he also stepped on my right ankle and maybe the inside of my left calf because I have bruises there but I only felt the hoof that hit my knee. I got up and hop-trotted over to Lyle who told me that no matter what happens you stay in position on the bull until the gate opens. Never look to see what's going on, sometimes the gate mechanism doesn't release immediately but you have to trust it's going to open and stay prepared. Oh, I also needed to keep my elbow bent and my arm up in front--same thing different ride.I walked out of the arena and my wrist and hand, especially near the knuckles of my first two fingers, were starting to hurt. Actually when I made a fist the index and middle finger knuckles were one puffy area, they had taken a bit of a beating on those unexpected left-side exits as my hand rolled out of the handle. I signalled to Lyle I didn't want another bull and he said, "Save something for the ride-off!" I'm thinking "I'm not sure if I can make a fist long enough to hold on to the bull rope to go again."
There weren't very many people getting on bulls on Sunday morning. They were either too sore or they wanted to wait until the "ride off." I'm not sure how many of the Vision Quest students (those there to try bull riding) rode on Sunday, I know I was the only female because Christa said her chest still hurt a lot especially when she inhaled. The last call was made for anyone who wanted to get on before the ride off and then they called everyone over to the bleachers to sign up to participate in the ride off. You could choose the "easy" pen or the "rank" pen and the riders were pretty evenly divided, I think 10 chose rank bulls and 9 of us chose easy ones. The rank pen drew first, each cowboy picking a number from 1-10 and being told what bull had been assigned to that number. The easy pen drew next and I ended up with Broken Horn (Voodoo) again. I'm not sure how random the drawing was, I have a feeling Lyle gave me that bull on purpose but you never can tell.
They started loading the bulls and it was our responsibility to get a partner to pull our rope and to go find our bull and get the rope on him. I grabbed one of the Vision Quest guys who wasn't going to ride and asked if he knew how to pull a rope, "You just pull, right?" he said. I figured that was close enough to understanding and we went in search of my bull. I had asked his owner if he would flank Voodoo for me if he could since he knew the bull well. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to find my own flank man too but I figured "What the heck." Dan and I got the rope on Voodoo in the lane and he trotted off to pull for one of the other guys while I stretched and focused on my task. The ride off was judged on 4 things, chute procedure, ride, bucking stock and dismount with 10 points being allotted for each. You didn't have to make the whistle to get your points for the ride, you were judged on your improvement and your effort so the new people could compete with the experienced ones. Listening to the announcer call out names and banter while riders get settled on their bulls is so much more of a thrill when you're behind the chutes.
Pretty soon Voodoo was in the chute and I sent Dan around to get on the gate to pull my rope. I was going to go out with the gate on my right for the third time that day. I was trying to make sure my chute procedure was right and I wanted to stay back from the bull's shoulders while I waited my turn. I ended up sitting too far back and the chute judge told me I needed to move forward to give the flank man room to work. I didn't know you could sit too far back, we'd only been warned to stay back away from "the wall" at the bulls shoulders. I moved up and was starting to resettle myself when Lyle came over and said they were going to buck 2 more bulls before me so I just needed to sit tight and wait. He said this often happens in rodeos and I shouldn't let it distract me. I sat on my bull hoping he'd be happy to stand in the chute rather than starting to fight or lay down. I was pleased to see he had good chute manners, I had been sitting on him for several minutes and was trying hard to make sure my spurs weren't touching him while my feet were on the rails. Finally Lyle told me to get ready and I moved into position on my rope. What a thrill to hear your name announced as the next rider up! I took that as my cue to nod and off we went! We came out of the chute together and I remember seeing my left arm in position as I went into the first couple of jumps. My arm was straight by the third jump and we were starting to spin to the right when I went off his left side. I didn't let go of the rope, I had looked behind me and seen how close his hooves were to my legs and I KNEW if I let go he was going to step on my back, I tried to stand up but that just wasn't going to happen. I realized that in the right hand spin the laws of physics were on my side so I held on tighter and pulled to get my legs off the ground and increase the speed of my spin around the bull to get some momentum before letting go and being tossed out of range of his hind feet. Mind you this all happened during a single 180 degree spin and it was actually fun! Looks pretty cool on the video too LOL! Things would have ended badly if the bull had changed directions though so I lost a lot of points on my dismount, I got 4 out of 10 and Lyle told me not to hang on when I get thrown off. The whole thing was in slow motion for me at the time and hanging on through part of the spin was the only way I knew I wasn't going to get stomped on. My ride score was 7 of 10 even though I didn't make the whistle, the bull scored 5 out of 10 and I ended up with a chute score of 9 since the judge had to tell me to get out of the flank man's way.
Overall the class was a great experience. It was incredibly challenging but worth every minute of it! Bruce and Mandy really enjoyed watching me ride, Mandy wants me to take the class again and stay on the bulls longer so she can get some decent pictures :rofl: This is something I would definitely recommend to anyone who's ever thought about trying their hand at bull riding or even bronc or saddle bronc riding, they have schools for those sports too. This is the only school that lets you borrow professional quality equipment, evidently the others require you to bring your own gear. Want to learn something about yourself? Get ahold of Sankey Rodeo School.
I enjoyed myself so much I bought the spurs I used all weekend. Ed, one of the instructors said, "I thought you weren't going to ride anymore." I'm not planning on it, the spurs are more of a souvenir than anything but hey, you just never can tell.
Ber :lilbunny:
H2Andy
Contributor
awesome!
man, you had a blast
are you too sore still?
man, you had a blast
are you too sore still?
OP
H2Andy:
My butt and thighs are a little stiff but I'm not walking funny anymore, well any funnier than I always walk. My right wrist is still really tender and turning door knobs or keys hurts but the lump has gone away and so has the little bruise so I figure it's only a matter of time before the tenderness goes away as well. My hand/knuckles quit hurting and the swelling subsided fairly quickly after I spent about an hour Sunday night with a re-usable ice pack. Sankey Rodeo is a dealer for the "Mini Masseuse" and they introduced them on Saturday. They let two of us try them and I fell in LOVE and bought one. They work like a T.E.N.S. unit and the massage action really helped keep me from being too sore to move when I woke up on Sunday. I used it Sunday and Monday and that plus some stretching really helped get most of the soreness out of my muscles.
Ber :lilbunny:
cmufieldhockey8
Contributor
I've seen 2 videos of you and you look good! But I must admit I got a good laugh. Thanks for the detailed account. You've got guts!
Great "trip report" there Ber! Wow! What an experience!
The Mini Masseuse sounds good too. I have used a TENS unit before, nice stuff!
The Mini Masseuse sounds good too. I have used a TENS unit before, nice stuff!
OP
cmufieldhockey8:
It was fun and the videos of me are good for a laugh. When Bruce came up to watch on Sunday the first "senior" bull he saw go out of the chute threw the rider then plowed him across the arena with his head and horns. Those are the parts of the video that let you know it's the "real deal" and Bruce makes sure to mention on the video that it wasn't me the bull was using to play bulldozer. Bruce said he did that so my mom would know I wasn't getting killed
The guy who rode right before I got on my final bull made it to the whistle but grabbed the fence as he dismounted and managed to hook his spur in the rope. The bull spent about 15 seconds dragging him around the arena while several guys tried to get him loose. He was clear of the bulls back feet while he was dragging but when a bunch of guys grabbed the bull to try to slow him down he turned around and went the other way, in the video it looks like he stomps all over the kid during the turn. The kid (I think he was still in high school) freed himself by reaching up and unfastening the collar you wear around your boots to keep them from coming off then slipping out of his boot. The men hanging on the bull were trying to cut the rope to free the kid before he got trampled to death but they couldn't get the knife on the rope with the bull bucking and running around the arena. The kid told me he thought it was fun, Lyle said he couldn't believe the kid never panicked; he said he'd never seen anyone, even pro riders, have the presence of mind to reach up and unbuckle that collar while getting dragged around the arena by their leg. He said he HAS seen grown men squealing like little girls until someone cut the rope while they were being dragged.Watching THAT got my adrenaline going before getting on my bull. I must admit it did look like fun until the bull did that turn around.
Later in the video one of the guys who wasn't wearing a helmet got his face stepped on. Luckily it was just the side of the hoof grazing down the front of his face and he only had a nice scrape and a bloody nose, it could have been a LOT uglier.
I can't wait until the class video comes in a couple of weeks. They do sell the videos on their website the school I attended was the Van Wert Ohio Sept 29-Oct 1, 2006. Right now that school isn't listed, it should be up shortly though. I'm on 7 bulls in the video which was used to evaluate our rides at the end of each day. I'll bring the video along with me on dive trips if anyone wants to see it or if I don't see you and you get a video to see what the class is like let me know and I'll help yo figure out which rider is me.
Ber :lilbunny:
OP
Scuba_Jenny:
Thanks Jenny
I told several people if I had gotten that Mini Masseuse before I met Bruce I probably never would have gotten married :laughing:
Ber :lilbunny:
H2Andy
Contributor
Ber makes it sound so good i'm like "I wanna ride a bull"
of course, being a coward that ain't gonna happen, me being a skinny lawyer with glasses and the bull being a 2000 lb nasty animal with horns and an attitude
of course, being a coward that ain't gonna happen, me being a skinny lawyer with glasses and the bull being a 2000 lb nasty animal with horns and an attitude
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