A Little Bull Riding

 The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) spent 3 days in Sioux Falls over the weekend. We attended 2 of the 3 performances. 

lots of lights and fireworks before the performances

Hubby counted 8 enclosed semi trucks in the parking lot that were used to haul the gates, the fencing, the chutes, the lights, the stage, and all the equipment needed to turn a sports and concert arena into a bull riding in the dirt arena.

the one and only butts & boots photo

Friday's performances used 3 and 4 year old bulls, There were only 6 riders out of the approximately 30 who rode, or attempted to ride. My photos from Friday night were not good. 

Sioux Falls will feature an American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) Classic event. There will be 30 bulls competing for a prize purse of nearly $40,000 with the winning bull collecting more than $10,000. The four year-old bulls competing in Sioux Falls have been approved by the Livestock Director and are deemed the best young bulls in the nation to try their ability against the best bull riders in the world. The ABBI, which introduces young bucking bulls at select PBR events, is dedicated to unifying, developing, and promoting the bucking bull industry through pedigree preservation; enhancement and promotion of bucking bull ownership, breeding, and welfare; and development of programs and events showcasing the world’s finest bucking bull stock. The ABBI is the largest cattle registry in the U.S. and the largest bucking cattle DNA registry with more than 300,000 registered animals.

The photos you are seeing are from Sunday afternoon. Sunday's bulls were some of the top ranked in the PBR. They were experienced bulls who knew how to twist and turn earning them high points as well as high points for their successful riders.

The rider is on the ground, thrown from the bull before the 8 seconds. The bull rider's rope is still on the bull. The 3 safety men or Border Patrol as they were called at this event, are distracting the bull and protecting the bull rider.

The bull turns his focus on his rider, who gets up off the ground to get out of the way.

The Border Patrol continues to distract and protect.

The bull rider was able to escape the bull's attention. The bull eventually chose to leave the arena without harming anyone. But it all adds to the excitement!

One of the Border Patrol was from TX, another from NM and the third from Brazil.

This rider won't be making the 8 seconds.

This is the ONLY time I have seen a bull muzzled. I have no idea why.

Exciting to see a South Dakota young man trying to earn a spot in the World Finals later this year.

His bull wanted to get out of the chute really bad. He tried climbing the back of the chute. Of the 3 faces in the back, nobody looks too alarmed. 

The side effect of the bull's action breaks the concentration and routine of the rider. Mason had to wait for the bull to return to an appropriate posture and begin his routine of readiness all over again. Mason did not have an 8 second ride.

look at this rider flying through the air!

This rider had a following present at the events. He was not a money winner, either.

SIOUX FALLS COMPETITORS BY COUNTRY 

Brazil (20) –Silvano Alves, Eduardo Aparecido, Alvaro Ariel, Dener Barbosa, Rafael Jose de Brito, Alex Cerqueira, Cassio Dias, Elizmar Jeremias, Ramon de Lima, Claudio Montanha Jr., Mauricio Gulla Moreira, Kaique Pacheco, Afonso Quintino, Adriano Salgado, Rafael Henrique dos Santos, Wingson Henrique da Silva, Manoelito de Souza Junior, Guilherme Valleiras, Joao Ricardo Vieira, Flavio Zivieri Canada (2) – Griffin Smeltzer, Nick Tetz

United States (38) – Andrew Alvidrez, Dawson Branton, Brandon Chambers, Zane Cook, Casey Coulter, Cooper Davis, Chase Dougherty, Dakota Eagleburger, Colten Fritzlan, Josh Frost, Carlos Garcia, Connor Halverson, Koltin Hevalow, Cody Hooks, Garrett Jones, Kyle Jones, Dalton Kasel, Daniel Keeping, Derek Kolbaba, Dakota Louis, Dustin Martinez, Marcus Mast, Ray Mayo, Cody McCandless, Brandon McDowell, Ezekiel Mitchell, Mason Moody, Trent Nugent, Chase Outlaw, Jesse Petri, Tate Pollmeier, Braidy Randolph, Dalton Rudman, Wyatt Rogers, Matt Triplett, Brady Turgeon, Eli Vastbinder, Aaron Williams

Not all 60 competitors rode. Some were hurt. Some may have ridden on Saturday when we did not attend. About 40 rode in each of the two performances we attended. The big winner (point wise) was Kaique Pacheco from Brazil. He moved into first place in the standings because Jose Vitor Leme, the leader has been out of competition for two weeks due to injuries.

The PBR will be back in Sioux Falls in September. I hope we are able to attend at least one of the performances.