HOW TO RIDE A BULL? A BEGINNERS GUIDE OF THE EXTREME SPORT OF RODEO

Riding a bull is a very dangerous sport. This is an experience and a thrill like no other! If you want to try this extreme sport as a professional rodeo cowboy, you have to read this post first!

How to ride a bull?

Train

Be the apprentice of an experienced bull rider and learn the tricks of bull riding!

Although each bull ride lasts 8 seconds, it takes years of practice and guidance from an expert bull rider to teach you. 

In addition to gaining access to the bulls and the people who care for them, riding them requires you to develop the proper technique for riding and touching the animal, which you can’t learn overnight. 

Just as you would in any other sport, get a trainer you can work with and who is excited to teach you!

Become comfortable riding a horse without a saddle

Learning to get comfortable with an animal with a relatively flat back will help you immensely if your ultimate goal is to ride bulls.

Learn to alternate your weight and hold on with your legs, ride an animal that isn’t actively upset and try to get off. 

Wear basic equipment

This gear consists of jeans, button-down western shirts, cowboy boots with cleats, and an iconic cowboy hat.

Bull riders always wear protective leather gloves and a braided rope that wraps around the bull, so they can hold on to the bull. 

Choose a glove that is thin enough to grip tightly, which allows you flexibility in your grip, but is also thick enough to offer protection. 

The rope is often treated with resin, which helps with the grip when heated.

Consider having more protective equipment

In a competition, protective helmets and other equipment aren’t mandatory in most bull rings, although they are gaining popularity, especially in training and practice. 

Some bull riders wear a protective helmet, similar to one on a bicycle or motorcycle, plus a heavy vest to protect internal organs.

🏍 Looking for more adrenaline, but on 2 wheels? Watch out the most extreme tricks on FMX

Develop your upper and lower body strength 

Riding well requires great balance and coordination, in addition to the brute strength needed to hold on to the bull that is bucking and outweighing you by many kilograms. 

The bull riding workout includes a basic upper body and core exercises, as well as leg exercises such as squats, or exercises for your biceps.

Familiarize yourself with the bull

A commonly overlooked step is to familiarize yourself with the bull you will be sitting on and touch the bull carefully. Spend a few minutes watching the bull in his pen and get a general idea of his aggressiveness and tendencies. 

Have a Good Grip

Staying on the bull, it’s very difficult. It’s important to learn from an experienced rider. He or she needs to show you how to grab the bull rope correctly. 

Generally, you usually grip over your shoulder with your dominant (or typing) hand, although there are other techniques that are becoming more popular. 

Sit correctly

Relax until you are almost sitting on your hands. Be sure to stay that way the entire time you ride the bull, and sit on your butt in order to control the bull. 

All your weight will be on the inside of your thighs. 

Hold on

As the bull’s front feet lift off the ground, lean forward while squeezing him with your legs and keeping a tight grip on the rope with your riding hand, which will be working as a balance on the animal. 

Control your free hand

Many beginner riders move their free arm too much as if doing a kind of cowboy dance. While you can certainly use your arm for balance to counteract the movement, it’s probably the least important part of riding a bull.