Why Does a Bull Buck?

Bull riding is considered the premiere sport in the larger family of rodeo events. Bull riding requires incredible strength, coordination, balance and toughness. The sport is based around the notion that a bull will buck ferociously with a rider on its back. Bulls buck so hard that riders are only evaluated on an 8-second ride, after which they are supposed to jump off. Falling off early means no score is awarded for that ride.

  1. Genetics

    • Genetics play the biggest role in making a bull buck. Breeders know that a high quality rodeo bull can be worth upward of six figures and thus work very hard to breed animals that have the characteristics of strength, size and aggressiveness combined with a blood line of strong bucking bulls. Bulls with a good history of bucking are valuable stud animals because there is a good chance they will produce effective bucking offspring. Combine the bucking lineage with more speed and strength, and the resultant bull can be even more effective at bucking than the original stud.

    Flank Strap

    • The flank strap is a strap tied around the midsection of every bull during a bull ride. Different opinions exist as to how this is used to stimulate bucking in bulls and bucking broncos. Animal rights activists assert that the strap is used to cause internal and genital pain that causes the animals to buck. Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the largest professional bull riding association, states that the straps do not touch the genitals in any way and are designed to annoy rather than cause discomfort.

    Rider

    • A bull will buck both because it doesn't like the feeling of the strap tied around its midsection and because its has a rider on its back. The bucking movement is the natural movement that a bull makes when bothered or defending itself. Therefore, the presence of an unfamiliar rider on a bull's back will cause it to buck, spin and jump in an effort to dislodge the annoyance.

    Pain

    • Pain is never used as an incentive for bulls to buck. Some think that the flank strap is meant to cause pain or that riders apply spurs to hurt the bull and cause it to buck more. The strap is not tied tight enough or in an area where it can cause any pain. According to large animal veterinarian Doug Corey, animals don't feel pain from a flank strap. The doctor likens it to "wearing a snug belt". Spurs are sometimes used in rodeo competitions; however, most people underestimate the thickness and toughness of a bull's hide. The spurs don't cause pain to the animal but are used instead to add style points during a ride.