History of Bull Riding and the PBR

Introduction

Bull riding is one of the most distinctive American West sporting traditions, with continuous documented practice from late 19th century American West ranching origins through the modern Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. The bull riding tradition has been shaped by American West cowboy tradition, Mexican Charrería tradition (with jineteo de toro as one of the nine traditional charreada events), and Brazilian Vaquejada tradition (the Brazilian Northeast rodeo tradition that produced extraordinary Brazilian bull riders). The modern global bull riding landscape is anchored by the Professional Bull Riders (PBR, established 1992), the PBR World Finals (held annually in Las Vegas since 1994), the PBR international circuits including PBR Brazil, PBR Canada, and PBR Australia, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding events including the National Finals Rodeo bull riding, and other principal bull riding competitions. This article surveys the full history of bull riding from American West ranching origins through the modern global circuit.

American West Origins

Bull riding extends from American West ranching origins, with documented competitive practice from the late 19th century. Early American West bull riding emergence developed from the cowboy ranching tradition, with cowboys' various ranch contests including bronc riding, roping, and bull handling and riding contests. The 1888 Prescott Frontier Days bull riding inclusion was one of the earliest documented competitive bull riding events. The 1897 Cheyenne Frontier Days bull riding inclusion extended the modern competitive bull riding tradition. The 1936 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association establishment by professional cowboys at the Boston Garden Rodeo organized the principal American professional rodeo sanctioning body, with PRCA bull riding being one of the principal PRCA events. PRCA Bull Riding World Champions across the 1930s through 1980s included Bill Linderman, Jim Shoulders (the 7-time PRCA World Champion All-Around Cowboy and principal 1950s bull rider), Larry Mahan (6-time PRCA World Champion All-Around Cowboy), Don Gay (the 8-time PRCA Bull Riding World Champion across 1974-1984), Cody Custer, Charles Sampson, and Tuff Hedeman (4-time PRCA Bull Riding World Champion).

PBR Founding in 1992

The 1992 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) founding by Adriano Moraes, Cody Custer, Tuff Hedeman, Cody Lambert, and others established the principal professional bull riding sanctioning body separate from the PRCA. The PBR founding cowboys invested $1,000 each (totaling $20,000 across the 20 founding cowboys) to establish the PBR organization. The 1994 first PBR World Finals at Las Vegas established the principal modern PBR World Finals tradition. The 1994 first PBR World Champion was Adriano Moraes of Brazil, beginning the Brazilian PBR dominance. The PBR commercial and broadcast partnerships have continued through subsequent decades. The Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena (subsequently the Michelob Ultra Arena) hosting of the PBR World Finals has continued through subsequent decades.

The Brazilian Bull Riding Dominance

The Brazilian bull riding dominance through subsequent decades has produced extraordinary results. The Brazilian PBR World Champions across the 1994-2024 period established the principal modern Brazilian bull riding tradition. Adriano Moraes (born 1970), the Brazilian bull rider, produced one of the most extraordinary individual bull riding careers in any era — the 1994, 2001, and 2006 PBR World Champion (the most PBR World Championships by any bull rider in any era through 2024). Moraes's subsequent PBR Hall of Fame induction in 2011 extended the Moraes legacy. Silvano Alves (born 1987), the Brazilian bull rider, produced extraordinary results — the 2011, 2012, and 2014 PBR World Champion. Other Brazilian PBR World Champions include Renato Nunes (the 2010 PBR World Champion), Guilherme Marchi (the 2008 PBR World Champion), Robson Palermo, Valdiron de Oliveira, Paulo Crimber, José Vitor Leme (born 1996, the 2020 and 2021 PBR World Champion), Eduardo Aparecido (the 2023 PBR World Champion), and others.

American PBR Champions

American PBR World Champions include Justin McBride (the 2005 and 2007 PBR World Champion), Chris Shivers (the 2000 and 2003 PBR World Champion), Cody Lambert (one of the PBR founders), Tuff Hedeman (the 1995 PBR World Champion and PBR co-founder), Mike White, Mike Lee (the 2004 PBR World Champion), J.B. Mauney (the 2013 and 2015 PBR World Champion), Cooper Davis (the 2016 PBR World Champion), Jess Lockwood (the 2017 and 2019 PBR World Champion, the youngest PBR World Champion at age 20 in 2017), Sage Steele Kimzey (the 7-time PRCA Bull Riding World Champion across 2014-2024, the most PRCA Bull Riding World Championships since Don Gay), and others. The J.B. Mauney's 2023 PBR retirement, subsequent to injury concerns, extended the Mauney legacy. The Sage Steele Kimzey's 2024 PRCA Bull Riding World Championship (his 7th) extended the Kimzey dominance.

PBR Competition Structure

The PBR competitive structure includes the PBR Unleash The Beast (the principal PBR top-tier series), the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (the PBR developmental series), the PBR Touring Pro Division, the PBR Team Series (established 2022 as the principal PBR team-based competition), and other PBR competitive events. The PBR Team Series principal teams include the Arizona Ridge Riders, Austin Gamblers, Carolina Cowboys, Florida Freedom, Kansas City Outlaws, Missouri Thunder, Nashville Stampede, New York Mavericks, Oklahoma Wildcatters, and Texas Rattlers. The PBR World Finals, held annually at the Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena (subsequently Michelob Ultra Arena), is the principal annual PBR championship. PBR international expansion includes the PBR Brazil circuit (established 1995), PBR Canada circuit (established 1996), PBR Australia circuit (established 2003), and other PBR international circuits through subsequent decades.

Bull Riding Technique and Equipment

Modern competitive bull riding technique involves the cowboy riding a bucking bull for eight seconds with one hand on a bull rope (a braided rope around the bull's chest behind the front legs), with the free hand not allowed to touch the bull or rope. The bull rope includes the principal bull rope handle, the rope tail, and resin and rosin applications to improve grip. The competitive bull rider must remain mounted for eight seconds and complete various scoring criteria including spurring action, balance, and body control. The competitive bull riding scoring system involves two judges scoring the cowboy from 0-25 points each (totaling 0-50 points) and two judges scoring the bull from 0-25 points each (totaling 0-50 points), with the total combined score (0-100 points) determining the winning ride. Competitive bull riding equipment includes the bull rope, cowboy hat (or more recently the bull riding helmet), protective vest, bull riding gloves, and bull riding chaps. The 2013 PBR mandatory helmet requirement for bull riders born after October 15, 1994 extended the PBR bull riding safety regulations.

Bull Riding Animal Welfare

Bull riding animal welfare has continued to be subject to debate through subsequent decades. The PBR and PRCA bull riding animal welfare regulations include veterinary supervision requirements, bull handling regulations, bull buck-out regulations, and other animal welfare regulations. The Humane Society of the United States, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and other organizations have continued to advocate for bull riding animal welfare reforms. The bull breeding tradition for competitive bull riding has substantially developed through subsequent decades. Bucking bull breeding operations and bucking bull bloodlines have continued through subsequent decades. Principal modern bucking bull bloodlines include the famous Bushwacker (the retired bull and subsequent bucking bull sire), Bodacious (the 1990s legendary bucking bull), Asteroid, Mick E Mouse, Smooth Operator, and others. The continued bucking bull breeding tradition through subsequent decades has continued through subsequent decades.

Bull Riding Globalization

The modern global bull riding circuit has substantially developed through subsequent decades. The PBR Brazil circuit (established 1995) has been the principal Brazilian professional bull riding circuit. The PBR Canada circuit (established 1996) has been the principal Canadian professional bull riding circuit. The PBR Australia circuit (established 2003) has been the principal Australian professional bull riding circuit. Various PBR international circuits across Mexican, Argentine, Chilean, and other countries have continued through subsequent decades. Bull riding broadcast tradition through subsequent decades has continued. CBS Sports, RidePass, and other bull riding broadcast partnerships have continued through subsequent decades. The PBR's 2007 acquisition by Spire Capital Partners, 2015 acquisition by WME-IMG (subsequently Endeavor), and 2024 subsequent corporate ownership transitions have continued through subsequent years.

Bull Riding Culture

Bull riding culture extends substantially beyond the competitive bull riding tradition. Bull riding cultural traditions through subsequent decades have continued. Bull riding cultural references including bull riding films, bull riding documentaries, bull riding country music traditions, and other bull riding cultural references have continued. Cowboy fashion traditions, cowboy hat traditions, cowboy boot traditions, and other bull riding cultural traditions have continued. The 8 Seconds (the 1994 film about Lane Frost, the 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion who died from injuries sustained during the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days bull riding event) extended the bull riding cultural prominence. The Yellowstone television series and contemporary Western television series have extended the contemporary bull riding cultural prominence. The 2017 Cody Lambert and other PBR documentary projects have continued through subsequent decades.

The Future of Bull Riding, Conclusion, and Sources

The future of bull riding faces significant questions in the third decade of the twenty-first century. The continued PBR development, PRCA bull riding development, PBR Team Series development, PBR international expansion, broadcast development, globalization of the bull riding talent pool, animal welfare reforms, and other developments will continue to shape the bull riding landscape. The continued growth of the global professional bull riding circuit will continue through subsequent decades. PBR Unleash The Beast, PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, PBR Touring Pro Division, PBR Team Series, PRCA bull riding events including the National Finals Rodeo bull riding, and other competitive events will continue through subsequent decades. Individual bull riding figures will continue to shape the bull riding tradition. The continued careers of José Vitor Leme, Eduardo Aparecido, Sage Steele Kimzey, Jess Lockwood, Cooper Davis, Daylon Swearingen, Kaique Pacheco, João Ricardo Vieira, and many others will continue to shape the bull riding legacy. Yet the basic principle of bull riding — the fundamental Western ranching tradition that has underpinned the American and Brazilian Western cultural traditions since the 19th century American West ranching emergence — has shaped the Western cultural tradition for more than 130 years and shows no sign of fading. Sources include: Tuff Hedeman with Joe Bell, Tuff Hedeman: Letting Go and Holding On (Bright Sky Press, 2010); Doug Cohen, The Cowboy Up: Anatomy of a Bull Rider (Skyhorse, 2014); BBC Sport coverage, bbc.co.uk/sport; PBR archives, pbr.com; PRCA archives, prorodeo.com.