I loved the way this Brahman mix bull stared at me. As with the majority of the bulls used for bucking in rodeos, they have been morphed into a Heinz 57 variety. This fellow obviously has Brahman in him, i.e., huge hump over the shoulders, loose skin, particularly the folds of skin under the chin. The original bucking bulls were either a mix of Brahman/Longhorn and commonly referred to as Plummer, such as this bull.
Bull riding has proudly boasted over 500 million viewers world-wide. Those bulls that do make it into serious competition are usually descendants of proven bucking bulls. They are also well-fed, well-trained, and breeders will tell you they are members of the family. One can pay $50,000 or so in a half interest.
As far as members of the family, bulls that have made it to the top of the heap have been known to solicit bottled water, as opposed to drinking water from a hose. I had a horse like that once. Any show he went to, his water had to come along with him. There is also the story of a famous bull who looked forward to going to Ihop every Sunday for waffles.
Now comes the truly incredible part. Look at these two brahman mix breed bulls playing or rather sparring. You have there in front of you approximately 4 thousand pounds of twisted blue steel and sheer strength having a great time honing their skills, defining who they are. They seem to be moving with the grace of ballet dancers, eyes penetrating their foe, sort of arm wrestling, with one not willing to give an inch to the other one. Everybody wants to be a winner. They do what animals do; it’s a territorial issue.