Well, it’s alllllmost time for the PBR to come to town!! And we couldn’t be more excited!! We loved watching it last year and can’t wait to find ourselves in the stands again this as the fireworks go off and the riders get ready to strap on the bulls that were born to buck!!!
Last year I was fortunate enough to chat with Zane Lambert { you can read it HERE } and this year, well, this year I took a slightly different approach as a nod to the handsome Mr. Byrne’s love of well-muscled bulls. I had the privilege of chatting with Jake Wilson, a stock handler on the PBR tour on the east coast, he is responsible for the bulls under his care through Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls.
So, what does it mean to be a stock handler? Essentially, Jake is the bulls’ coach, care giver, pen-cleaner and food provider. And that is no small task. These 1400-1600 lb beasts require a pile of food, lots of exercise and not to mention being carefully transported from event to event so they remain in prime condition and good health.
I’ll admit I was geeking out over all this. I guess I heard more of what Michael was talking about all those years!! Jake talked about the fact that bulls are bred from past top performers, the ability to be a good bull, a good bucker, if you will, is passed down through genetics. I asked if there was a specific beef breed represented in the bulls, but not really, the genetics are more about being a good bucking bull than keeping a breed’s blood lines pure. And the average age of these PBR bulls? They range in age of 4 to 7 years old. They start working with the promising bulls at about age 2. But if they won’t buck, they won’t buck. Some of them love to put on a good show and love to kick up their heels, and those are the prime bulls for bull riding.
These bulls eat a pile of food in the run of a day. They are fed a specially formulated ration of grain both morning and night, along with loads of hay. They are eating upwards of 38 lbs of food a day!! But these bulls are top performing athletes and need to be fueled for the job, too.
Jake had mentioned exercising the bulls and that really piqued my curiosity – how do you exercise a huge bull like these guys? I asked!! They do a warm-up of walking up and down an alley-way then some easy jogging, 4-6 bulls together at a time. After they are adquately warmed up, they are let loose in a larger square pen to ‘play’ in a pile of sawdust or sand for a while. Jake said it’s like watching kids get out on a playground, the running and digging that takes place!! Then they cool back down by walking and jogging again in the alley before going back to their pen.
The PBR has travelled east with a team of 47 bulls. They come from different stock contractors, each bull with it’s own stats and reputation within the bull riding circut. Each bull gets a rating and the top 10 bulls are the top picks of the riders when it comes time to draw for an event…much like the starting line up of any other athletic team.
When I asked Jake about whether or not he had a favourite { because, come on, who doesn’t have a favourite rodeo bull 😉 } he talked about Tykro Pound Sand. And guys, it was so neat to hear him get excited about this bull, about how he tries his best to shake that rider loose and if he can’t, then he’s going for the points. He’s top dog and he knows it.
I can appreciate the hard work that it takes behind the scenes to care for these bulls. In bull riding, you need a good bull to give you a good ride. And these athletes, both the two leged and fourlegged ones need to be in prime condition and well taken care of. And in Jake’s care, there’s no doubt these beasts are!
Colourfully yours,
Lori
PS if you want to go watch the bull-riding action this Saturday night in Halifax, buy your tickets HERE!!!
Disclaimer: I was provided with tickets and the chance to interview Jake Wilson by PBR Canada, but my take on it is just that 😉
