Bull riding is one of the few rodeo sports that hasn’t developed over time from a task or skill required to work on a ranch in the old days but over time, it has developed into one of the most popular sports at the rodeo. Part of the excitement for competitors and fans alike is the exhilaration one must feel when trying to tame an animal as large and dominating as a bull. Everyone knows what could possibly happen as far as negative thoughts go but we still have many cowboys that want to try their hand at riding the wild animal. To start, the rider mounts the bull and holds onto a rope that is tight, but not tied, around the bull. Depending on how much the rider spurs the bull, it will kick and jump and do anything in its power to try and buck the rider off. The cowboy can only use his one hand with the other flying in the air and must stay in the bull for the full eight seconds in order to register a valid score. The score is determined in two ways with half the score coming from how much the bull bucks and the other half determined by the cowboy’s dominance and control over the animal.