The bullrope is a thickly braided rope with a cowbell attached. The cowbell acts as a weight, allowing the rope to safely fall off the bull when the ride is over. The rosin is a sticky substance that increases the grip on their ropes. Bull riders wrap their bullrope around the bull and use the remainder to wrap around their hand tightly, trying to secure themselves to the bull. Bull riders ride with one hand and cannot touch themselves or the bull with the free hand. Doing so results in a no score. Bull riding requires balance, flexibility, coordination, and courage. Facing down a two-thousand pound bull takes as much mental preparation as it does physical ability.
http://rodeo.about.com/cs/bullriding/a/bullbasics.htm
http://www.c-trodeo.com/midwinter.htm
Pacu Jawi
Cattle racing, or Pacu Jawi, is a traditional post harvest festival in West Sumatra. An intense event, riders hang tight to wooden yokes splattered with slippery mud and hope that the cattle runs straight down the track. Competition rules permit a "turbo bost", where riders bite hard on the tails of the galloping animals to gain speed. The main purpose of the race is for farmers to demonstrate the strength of their bulls to possible purchasers.
The only thing stranger than the name is the picture. This man is tightly gripping a cattle's tail between his teeth in order to have an extra spurt forward. This sport is not only as difficult as bull riding but I believe it i much harder. Bull riders only have one bull and although it's thrashing around every which way, the participants in Pacu Jawi have two cattle and are holding on to two mud-soaked handles. They are also balancing on a small piece of a wooden board which is basically irrelevant because it is so small.
This is amazing because not only are they holding on for dear life, they are also trying to not fall onto the muddy ground. With the strength required to hold on, the balance required to stay on the board, and the willingness to get a 'turbo boost,' it is amazing people are able to actually do all of this. We should commend them for their strength, balance, and willingness.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/travel/daredevil-indonesian-mud-cow-racing-shows-low-tech-races-can-still-be-fun/story-e6frg3tu-1226496089272
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/2012/entries/192052/view/
Mutton Busting
Mutton busting is the new activity in junior rodeo, where parents pay money for their two- to six-year-olds to climb on top of a sheep and try to hang on as long as they can as it tries to get them off! Imagine bronco riding with no ropes, spurs, saddles and all riders have to be under 60 pounds!
Solely from looking at the rules and the picture, this seems like childs-play compared to bull riding. But it isn't. I understand that there is no bull and only a sheep, but now instead of having a 30-year-old man, it's a small child. They are only six-years-old and for them, it's very difficult. Since their muscles haven't fully developed, this is the equivalent of bull riding. These children are holding on with the tenacity of a fully developed bull rider. Plus, the kids also do not have the luxury of having something to hold. There is no rope or spurs or foot holder. It is simply a sheep and a kid. We should commend them for their strength and determination to hold on.
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-mutton-busting-new-activity-junior-rodeo
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