Bucking Bulls.............

In high school on the Great Plains I rode some bucking horses but never rode a bucking bull. With bareback and saddle bronc bucking horses you have something to hang on to besides a rope. Bull ropes weren't my idea of a great tool. I was always too scared. I was lacking the courage and guts factor. The bulls were too big, too fast, too unpredictable and it was too easy to get seriously hurt. These days the bucking bulls are better, much better. Sure the cowboys are better but the athleticism of the bulls has improved. How do these cowboys stay on for 8 seconds? They know the bull. The know how the bull has bucked in the past. They know how the bull has bucked the last few times out. They talk to the cowboys that have had to ride the bull recently. The PBR is a fraternity, similar to the crowd down on the corner of Wall and Broad. Some cowboys have video tapes of the bulls bucking action. If you don't know how the bull is going to buck before he comes out of the chute generally a cowboy doesn't have a very good chance to stay on and make any money.

How do I get a video tape of the market ahead of time? Who can I talk to about what it might or might not do? I've found that talking to other market "riders" doesn't make me much money. It seems to be what's under my hat that counts, how I approach my "ride" and the amount of preparation I have invested. And as always, staying sharp, staying in the game and "riding" every day are paramount.

And some times good old fashioned courage comes into play, the guts factor. A good bull rider needs to know when and how to dismount from a bull if he makes the whistle. No one in the arena can help him, it's all up to him. As well using all the available tools for trading is smart and beneficial.

It's the courage and guts parts that can't be bought.