[March 1, 2016] College football coach “Bear” Bryant once said that it’s not the will to win that matters, “it’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” Although a great football coach, Bryant would also have made an exceptional bronco riding coach because preparation is the key to staying on a wildly bucking horse and do so with style.
The responsibility humans have over animals is a rarely discussed topic and as w
e become more urbanized (some of my friends call it “citified”), the less likely we will discuss it. Sadly, as the world moves away from rural life the more it moves away from animals; as pets, entertainment, work, and war. All the more reason that I highlight one of my personal favorite sports; manly bronco riding.
I say manly because it takes a physically strong and powerfully willed person to prepare for and ride an unbroken horse. Today, bronco riding is normally done bareback on a horse (called a bronc or bronco) but originated as an important working cowboy skill. To prepare for the event the participant must undergo vigorous exercises that toughens the body joints and strengthens muscles. Being young helps and there are few riders who are over the age of 30.
There are rules, the most important being able to stay on the bucking horse for eight seconds. That may seem like a short time but the great strength of a half-ton, pissed-off animal is a long time. Bucking horses are usually castrated males but the modern bronco is no longer truly feral since most are specifically bred for the sport. They are expensive and well-taken care of by their owners.
If you want to see a bronco rider in action, see the following short YouTube video, 17 seconds: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bucking+bronco&&view=detail&mid=EC55C37B55567717E2E1EC55C37B55567717E2E1&rvsmid=EC55C37B55567717E2E1EC55C37B55567717E2E1&FORM=VDMCNL&fsscr=0
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