The first thing you notice about those reckless horsemen you see on television is their bravery. Most of us wouldn’t even consider strapping on top of a monstrous bull and holding on for our lives. Obviously, to be a rider you need a certain attitude and personality.
After we stopped thinking about how brave those guys on the back of the bulls really are, we started to notice their gear. A complete collection of bull riding gear includes a number of different items. Let’s look at some of the most important pieces.
Headgear: Some riders will wear a protective helmet. This outfit isn’t as attractive as a traditional cowboy hat, but it will do a much better job of preventing concussions and preventing other head injuries. Unfortunately, it seems that many riders are more concerned with looking good than ensuring the safety of their heads. Most professional motorcyclists do not wear readily available protective helmets.
Gloves – Bull riders often wear thick leather gloves on their dominant hand. The gloves give them a better grip when gripping the bull’s rope during those intense eight seconds on the bull’s back. There is another reason for those leather gloves: they serve to protect fingers and hands from injury.
Bull Rope: Bull Rope is that little piece of rope with a leather handle that riders hold onto while bouncing up and down on the bull.
Chaps: Chaps don’t really make much sense for bull riding, when you think about it. After all, it’s not like your average PBR competition plans to ride through tall bushes for eight seconds. However, you will see many cyclists wearing chaps. They do it mainly because the guys provide them with the equivalent of a small clothing billboard that their sponsors can advertise on. Theoretically, they could repel the horns of a charging bull, but they are primarily an advertising opportunity.
Boots – Boots protect toes from mess. They are also made to keep the spurs in place. Even if the boots had no practical function, they would still be more rigorous bull riding gear. After all, who can imagine a useless cowboy or rider?
That’s a rundown of the basic bull riding gear. As you can see, we list some special items that are unique to this sport. In general though, there really aren’t a lot of special equipment for riding bulls. The most important thing a rider can bring to an event has long been, and still is, belief in himself. That confidence will generally play a bigger role in determining a winner than any other piece of bull riding equipment you can think of.