Chicken on a Chain

You may be asking, "Who is Chicken on a Chain?"

He's my favorite rank bull right now on the PBR tour!

In the picture above, he is being ridden by bull rider, J.B. Mauney, last month in New York.

I know it may come as a surprise, but Brian and I have recently taken to watching bull riding on TV once a week or so. We DVR the PBR and then watch it when we have down time together.

This past Saturday night after we returned home from B Street Theatre and dinner, Brian and I settled in on the sofa for some bull riding action. It's fascinating to me that week in and week out these young (and not so young) men willingly and courageously jump on the backs of the world's best bucking bulls. And some of them like J.B. Mauney, make it look SO easy!

I don't have any favorite bull riders (yet); I'm an equal opportunity cheerleader. In fact, I find myself saying things like "Hold on, buddy!" or "You're almost there!" as the eight second mark approaches, especially if it looks as if the rider is going to fall off prematurely. (I've never been one to yell at the TV, but apparently, bull riding brings out that side of me!) And I cringe each time a rider's head narrowly misses the bull's horns or a rider is thrown to the ground and the bull steps on him. There's no doubt bull riding is a dangerous sport!

As a total newbie to bull riding, I've gleaned a few things about the sport from my recent viewings.

For instance, did you know that not only the bull rider receives a score, but so does the bull?

The rider can receive up to 50 points, and the bull receives up to 50 points.

And even if the rider gets bucked off before 8 seconds, the bull still receives a score.
Who knew?!

(For more bull riding basics, head over to PBR's website.)

And while I'm sure you're greatly intrigued by these bull riding 101 facts, the main reason I wanted to write a post on bull riding was to share a few of the bull's names...because they totally cracked me up! :-)

Chicken on a Chain
Bones
I'm a Gangster
Say I Won't Gunner
Voodoo Child
What I Say
Troubadour
Little Mr. T (Is there anything little about a 2,000 pound bull?)
California Dreaming
Red Bull
Scene of a Crash (Haha!)
Party Time
Beer Goggles

And that's no BULL! (I just couldn't resist!)
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Oh, and one more thing...happy birthday to my dad, whose nickname is Fat Bull!