The Mismatch Between Bulls and Riders Is Getting Bigger, Thanks to Genetics

The improvement in bulls presents a challenge to riders, who are produced the old-fashioned way.

“I’ve been saying for 20 years: They better start breeding cowboys,” said Roddy Coquat, a rider turned judge.

Riders grow up hearing about the death of Lane Frost, whose broken ribs pierced his heart and lungs at an event in Wyoming in 1989. After that, P.B.R., the professional bull riding circuit, mandated the use of protective vests. Many riders now wear helmets, too, though they are not required for anyone born before Oct. 15, 1994. Still, deaths persist. Most recently, Amadeu Campos Silva, a 22-year-old Brazilian rider, died after being stomped by a bull at a 2021 P.B.R. event in Fresno, Calif.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/sports/bull-riding-rodeo.html