After my bad wreck trying to ride Danny Boy in Creedmore, NC, I wanted to see if I still had it; meaning was I still good at riding bulls because I was good at it despite my injuries. All in all, I did not get the chance to get on that many bulls because I was either too broke or too injured. That is the way it goes when you are starting out; it is trial and error, but I lived the cowboy lifestyle even though it was not the best time in my life.

I enrolled in a Bull Riding School outside of Concord, NC at Stegall’s Arena, and it was kind of expensive; I was making $5.15 an hour working at a Country-Western store, so I could not really afford it and I had to get a ride because of my 2nd DWI. I had just gotten out of prison and my room mate had arranged for us to move into a rented house after living in a run-down trailer that I am pretty sure was haunted.

Anyway, I showed up to the bull riding school ready to ride; I recognized the owner and the guy that was teaching at the school. I had heard from a friend that the guy teaching was a jerk, but he seemed okay to me. Jeff was the guy teaching, and I had seen him ride locally and with the Professional Bull Riders; I am guessing he rode with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, but I do not know.

There were not many bull riders at the school, and Jeff was probably perturbed about that fact. They loaded a couple bulls in the chutes and Jeff sat up on top of the chute gate and talked to us about some of the finer points of bull riding, and then he asked if there were any questions. I said, “You are pretty tall for a bull rider, so what do you do to compensate for that?” I am over six feet tall which is a little tall for a bull rider, but some of the best were a little on the tall side: Lane Frost, Tuff Hedeman, Jerome Davis, Owen Washburn, and Adriano Moraes are some names that come to mind because they are all World Champions.

The obvious answer to my question was to raise your knees depending on the size of the bull; I already knew the answer but I wanted to see if he knew something I did not. I believe I insulted him when I told him he was tall for a bull rider; why, I do not know, but I am starting to think because he had a lot of ego. Ever since I told Jeff he was tall he acted different toward me in a negative way. I suppose I could have apologized to Jeff, but at the time I was more concerned about riding.

There was a kid there at the school, and he might have been around fifteen years of age; he was good! I ended up riding 2 out of 4 bulls which was the best of anyone, yet Jeff gave the prize to the kid which was a belt buckle. I can not lie: I wanted the buckle, but I did not say anything because I thought it might help the kid. Even the owner thought I would get the buckle, as he was talking to me about getting it engraved for me, but I told him I was not sure if I would get the buckle.

The first bull I got on at the school I rode for the eight, and afterwards Jeff said I reminded him of Tuff Hedeman, and I just smiled and nodded my head. I think that rubbed Jeff the wrong way, but he did not know that Tuff was my favorite rider because I thought he had the best mechanics; I was not trying to be over-confident or anything like that.

I like to joke with Crystal that I am going to get one of my old buckles engraved some day because of that bull riding school where I won 1st place; I am not kidding either! I busted my butt and hurt my wrist at that bull riding school; I earned it. Well, that just goes to show you that you can not please every one, but you can walk away with your head up because you were the best for just a moment.

I quit riding after bull riding school because I did not have a driver license to drive myself to jackpot bull ridings, and I did not know many people or any people willing to take me. It makes me kind of sad when I look back on what might have been; so, if you see me wearing one of my cowboy hats and a pair of my boots do not be surprised because it is a part of me. I still have dreams about riding bulls to this day, and I often think about how far I have come since my bull riding days because that was two years of drinking, getting high, and being depressed. For those two years all I had was bull riding because I certainly was not following Jesus, but I am positive bull riding helped me get back to Him.

I suppose this is my last bull riding story. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Thanks for reading!

Take care and God bless!

Chris