Bulls and Bucks at the Longhorn

Friday night saw 11 regulars on the books, joined by

two newcomers to the Longhorn. Most of

the bulls in the pen were young and new to indoor arenas. It looked from the

start that anything could happen. It did.

New rider Jarred Schuelke drew bull 101. Both were

first timers at the Longhorn. It proved to be a good paring to open the second

round of the winter session. 101 is a heavy bull with stocky legs. As the

gateman eased the chute gate open, 101 eased out and went into a hard up and

down move that would have given any rider a jolt. Schuelke hung on. The second

move by the bull ended with his hind end in the air and the hind legs kicked

straight out fast and hard. That was the beginning of the end. Schuelke hung

on, but that was about all he could do. His command of the ride was gone. At

about the six second mark on the watch he slipped off. As he regained his feet

and started to the fence, 101 turned, lowered his head and almost caught Schuelke

in the left leg. The collision did not happen and Schuelke made it to the

fence.

Keegan LaBry was the second out. Bull V72 popped out

and somehow LaBry got off balance. From three seconds on it was a wreck in

progress. LaBry, a left hand rider, went off of the bull’s right side. That caused

the worst or best hang-up; however you want to score it, of the night. LaBry

was so hung that the bull kept him in the air for most of the time the wreck

went on. Bull fighter Bubba Tacker was joined by Randon Cherry, a bull rider

that is attempting to become a bullfighter. LaBry’s ride was a good break in

for Cherry. Both bullfighters were moving in, attempting to unhang LaBry. Nothing

worked. V72 was spinning and moving too fast and hard. LaBry was flapping in

the wind like an old wet bed sheet. It just kept happening until the god of the

ride decided to loosen the rope holding LaBry’s hand and he was able to get

free. Tacker caught LaBry and Cherry distracted V72 and led him away from the

rider. All ended well. LaBry spent the rest of the night perched by the chutes

watching the rest of the riders.

Dillon McNeil broke the jinx when he covered H35 and

earned 79 points. H35 is a solid black bull that weighs in at about 1600

pounds, but moves like a black cat with a firecracker tied to his tail. McNeil

kept his seat and posture and commanded the ride. It was a solid ride.

Unfortunately there were better rides down the road.

Timmy Faul, the hard-luck rider did his usual two

good counter moves and then went to the familiar left side. He slid off of bull

4 and the bad happened. He could not get back on his feet and 4 stepped on him

a couple of times and then turned and lowered his head, plowed into Faul and

played “roll the rider”. It was a slick roll of a rider by a bull. Tacker and

Cherry got in quick and got 4 headed to the exit gate.

Chris Coody, who has the biggest collection of

Longhorn buckles among the riders, was not in buckle contention Friday night.

Coody lost his concentration for a flash of a second. That was all it took to

lose the whole ride. Coody’s left leg lost its grip and the rest of the body

followed. As Coody bucked off his right spur hung in the hand rope and jerked

the “you-know-what “out of the leg. The worst injury, however, was a cut over

his left ear. Coody went home with empty pockets, but a free bandage.

Nathan Dupry’s bull headed out of the chute with one

short hop and then ran straight at the fence. Dupry dismounted and landed on

both feet, hung on the fence and looked shocked. It all happened in about three

seconds. It was one of the strange things that happen in bull riding.

Josh Barrentine and Sterling Johnson were the next

two riders. Both of them covered and scored 89 points. That would earn them a

tie for first place and $308.

Jacob Constance put a whippin’ on bull 83 and earned

85 points. That gave him third place and $154.

Overall it was a good night. It was a mix of rides and wrecks. Six riders

covered their bulls out of the 13 entered. The crowd was loud and liked the

action. As the winter goes on and the riders and the bulls get to know each

other it should get even better.

Rodeo Director Coleman Peveto brought back the

Calcutta. In a Calcutta the bidders “buy” a rider. If your rider wins, you

win. It is a low key auction. This night

the bids ran from $15 on Murphy and Dupry to $120 on Barrentine. The unique

thing about a Calcutta is that a rider can bid on himself. Barrentine bought

himself and in a twist of fate won the bull riding. That meant he also won the

Calcutta and pocketed another $230 for the night.

Danny Malone had bid $60 on Johnson and also won the

$230 for the first place in the Calcutta.

Connie Wood had bid $55 on Constance and that earned

her $115 in the Calcutta.

The Friday night crowds are getting bigger and the

dance floor is in good shape for before and after bull riding action.

Be sure to check out the Longhorn advertisement in

the Record Newspapers to stay up on New Year’s Eve action and all the

entertainment news at the ‘Horn.