Rodeo 101: Bull Riding
Bull riding stands as the rodeo’s most dangerous event. In the chute, the bull rider positions himself atop the bull, securing a braided rope around the bull’s girth. He then loops the rope around his hand, gripping it tightly in his palm. While spurring is optional, the primary aim for the cowboy is to endure for eight seconds without making contact with himself, his gear, or the bull using his free hand.
The cowboy earns high marks for maintaining central balance on the 2000-pound bull and exhibiting full control throughout the ride. Once the mandatory eight seconds pass, two judges evaluate the ride’s difficulty, considering the bull’s various movements like spinning (recorded up to 5 G Forces on a spinning bull), jumping, kicking, lunging, rearing, and side-to-side motion, alongside assessing the cowboy’s level of control. The Bull Riding is the only event that has a recorded 100-point score.
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2025 Winner: Beau Gerdner
Bull Riding: Beau Gardner Wins, Jordan Hansen Takes Second, and the Bulls Shine
The quality of the field is always a headline at the Cloverdale Rodeo, but the stock is equally renowned. In true Cloverdale fashion, the bulls were fresh and feisty for the final in front of a sold out crowd. By the time Beau Gardner got into the chute for the seventh ride of the finals to take on Fallen Angel, yet another CFR bull, only one rider, Jordan Hansen, had managed to hold on for the full eight seconds. Gardner looked solid before sliding off the back of the bull just as the buzzer sounded. After a long pause, the official timer gave the thumbs up and a score of 89-points was announced to a huge cheer from the Cloverdale faithful. Gardner only had to wait on one more ride before hearing his name officially announced as the 2025 Cloverdale Rodeo champion, but he had to wait a bit longer to see how much he’d take home in winnings; only two riders turned in a score, so Gardner ended up with a Cloverdale record $30,500 for his finals performance.
“Aw man, I’m ecstatic,” Gardner exclaimed after receiving his Cloverdale champion’s spurs. “I’ve been dreaming of coming to this rodeo for a long time and to get it done was pretty rad.” When asked how it felt to compete in Cloverdale, Gardner summed up the sentiment of the entire field when he put it simply, “You guys are awesome. Thank you so much!”
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