Why do some of the riders pull the bull's horns to the side when in the chute?
You might have noticed that the bulls often look toward the arena while the rider is getting himself situated. The bulls are ready to go, full of adrenaline, and focused on getting out of the chute. But when a bull looks in one direction, he leans in the other. If he's looking toward the arena he is probably leaning against the inner side of the chute, making it impossible for the rider to get his inside leg in position. When they pull the bull's horns away from the arena, it's to make him stop leaning. Kind of like a steering wheel. But unlike a steering wheel, it only works occasionally.
In addition to leaning, the bulls sometimes crouch down in the chute. All of which may lead to the slapping of the bull's back to get his attention and make him shift position. Truthfully, some of the riders are gentler at this than others. Some pat, some slap, some pull, some scratch gently. It depends on the rider, and maybe even on the bull. Now, these bulls are huge and they are strong and they have a thick hide and hard muscles. I doubt that any of this hurts them in the least and, to some of them, it appears not to make any difference at all. They just want the rider off.
Photo copyright Steve Lovegrove, fotolia.com
