Brad Scott knows a thing or two about professional bull riding.
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He has spent 15 years competing on the Australian, Canadian and American rodeo circuits.
His career was highlighted with many victories, including the winning of four Australian titles and five Australasian titles.
Drawing on these experiences, Scott recently released his first book, The Official Bull Riders Guide.
The aim of the book is to aid riders through the learning curve and to provide an insight into the sport.
“It is a very technical sport,” Scott said.
“It is not just jumping on a bull and hanging on.
“You need to be mentally prepared when you’re getting on a bull that weighs a thousand kilos and has never been ridden before, you need to have a good mindset,” Scott said.
Bull riding is often compared to Russian roulette because it is a case of when you will be injured – not if.
Whilst Scott had a highly successful career that ran longer than most, it wasn’t without incident.
“I had one major accident, a bull stepped on me in the States, after coming off, and put me on life support for 14 days,” Scott said.
“I had a flail chest, broke all my ribs, back and front.
“Luckily I was very fit at the time and after eight months I was back riding again.”
Scott also teaches at clinics held in New Zealand, New Caledonia and various locations throughout Australia.
“The rider who holds the highest score for bull riding in Australia was a past student of mine, others have gone on to become champions and ride in the USA,” Scott said.
Attendees of his clinics are not always your typical cowboys though.
“Recently a guy who was a paramedic in his early 40s came along and wanted to ride a bull as part of his bucket list,” Scott said.
“The beauty of my clinics, especially the beginner ones, is that they are very controlled.
“Clients ride stock that are nothing like what you would see at a rodeo but they still experience the same adrenaline rush.”
A professional rider is aiming for around eight seconds on the back of a bull.
Judges also look for how aggressively he rides and how well the bull bucks.
“Bull riding is addictive,” Scott said.
“That rush, walking into the arena with the hair standing up on the back of your neck, the anticipation of what comes next, that’s what it’s all about.”
