A Brand New Season

Billy-Bob start of 2008 season at BBar Ranch.

Billy-Bob started a brand new season in 2008 with excitement and a little fear.  Mike and I were hesitant to pay for his membership in the W.R.B.R.A and hesitant to find a sponsor for Billy-Bob.  We didn't want to end up like the first year and have him pull out after just a few rides.

One thing was good, he was still young enough to ride on sheep and not calfs yet.  Calfs buck, sheep run and occasionally jump.

One thing about bull riders, even the tiny ones, are the superstitions that develop over time.  Billy-Bob doesn't have any that revolve around his riding clothes, thank goodness, I can wash the clothes after each ride.  Some of the boys wear the same pants or shirt all season.  The clothes become filthy dirty, and sometimes ripped.  Some of the boy have religions symbols on their gear, some wear religious and secular medals, some have different bands over their vest and some have different rituals that they will do before each ride.  Billy-Bob has sheep wool in his vest pocket, for his luck.  He's even had one of the boy's ask "Do you have you're luck?"  In a sport that is dangerous even with safety equipment and bull fighters, judges, and arena men in the arena superstitions are a way for the riders to negate the danger.

For the sheep riders the danger is much less.  The sheep can run the kids into the chute, the gate, or into another sheep.  Billy-Bob's first injury came from being stepped on when his sheep ran between two others, leading to a scrape on his back.  There's also the bumps and bruises from falling off the sheep.  The goal is to ride until the bull fighter pulls you off but there's a lot of skills to put together for that to happen and the reality is falling of... a lot.

Billy-Bob had some other odd superstitions surrounding his rides.   He always looked for the same boys to help him in the chute.  He'd get jumpy if the sheep were rolled to many times.  Animals in the chutes are moved forward, rolled, into open chutes so that other animals can loaded from the alley.  This keeps the pace of the ride moving.  Billy-Bob also got nervous every time he thought he was going to have to ride the one black sheep that the assoc. had.  I really never figured that one out, it did have a tendency to jump when it first left the chute although I don't know if Billy-Bob was aware of that.  All he would tell me was "I don't want the black one, its tougher".

Billy-Bob insisted that I was the one to take him behind the chutes, get him signed in, and help him put on his gear.  Heaven forbid if Mike tried to help put on Billy-Bob's spurs.  Billy-Bob also developed a routine for getting ready.  He would have me hang out his chaps and vest.  I would also help Billy-Bob in getting his rope tied up so that the rope could be rosined.  We always arrived in time for Billy-Bob to get all of that done and then go and play with the other mutton busters.  I found that if we arrived to late to allow this down time Billy-Bob didn't do so well on his ride.

Billy-Bob still has his luck in his vest pocket even though he's moved into calfs.  I am sure he will develop more as the years go on and let others drop to the wayside.  Billy-Bob is already looking forward to the hand me down riding boots that are on their third rider.  They bring luck.

"See Mom I said I wouldn't be scared."

March 2008 before Billy-Bob quit.  It think at Lincoln, Ca.

Billy-Bob said, "Remember mom I said when I'm five I won't be scared" and he wasn't.  He didn't cry or scream or freak or try to climb off.  After Middletown Billy-Bob walked a little taller.  I think that Billy-Bob was proud of himself for conquering a fear.  I don't think that Billy-Bob would have termed it conquering a fear, I don't think he'd really understand that completely at the age of five.
To Billy-Bob, he was excited that he was riding, excited that he was seeing friends again, and excited to get a toy!   Mutton busting was something to do that was a combination of exciting and scary.  For Mike and I, mutton busting was something to keep Billy-Bob busy.
Billy-Bob is my active child, moving full speed from morning to night, his teacher this year calls Billy-Bob her squirrel.  An apropo nickname as we've often compared Billy-Bob to Hammie from "Over the Hedge".
Billy-Bob didn't crawl as a baby.  He did try to pull himself up a few times.  But at eight months and three days Billy-Bob stood up and ran.  He hasn't stopped since!
Billy-Bob exhibitioned in two more rides after Middletown before the season ended.  Billy-Bob never covered the rest of the year but he had a lot of fun and both of us learned.
For Billy-Bob there was the rush to get ready, the grand entry, and the rush to find his sheep.  For me there was a new routine and a lot to learn.
Just getting the sheep rope rosined is an artform in itself.  And trying to learn the knot was beyond me.  All rough stock ropes, from the sheep ropes all the way up to the bull ropes have to be tied in a knot, one that won't slip but is easy to adjust for the size of the animal.  Sometimes the ropes have to be tied into a double knot, which is not twice as hard to tie but about 100 more times harder to tie, if the animals are small for the rope.
Then there is the task of hanging the rope on the animal.  The bells go on the bottom and the rope has to go around but leave the room for the tail to come up to let the Billy-Bob take a wrap and still have excess left over.
Once that is all done it's time for Billy-Bob to climb down and get set.  Getting set is a skill that has to be developed but unfortunately I did not know what to teach.  So it wasn't until 2010's season, Billy-Bob's first on calfs, that Billy-Bob started to really learn what to do when in the chute and when it was time to go.  Normally other older boys helped Billy-Bob when he was riding sheep which was a good thing for Billy-Bob but unfortunately the older boys would contradict each other, which wasn't such a good thing.  Sometimes the dads would offer advice.  This was more helpful.
After those last few rides we had six months to get ready and prepare for the new season.
Then it was time to go and go we did!

First Ride

Billy-Bob's first ride was truly an adventure, not only for him but for us. 

We made arrangements to borrow gear for him and calling in his entry.  Getting a hotel room for the overnight for us and my in-laws and my mom and her boyfriend were driving up to watch. 

The ride was supposed to be at the Sheriff's Arena in Yuba City, a three hour drive for us, the end of June 2005.  When we pulled in there was a lady standing at the closed and locked gate with a small sheet of directions.  Something had happened with the insurance rider and with communication with the association so the ride had moved to someone's ranch in Wheatland, right off the busy two lane highway, about half an hour away.  This led to a bit of a confusion trying to find how to get from where we were to where we had to be.

We did make it and parked in the field across from the house area.  Billy-Bob was excited as we checked him in and wandered around to find the mom who was loaning us gear. 

I have to take a moment here to mention two things important but telling facts.  Billy-Bob was and still is a bit of a mama's boy and my husband, Mike, is a photographer.
The time came to get Billy-Bob read to go.  Get him in a helmet and vest with a sheep rope.
Then came the climbing over the fences to get to the back of the chutes.  Billy-Bob took that moment to freak out, daddy was definitely NOT going to be the one helping him, mommy was.  Mommy also made the mistake of promising to be with him the whole time.
  Still snuffling Billy-Bob was up and over the fence and a young bull rider offered to help us.
He told us that since it was Billy-Bob's first ride it would be ok if I got down in the chute with Billy-Bob along with the sheep, a dad who was going to help and the young man.  Everything started off ok but as the young man was giving Billy-Bob instructions, he started crying.  He didn't want to hold the rope with one hand.  He was panicking fast.

At that point there's a choice to be made, get him off and pass or have him ride.  I went with let him try.  He talked and talked and talked about riding bulls so this was a first step.  Some may think it was mean but after entry fees, a hotel room, and everyone making the drive, it was important that mom, dad, and especially Billy-Bob have the chance to find out if this sheep riding was something he was going to do again.

Boy have we had some trials to get to where we are now and this was the first.

 Of course toys always help!