Walk This Way
a tale of a bull

By Susan Kanode

Volume I, Chapter III

 

I'd have to admit that Del Rio, Texas looks pretty good right now.

We came back here after the Dale Jr. Clash in Charlotte, N.C. and surprise surprise, there’s green grass at the Bad Company Rodeo headquarters.

We got to enjoy that grass before heading to Oklahoma for the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Series. Our first stop was in Guthrie for the open bull riding, then Oklahoma City for the championship.

When we got there, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. That Lazy E Arena is one nice place and when I looked out of the trailer all I could see were trailers. I don’t think I’ve been to any competition where there were so many bulls.

I heard there were over 250 bulls at the Lazy E. Now that’s a lot of beef.  We all bucked at the open bull riding first where I drew Thomas Bert from California. That guy is tall and he has some legs on him.

I’d never been around him before, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He settled down on my back and his spurs were hitting me clear down in my belly.

So, I’m in the box thinking if he can grip with those long legs and stay in the middle, this guy is going to ride me. Thomas Bert is not just legs. He has an upper body too and it all has to work together to make it to the whistle. He made it past the first jump, stayed with me a bit and at four seconds, he was out of there.

It didn’t take me long to get out of the arena and head back to the pen. We went outside and it’s snowing! We had a couple of days to play in the snow before going to the city for the championships.

I’m waiting for the final round of the championships back in the holding pen when I hear all kinds of racket. So I look around to see who is making the noise and it’s Kasey Hayes. .

That guy was mad because Copperhead Slinger had just bucked him off. He’s hitting chutes, slinging his bull rope and I’m thinking I pity the next bull that gets him.

Even though he bucked off Copperhead Slinger, Kasey had enough points to make it to the finals. And guess whose name is next to his on the list. That’s right. I’m the bull that I pity because I have some mad bull rider that’s going to stick it to me.

You might remember that I bucked him off in Massachusetts and I said I thought the next time he’d probably ride me. Well I was right again.

I even tried to intimidate him in the chutes, but nothing was getting to that mad Kansan. I got 45.25 points of the 88.25 point marking and Kasey got some money. Another job done and we loaded back on the trailer and headed back to the ranch.

It was almost two weeks before we competed anywhere again. We left Del Rio, stopped at the Davis Ranch and got on the truck to go to New Orleans

.            It was pretty amazing driving through the area and seeing the wrecks that Hurricane Katrina left. Looking through the trailer and seeing the damage made me appreciate having a home in Del Rio. It gets hot there, is dry and we have to look for green grass, but we don’t have to worry about hurricanes.

 

 
 

              All of the Bad Company Rodeo bulls were out the last day. Satan’s Own and Born To Boogie were in the second round. I got to go in the finals.

Satan’s Own bucked off Harve Stewart and Born To Boogie took Jason Bennett to a round win with an 88-point ride. When it came to be my turn, I got veteran Brian Herman.

            I was the first bull out in the finals. I had 14 great bulls to follow me so it was up to me to set the standard. That’s what I did bucking Brian off in 1.8 seconds.

            Don’t get me wrong, I wanted Brian to ride me and win the round. I like it when those guys stay on me longer. It gives the judges a better chance to see what I can do and most important to me, I get more camera time.

            Speaking of camera time, Versus used me for their bull profile during Oklahoma City. They don’t give us a TV in the pens, but I heard the guys talking about it. They said Adriano Moraes wants a shot at me. Mike White says I’m in a league of my own and that I’m phenomenal. I might be getting a big head.

            They interviewed Mike Lee and he said if you stub your toe, you’re going to get bucked off. He should know, I’ve bucked him off twice. Those guys are all great athletes. Us bulls, we watch them and talk about them too.

We talk about who we’d like to try to ride us and I really want to get Brian Canter again. I bucked him off last year in Fresno, Calif. He’s so little, he feels like a fly on my back. And just like some flies he’s pretty sticky.

 I’m known for my unpredictability. I don’t know what Brian would throw at me or what I’d throw back. I do know he’s aggressive and I’d do my job. It’d be a fun match-up for all the bull riding fans to see.

We’re back at the ranch now and waiting to go to Albuquerque for the Ty Murray Invitational. Ty has had some good things to say about me in the past and I’ll try to give him more to talk about again. We’ll be there March 30-April 1.

I want to wish my buddy Satan’s Own a happy birthday. We’ll probably celebrate in Albuquerque. He’ll be eight-years-old on April ninth.

Birthdays might not be a big deal for other bulls, but I’m always looking for a reason to have an extra measure of grain and throw my weight around a little. I’ll be celebrating mine at my home town PBR event in Del Rio.

My seventh birthday will be May 10. Just before that we’ll be at the 30th anniversary of the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding on May 5& 6. Guess what guys, I’m only seven, pretty sure I have a few more years to test your metal in the arena!

I hope everybody comes to Del Rio to see us. The George Paul is one of us bulls’ favorite events. It’s loud, it’s wild and most of all it’s at home. We get to share some of the hospitality that we get on the road with everyone else.

My name is Walk This Way and I am a bull with BADITUDE. 

 

You can now email me walkthisway@badcompanyrodeo.com

 

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 1

Click HERE to read Volume 1, Chapter 2