Western sports bullfighters are sometimes called “the Secret Service of bull riding” – jumping into harm’s way just as highly trained agents would to protect the leader they serve.
Bullfighters similarly put life and limb on the line to protect riders who often wind up on the ground, prone to the stampeding animals.
The job requires more than oversized courage. Bullfighters are skilled athletes. They’re quick and agile, with the innate instincts to anticipate a bull’s next move and the ability to read their teammates’ next move to operate as a unit.
Today’s PBR bullfighters – the ultimate protectors – even look the part of top-level federal protectors in their striking U.S. Border Patrol uniforms.
At one time, however, the men on the dirt bore a closer resemblance to clowns, clad in hokey garb that could have been lifted from the wardrobe closet of the popular television show Hee-Haw.
