Bull riding events come in two flavors. In a classical Professional Bull Riders (PBR) event, a rider tries to stay on a bull for 8 s. After a ride, the bull gets a score between zero and 50, and the rider gets a personal score between zero and 50. The two scores are then added together and compared to the scores of other riders. The champions at PBR events typically score in the 90s.

In a “futurity” American Bucking Bulls (ABBI) event, a Central Texas Products bucking dummy—which is a 35-pound steel container—replaces the rider. After 6 s, the bucking dummy is released to simulate a rider being thrown off. The bull is then scored on a scale of zero to 50. If a bull scores a five, he’s destined for a short life as fast food. A score of 40 or higher means he’s destined to work in an arena and spend his retirement as a stud. The bull is rated on how he bucks, kicks, and spins. A bull fouls by bumping the gate, falling down, or stumbling. The judges may grant a rider an opportunity to repeat his ride (it’s called a “reride”) if his bull fouls.

A bucking dummy is a training device that you strap to the back of a bull to give him the sensation that someone is on his back. This gives the bull his cue to buck.

My bucking dummy contains an optional timer to automatically release the dummy after 1 to 10 s. It also has a radio-controlled release switch. The timer and release mechanism are mounted in a heavy-gauge steel box to protect the innards from damage when they bounce off of a bull’s head or land under a hoof. This bull-proof box is an ideal enclosure for the bull-based testing of electronic devices.