Bucking bulls are becoming big business.Lots of money is distributed on the circuit thanks to major corporate backers like Ford Motor Company, and the price paid for top bulls can be amazing to those that haven’t been paying close attention.
Andee Lamoreaux can’t stop talking about the business as long as you can slow her down for a few minutes.Constantly on the phone, she’s tough to corner for even a few minutes.I managed a short conversation with her, thanks only to bad weather in the Midwest.She was trapped on the ground in Denver, waiting for a much-delayed flight to Dallas to attend a Bucking Bull event this weekend.
With lots of background noise including flight announcements and tired, screaming children, I managed to get a fascinating interview with her.
Q. Andee, you're general manager of American Bucking Bull Incorporated.What led you to that position?
A. I have been with Professional Bull Riders for nine-and-a-half years, working as the Executive Assistant to Randy Bernard, CEO.During that time, I was involved with a lot of the growth that PBR has seen.Also, within that time frame, I was tasked with the job of figuring out how to get the PBR bulls from the US to Chihuahua, MX for the BFTS event...and back. I was successful ...twice.
I grew up in the cattle industry and have a fairly good knowledge of the bulls, breeding and such.When this position became available after Finals, last year, Randy asked me if I would be interested in throwing my name into the hat for GM.I said I would be interested and they took me up on it.
Q. Exactly what is ABBI?
A. We run the bucking bull registry, similar to the Angus registry and, right now, we’ve got about 66,000 animals registered.It got started in 1994 with Bob Tolman’s rough stock registry. ABBI bought it a few years ago and we’ve managed it ever since.
Bucking bulls on the registry can come from any breed or cross breed but the best bulls are inbred.We’ve found they tend to have the biggest ‘heart’ and athletic ability.
Q. You consider bucking bulls to be athletes?
A. Absolutely.We came to that conclusion several years ago.Breeders began treating them like athletes, designing workout programs and special diets.They’ll exercise them in the pasture and make sure they’re getting a proper diet while on the road.
For instance, lots of breeders use Gatorade to keep the bulls hydrated.Bulls seem to like the taste and it’s especially important on the road.Some of the water in certain locations doesn’t taste right to a bull so he won’t drink it.As long as it’s flavored with Gatorade, though, he’ll drink it.
Q. The prices earned for bucking bulls are impressive.Tom Teague’s sale last month pulled in some big dollars. Tell me about the sale and the bulls.
A. Tom's sale was very impressive. I was not actually at the sale, but watched it on TV with interest.Here are the numbers, though:
Total Lots sold - 138 = $579,900 Average = $4,202.00
Lots with dna'd Sire & Dam - 52 Lots Average = $6,112.00
Lots with dna'd Sire OR Dam - 62 Lots Average = $3,339.00
Bred Cows - 19 Lots Average = $5,165.00
Open Cows - 29 Lots Average = $2,728.00
Pairs with Bull Calves - 33 Lots Average = $3,695.00
Pairs with Heifer Calves - 34 Lots Average = $2,706.00
Q. Andee, when you were visiting with my friend Dusty Markham at Cattlenetwork recently, you said the bucking bull industry was "growing very quickly." Can you put some numbers to that statement...just how quickly is it growing?
A. We have welcomed over 300 new members to ABBI, since the first of the year.Mostly new members and some that are coming back to active status again. We have registered almost 4,000 head since the first of the year also. We continue to look for new events, within the PBR tours, to provide a place for the 3-4 year old bulls to buck and we awarded over $372,000.00 in prize money at ONE Futurity event on May 31st. 1st place check was for over $93,000.00 for a 2 year old bull bucking for 6 seconds with a remote control dummy on its back.
Our Wild Card Event and World Finals will be held in Las Vegas during the PBR finals, which we are currently in the process of planning. Last year the payout for the Futurity calf was $100,000.00 and the top Classic bull came home with a check for $250,000.00.
The breeding programs are continuing to grow with the current prices that are being paid and the quality of the breeding programs has been drastically improved with the availability of our registry. When people are shopping to purchase animals, they have the ability to look at the blood lines of the animals and do their research before they purchase the animals.
Q. The circuit has a strong youth program with three events scheduled for them this year.What’s in it for the kids?
A. I’ll be in Dallas for the “Built Ford Tough” PBR event this weekend.On Saturday, we’ll host our second junior futurity where those kids will show their 2 year old calves.The first futurity was in Ardmore at the end of May where the grand champion was from the D & H Cattle Co. herd and it was shown by Cash Roberts.He earned $10,000.
The prize money was donated by Toby Floyd and Brad Boyd of Boyd and Floyd Bucking Bulls.Thanks to them, each of the three champions will win $10,000 and Tom Teague is donating a heifer calf to the reserve champion.It’s their way of helping us bring up our future leaders.
Q. With most sports adding more and more safety equipment - football players wear more protective gear than astronauts, race car drivers dress out in high tech uniforms and sit inside a framework that can withstand incredible impact - a bull rider's idea of safety equipment is a glove on his right hand and maybe a helmet. No question, it's one of the most dangerous sports, so why aren't they more safety conscious?
A. As for the rider's being safety conscious...that really depends upon the rider themselves. Some of the guys use the helmet, some under Dr. Freeman's advice. Others don't want to use it, due to the fact that it changes their center of gravity. The vests were a huge step in the direction of protection for the riders, but as far as helmets, it is on a case by case basis.