by Terry Lidral
There’s no other business that takes more blood, sweat and tears – literally – than the bucking stock industry. The work is hard, the demands never-ending, the potential for loss and hardship is always just around the corner and the rewards are most often self-bestowed.
Then why do so many of us dedicate ourselves to this crazy bucking stock industry? We’re in it because life without bucking stock, for most of us, would be incomplete. The ups balance out the downs and when you see that new calf or colt on the ground, that new life is hope and optimism. Or you unload that new bull or bronc and watch it move through your pasture for the first time, there’s a rush hard to explain to anyone who’s not in the business.
It’s easy to keep the drive and spirit alive when things turn out the way we planned. It’s easy to think about quitting and walking away when what you’ve hoped and dreamed for just up and falls apart. That’s the way of all businesses.
But the bucking stock business has a facet that eludes most of the other industries and businesses out there. It’s called the human factor. (If it were simply about the profit margin, most of us would have been done and gone.) It’s a people business where caring about more than your own investment doesn’t make you weak and caring about others won’t put you at a great disadvantage. In fact, it’s rather the opposite.
People care for and about their animals. They work together. They share information and ideas. There are partnerships that actually make it through the tough times. Neighbor helps neighbor. There’s almost always someone there to offer to help you celebrate the highs and pick you up from the lows.
There’s no community like the bucking stock business to help a fellow member in time of need. A good share of us have probably bought something from or donated to a benefit auction over the course of years we’ve been in the business. And the community doesn’t forget. The most popular articles in BST are the pieces on those who helped build the business from the bottom up and the great bulls and broncs that made the sport great.
For you folks new to the industry, it is true that you can always find someone willing to answer your questions. You just have to be willing to make an effort and not get discouraged if you have to search around a little. You may not get the answers you want and you may find the delivery a little blunt, but you’ve probably made a contact, and potentially, a friend for life.
It’s a great business, this industry of raising broncs and bulls. Enjoy the good times and keep your head high during the rough spots. Always remember, this a business you can be proud of.
Author: Terry Lidral
Terry Lidral is a western writer/journalist who lives in Idaho. She is the publisher and editor of the online magazine Bucking Stock Talk and the online magazine Western Living Journal. Her publishing credits include Storyteller for Real American Cowboy Magazine, writing feature articles for Humps N Horns Magazine as well as a wide variety of national and international web sites, historical magazines and news publications. She is known for her "up close and personal" profiles of celebrities and industry moguls such as NPR's Tom Bodett; PBR's Wiley Petersen and D.H. Page, PRCA's Sammy Andrews, Cindy Rosser and Julio Moreno to name a few. She has been applauded for her way of making a personal connection between her readers and her subjects. She indulges in her love of rodeo by serving as an associate board member for the Caldwell Night Rodeo. She is also an accomplished trainer and handler in dog agility. Her shelties Amelie and Milo are titled in NADAC, USDAA and AKC.
