CODY CUSTER TALKS BULL RIDING – THE PROCESS

by Terry Lidral

For Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame bull rider Cody Custer, the key to success in bull riding is confidence – the confidence that comes with forming a strategy and maintaining a process to ride a bull for eight seconds.

Custer is one of the most respected names in the sport of bull riding.  Over the course of his 20-year bull riding career, he was an eight-time NFR qualifier, won the title of PRCA World Champion in 1992, won the bull riding championship of the Dodge Circuit Finals three times and was the Original Coors Rodeo Showdown Bull Riding champion.  A founding father of the PBR, he made the PBR Finals as a bull rider nine times. Custer has served as the PBR Director of Judging and currently serves on the PBR Rules and Regulations Committee.

It’s an understatement to say that Custer knows and understands the sport of bull riding.  Since the first time he got on a calf at the age of 5, he’s been learning and analyzing the physical skills and mental attitude it takes to be successful in the sport that hooked him from his very first ride.

“We get on the first one for the thrill,” said Custer of that first bull ride.  “We get on the second one because we can’t not do it.  It’s an addiction.  We can’t help ourselves,” he continued about those who choose to become a bull rider.

But, as Custer well knows, the passion to be a bull rider doesn’t come with instant success.  It was a lesson that hit him as a teenager just when he expected glory.

“I rode beef cattle from the time I was five until I started getting on Corriente roping steers at the age of 9 in my parents’ rodeo arena in Arizona.  I learned how to ride on their steers and when I got on my first bull at the age of 13, I dominated him.  Then I went to the Arizona Junior Rodeo Association Finals and got my backside handed to me.  Those bulls were a big step up to what I was ready for.”

Custer took the lesson in stride and went to work strengthening the foundation that would provide him with the skills and experience to dominate the types of bulls that had so easily thrown him off.

“Just like with any sport, you don’t jump right into the major leagues.  It doesn’t matter how much natural talent you have.  You have to learn the basics and develop a foundation before you can begin to play the game,” Custer explained.  “And then you have to move up through the levels.”

 “Everybody has a different approach to bull riding,” Custer went on to say.  “There’s no one right way or wrong way to do it.  But everybody has to develop a foundation of skill and technique to build on.”

The techniques and skill of bull riding have to be visualized and experienced.  They can’t be obtained from reading a book or learned in a lecture.  That’s why Custer recommends that everyone start out with a bull riding clinic.

“Everyone who wants to be a successful bull rider should start off by attending a bull riding clinic with someone who has ridden bulls and understands the process,” Custer advised.  “It’s important to see how it’s done and done well.”

Custer believes that anyone serious about riding bulls should develop a plan right from the beginning.

“Getting into any sport should mean that you start off with the idea ‘I want to be the best.’  But that doesn’t happen automatically.  To have a chance at becoming successful, you have to develop a strategy and a plan,” Custer said.  “You can modify and adjust that plan along the way, but you need to have a solid strategy and plan in place for as long as you ride bulls.”

Custer continued, “Kids who start out young need to gain a solid foundation and understanding of the basic techniques.  They need to know how it feels to ride.”

Custer, who gained his foundation from riding somewhere around 2500 head of non-athletic, non-bucking roping cattle when he was between the ages of 9 and 13, stresses the importance of learning how to synchronize body motion with the natural movement of the animal.  And he recommends allowing kids to dominate before moving up to the next level.

“Kids should begin riding on cattle that are not genetically bred to buck.  Beef or dairy cattle that have a little jump is a good place to start.  A young rider needs to feel the motion of the animal underneath them.  Bull riding is all about feeling the motion of the bull and reacting to it.”

Injuries are part of the game of bull riding, but Custer sees the potential for unwarranted wrecks when kids move up to levels they don’t have the knowledge and experience or the physical stature to handle.

“Mainstream sports are age appropriate.  Sixth graders don’t play on teams against high school freshmen.  They aren’t going to be competitive and they are at risk of injury from playing with bigger, stronger kids.  A fourth grader shouldn’t get on a bull that is appropriate for a high school rider.  The kid’s not going to stay on and there’s a good chance of serious injury.  It’s no fun for them to get on bulls they don’t have a chance of riding and it can kill their confidence.  And confidence is key to being successful in bull riding.”

When asked about “the kids who can ride,” Custer responds with the basic concept of confidence.  His philosophy is that when a bull rider can dominate a bull, the confidence builds.

“Kids can improve during all stages of their training by learning to dominate the bulls at whatever level they are riding at.  It’s a great feeling to ride a bull until you decide it’s time to get off.  There’s nothing better for building confidence than knowing you beat the bull.  There’s nothing worse for building confidence than going into competition bull after bull knowing you just don’t have what it takes to make a ride and are just hoping for success.”

And for those kids who can stay on the bulls at their current level, the real challenge is to learn how to “dress up” the ride to earn points over the bull score. 

“Staying on the bull is only a part of winning bull ridings.  Dominating the bull with a technically good ride earns extra points in the rider score.  Spurring and riding the bull move for move will earn those big rider points that can lead to placing in competition and winning events.”

As far as riding bulls that buck, Custer advocates waiting until the age of 16 or 17 to start getting on bulls with action.

“It’s important to wait until the muscles have developed enough to handle the strength of an action bull,” stated Custer.  “Getting on bulls that are too strong for their age can permanently damage kids physically and can lead to unnecessary injuries.  No matter how much grit and try, a kid can’t ride a bull that is too powerful for his physical development.  That’s where kids can get discouraged and flat out quit.”

Custer’s advice to parents is to take a step back and assess the situation.

“It’s not about kids getting on bulls at higher and higher levels.  It’s about kids sticking to the strategy and plan and gaining the ability to ride the animal they’re on until they decide to get off.”

Custer credits his father with providing the support and guidance that paved his way to 9 PBR Finals, 8 NFRs and a PRCA world championship bull riding title.

“Throughout my entire career I continued to reinforce my foundation by staying with the strategy I learned from my dad of practicing on a lot of lower level bulls so my confidence remained high and my timing and reflexes were sharp. When I got to an event with higher level stock I was prepared and confident because of my strategy and my preparation during the week.”

In Custer’s opinion, kids should start bull riding earlier rather than later.  The process should be slow and steady and the goal is to build confidence through skill and understanding of the basics.  Becoming a successful bull rider doesn’t have a set time table.  Every rider develops at a different rate.  It’s important to remember that bull riding is a serious sport, but it must be fun too.  Enjoyment goes a long way as a motivator.  To stick with a sport as tough and demanding as bull riding, there needs to be a lot of motivation.  And a strong support system good at giving reminders of the passion that led to that second ride.

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.