by Terry Lidral
Cover photo by Susan Hanrahan
PBR fan favorite Big Black’s ability to consistently put up high scores commands respect and fan admiration. The bull’s size, athleticism and love for what he does, has built a large fan base wherever he goes. In his 5th year of bucking in the PBR Unleash The Beast Tour, K Bar C’s and Joe and Nina Webb’s star bull has a career average bull score of 44.5 with 61 outs and an average buck-off time of 2.77 seconds.
But don’t let the buck-off average fool you. Big Black is able to score high whether he’s ridden for 2.77 seconds or 8. His power and athleticism gives a rider a chance to excel and when they do ride, the bull points almost always raise the combined score past the magic number of 90. In fact, out of the 18 times Big Black has been ridden over the course of his PBR career, there have been 15 scores of 90 and above and another one missed the mark by a mere half point (89.5).
K Bar C’s Kenny McElroy credits Big Black’s ability to repeatedly deliver top level performances year after year to his great amount of “heart.”
“I’ve never owned a bull that so totally loves his job like Big Black does,” McElroy told us with a hint of reverence in his voice. “Not many bulls can be so consistent. Black is still doing his job at the same level as when he was a 3-year-old. He shows so much heart. So many rank bulls up for the Bucking Bull of the Year award, when they get ridden, they lose heart. Not Black. He just keeps doing his job.”
Not to say that Big Black enjoys getting ridden. McElroy has seen an ability in the bull to change things up.
“I think he’s like a quarterback who throws an interception,” McElroy offered about Big Black’s attitude towards being ridden. “He goes off the field and forgets about it.”
But before the 2020 PBR Finals, Big Black had been getting ridden more than usual. When he got to The Finals in Arlington, it seemed he’d made the decision to change that trend.
“He came out and made a round to the left and then went right,” McElroy told us of Big Black’s first trip at the 2020 PBR Finals. “That’s the first time I’d ever seen him turn back and go the other way. The judges even seemed surprised. I think he was sick of being rode,” McElroy added with a chuckle. “It was a 45-point buck-off.”
McElroy believes that longevity and consistency depend on excellent care and letting the bull enjoy being a bull. At the ranch, Big Black has his own accommodations and gets the best of care.
“Big Black doesn’t like social gatherings,” said McElroy with a laugh. “He doesn’t play well with others. Bulls naturally fight and if you put them together there’s a chance of injury. It’s like raising 3 and 4-year-old kids. So, Black lives inside in his own pen doing his own thing.”
“We keep Black in tip-top shape. He gets chiropractic treatments and he has spa days,” McElroy went on to say. “Then, after he’s through with those, he goes out in the yard, jumping and kicking and throwing dirt. He loves to play.”
And Big Black thinks he’s special. If the truck leaves and he’s not on it, he shows his displeasure.
“He gets ticked if the truck leaves without him. He’ll walk off and go over in the corner of his pen. He’ll put his butt in the corner and put his head down and he’ll pout.”
When Big Black does go on the truck, he has first-class accommodations. McElroy makes sure that his bulls travel with as little stress and discomfort as possible.
“Bucking isn’t what’s hard on a bull,” McElroy told us. “It’s the hauling – spending 8 to 10 hours at a time on the truck. That’s why we’ve done a lot to our trailers. We put a foot of shavings in the pot and we’ve put in air ride. They have a big enough area to turn around and lay down to rest. That takes the stress off them.”
“Big Black has his own condominium,” McElroy went on to say. “He has the whole back of the pot right over the air ride. Sometimes he’s turned around and laid down before we even leave. And he may stay that way the whole trip.”
Nutrition is a big part of keeping Big Black in shape to perform his best. But, just like with people, the bull got out of shape during the Covid lockdown.
“During the Covid shut down, there weren’t as many PBR events and Big Black got fat as a tick,” admits McElroy about the reason for his bull’s several less than average outs. “We’ve put him on a strict diet and he’s lean and mean now. Because he is 8, we’ve put him on joint supplements to keep his joints healthy.”
One of the highlights of 2022 for McElroy is when Big Black bucked off 2X PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme in February at the PBR Ticketsmarter Invitational in 4.17 seconds.
McElroy put it this way. “It made me bow my chest out to see Big Black throw off Jose. This bull is happy go lucky back in the pens. But when it’s time to go to work, he gets serious. I think he’s mentally preparing himself. And he sure prepared himself for Jose. He got a 45.5 bull score. In fact, he’s been getting 44 plus bull scores all year.”
Big Black continues to challenge the top riders in the PBR championship rounds, offering a change-up here and there to keep things interesting.
After Big Black bucked off Jose Vitor Leme, it seemed that the top place riders were hesitant to choose him in the draft for the championship round. But there was one guy who was more than eager to pick him.
“Chase Outlaw was down in the order of the draft and he couldn’t believe that Big Black was there when it came his turn to pick,” explained McElroy of the match-up that produced another 90 plus point ride. “He was so excited. He hollered out Big Black’s name on the way to the stage and the crowd went crazy. I think Big Black has taken the spot of Mississippi Hippy as fan favorite.”
There’s a lot of character in the big black bull that has made a run for Bucking Bull of the Year, earned his way into a consistent spot as a short round bull and is a sought-after championship round draft pick. That character has garnered him his own Facebook page with over 4,000 followers.
“As a stock contractor, it’s cool to see people following the bulls more. Big Black has become so popular that he’s got his own Facebook page. We have to post on his page or his fans get really upset. We put on videos of his spa days, of him playing in his pen or digging a hole. He’s got quite a fan base.”
Follow PBR Superstar Bucking Bull Big Black on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063690395444
Perhaps Big Black’s biggest fan lives in Sulphur Springs, Texas and spends every possible minute with his favorite bull when Big Black is in town.
“Mackey Torres, who is about 10 years old, is crazy about Big Black. He even has a blanket with Big Black’s picture on it that he sleeps under every night,” McElroy told us with fondness in his voice. “We spend time with Mackey and his family when we go to Texas. Mackey loves hanging out with Big Black. I think he’d sleep in the pen with Big Black if we’d let him.”
Mackey Torres loves bucking bulls and spends a lot of time at the ranch of Jose Vitor Leme. He’s a young man who is passionate about the bucking bull industry and McElroy has decided to give him a head start in the business.
“Mackey loves Big Black so much that last Christmas I decided Mackey should have a Big Black heifer. So, with the approval of our partners the Webbs, we gave him a little heifer that looks just like her daddy. She’s cute as a button with little horns. And she has Big Black’s playfulness.”
“Mackey was so excited when we told him,” continued McElroy. “But there was one condition. Mackey has to take care of the heifer all by himself. She’s his responsibility and he promised that he will take good care of her. He and his family will be coming up to the ranch to pick her up this spring.”
Big Black is one of those very special bucking bulls who will be remembered long after his last out in the PBR by both fans and riders.
No one knows how long Big Black will continue to buck in the PBR. But one thing is for sure, he will live out the rest of his life on the K Bar C Ranch.
“I wouldn’t care if a billionaire came in here and offered me a billion dollars for Big Black. There’s no way I’d ever sell him,” McElroy said emphatically. “He deserves to live his life out here on the ranch where he’s happy. He belongs with us. And when he dies, he’ll be buried here with a tombstone along side all our other bulls.”
Read what Cord McCoy has to say about his Bucking Bull of the Year candidate Ridin Solo: https://buckingstocktalk.com/pbr-superstar-ridin-solo-amazing-athlete-who-just-loves-to-buck/
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.
