Humps N Horns Bull Riding Magazine - Feb 2022

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Brady Portenier continued his winning streak at Dickies Arena, scoring 88 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s bull OLS Tubs Riggs to win the Texas Champions Challenge and $10,000. FWSSR photo by James Phifer

Humps N Horns February 2022

On The Cover - In memory of Jerome Robinson.

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

Humps-Horns.com · 4 · February 2022

HUMPS N HORNS® BULL RIDING MAGAZINE PO Box 34172 Fort Worth, TX 76162 325-500-BULL (2855) www.humps-horns.com

ADMINISTRATIVE Stacie Blake

Publisher/Owner stacie@humps-horns.com

Terry Blake

Editor in Chief/Owner terry@humps-horns.com

Features 10 12

ADVERTISING ads@humps-horns.com

Jerome Robinson

CIRCULATION

Celebrating a Life Well Lived

circulation@humps-horns.com

FEATURE STORY WRITER

B.J. Schumacher

Barbara Pinnella barbara@humps-horns.com

My Cowboy Hat Still Fits

PHOTOGRAPHY

16

Austin Richardson

19

Cooper / Scruggs Bucking Bulls

Andy Gregory Director of Photography andy@humps-horns.com

Ready to Tackle 2022

CONTRIBUTORS Georgia Akers Justin Felisko Barbara Pinnella Keno Shrum

Bryce Cooper & Heath Scruggs

Also In This Issue Bull Pen 19 Classifieds 28 Country Kitchen 15 Inspiration Point 14 Livestock Layovers 28 Outside the Arena

Practice Pens Talking Bull w/ Brayden Through My Eyes Where’s the Beef

28 7 8 26

9 Humps-Horns.com · 5 · February 2022

Andy Gregory Phillip Kitts Kelly B. Robbins Andy Watson

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Letter from the Editor Unfortunately, this issue comes with a bit of sadness as we mourn the passing of Jerome Robinson. Robinson was a quiet man that everyone saw in the arena, whether on it was on the TV broadcast or at the event in person. He was the guy with the headset that everyone saw but never really knew for sure exactly what he did.

It turns out that he did just about everything!

Robinson was responsible for making sure the arena and back pens were transported and set up at each venue where the PBR premier series rolled into town. He also took care of the folks about Austin and learning more about his effort to make his way who worked on the arena crew, bull housing, and so much more. to the top of the world standings.

It always amazed me to see the amount of planning and work that goes on behind the scenes to pull off a first class bull riding event We also get to meet the guys from Cooper / Scruggs Bucking Bulls. where we all get to have a great time watching the sport that we Bryce Cooper and Heath Scruggs are doing all they can to raise top notch bucking bulls. The herd from Cooper / Scruggs can be love for a couple of hours. seen at the top levels of bull riding and they have hauled several Although we do mourn the passing of family and friends as we bulls to the ABBI and PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. make this journey through life, I believe that it is just as important to celebrate a life which has been well-lived. After you read the Although it is only February, there are a large number of bull article by Justin Felisko, there is no doubt that Jerome Robinson riding events scheduled across this great country. I always want to encourage you to do all that you can to help support these events certainly had a life well-lived. because it helps everyone when we do including bull riders, stock Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with his family in contractors, local communities and the charities that many of the weeks and months ahead. these events support.

In this February issue, we also get a chance to meet one of the up and coming bull riders who has been around for a couple of years and had some success. Austin Richardson is a sharp young man that we had a chance to meet last summer. You’ll enjoy reading

Until next time, Terry

Humps-Horns.com · 6 · February 2022

Talking “Bull” with Brayden

Hi my name is Brayden Hollywood Brown and I’m a Jr bull rider.

Today we are going to be recapping the first PBR event of the year which took place in Indianapolis, Indiana. So let’s get into it.

Kicking things off in the long round, Cole Melancon rode Dixieland Delight for 88.50 points. Dixieland Delight blew out of the bucking chute and traveled two jumps before whipping around to the left which was away from Cole’s hand. This bull stretched out every jump and had the most whip around on a bull that I’ve ever seen. Cole did an outstanding job staying loose and making one heck of a bull ride. Claudio Montanha Jr. rode Gangster Time for 88.50 points. This big strong red bull had a lot of drop which was really jerking on Claudio’s arm. Claudio kept fighting to get his hand over his head and get around the corners.

In the end, it all paid off with a big score for Claudio.

Next up, Dalton Kasel rode Gangster Bones for 90 points.

Gangster Bones took one jump, blew up then stumbled in the front before jumping back up around to the right which was away from Dalton’s hand. Dalton stayed in the middle allowing him to record the first 90 point bull ride of the season. Stetson Lawrence rode Mind Freak for 88.25 points. For how short this bull Mind Freak has always been a solid. He is around to the left with a lot of kick. Stetson made Mind Freak look easy for a great score.

Cody Jesus rode Dagger for 89.50 points. A fun fact about Dagger last year, in his ABBI year, he used to be named BullDagger. This bull was in the gate to the left into Cody’s hand. He is one of the fastest little bulls on the tour. If you under or over correct even just a little bit, then you’ll get sucked in the well or get too far behind. Cody had perfect form the entire ride which led to an amazing score.

No one was more excited than me to see Chase Outlaw’s return go for 89 points on Hell On The Red. Hell On The Red’s timing is what makes him easier to ride than most bulls. All Chase had to do was ride the timing and get around the corners which is what he did for a big score. No one was better in the long round than Mason Taylor who rode Casper for 90.75 points. This was a rank bull ride around to the left away from Taylor’s hand. Mason

prefers bulls away from his hand and to be honest he rides them better away from his hand as well. Every jump this bull stretched out with a ton of kick. Mason handled him like a champ for the round win.

In the championship round, there were only two qualified rides.

The first was Dener Barbosa on Homegrown for 90.75 points.

Homegrown had his normal trip around to the left with a lot of up and down. Dener got to the front every jump for the championship round win. Mason Taylor made the best of his re-ride going 89.25 points on Theodore for the event win. Mason made Theodore look like a day off for the second UTB event win of his career. After watching Mason’s world finals last year, I said that this would be his year and I stand by that. I think this year Taylor will stay consistent and win his first world title. No pressure, Mason.

Thank you for reading. I look forward to writing to you each and every month. To find out more about me find me on social media @braydenhollywoodbrown.

Thank you, Brayden Hollywood Brown

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

Humps-Horns.com · 7 · February 2022

Failure Has Its Place But Success Breeds Success Hey, we’ve all put kids on ones and said to ourselves later “I wish I hadn’t” but we must learn from it and treat them like precious possessions, given to us to take care of. A kid has no true understanding of the danger involved with bull riding. We are responsible for what they get on.

8X World Champion Donnie Gay tells about how Neil would make him turn out if he thought the bulls were too big for him and Donnie hated it at the time but is thankful that his dad knew when and when not to let him on. The same story is the one of Cody Teel, his dad Robbie did the same for him. Cody thanked his dad the other day for protecting him when he was young even though it made him so mad to have to turn out while his friends were getting on bulls that outmatched them. I wouldn’t let my son Brett go to state his 6th grade year because I knew he was in no way ready for the stock that would be there. He was mad but I think he understands it better now.

This whole issue of kids being over matched and mucked out is the most important thing to the bull riding industry. Too many involved that don’t understand (or won’t) or guys that just care more about bulls than kids. I have a bunch of people who don’t like me but I’ll keep putting the word out there about the things that are the best for the kids.

Parents and the leaders of these youth organizations need to get some good educated information as to how to best help the kids become great and still have their health as they get a bit older.

Most people are just going with the flow and are pushing the kids too fast to be bull riders rather than letting them enjoy it and experience success all the way through.

Dominating at every level is the best for any athlete. Ask any NFL, NBA, NBL player how it is best done in preparing for a successful career in the pros. Everyone of them is going to have the same moral to the story “Success breeds Success” and “Being Overmatched causes Harm”. No matter what anyone else says, a

kid is only so good and needs to go through important steps in order to get to the next level of competition. If they fail more than they succeed then they will settle for mediocre. I believe this is the norm in bull riding now. I’m certainly not knocking the riders but am calling out the ones who should be directing them the right way.

Parents, Youth Rodeo Leaders, Bull breeders, former bull riders who train and professional rodeo/bull riding organizations are at fault for not setting standards for training the youth in our awesome sport. I have three fingers pointing back at me as I point my finger at all the above. I am involved in each of the problem areas that I mentioned. Being quiet about it and thinking it’ll fix itself is stupid. We have to get extreme about how we go about raising up the future bull riders here in america. We are losing ground here while others are gaining ground as they see a future for their youth in the sport.

The next issue is getting the youth to buy into the (going through the process) mentality. The competition level of bull riding in the lower tiers is so weak that guys are making money by merely staying on. So many good bulls out there that most events don’t payout $ to every hole possible. A guy can get on a runner and collect a check, this puts the idea in his head that he is a bull rider that is making a living riding bulls so he enters events at the next level without dominating at that level, then gets lucky and stays on at one of those and thinks that is where he belongs. (Probably Not).

He is left with a task ahead of him that he is not ready to conquer because he never dominated at each level. Youth and try will go a long way but it is not the fullness of what it takes to have a solid career. A solid career is developed through hard work and a lot of success mixed with some failure. Experiencing failure more than success is not the best thing for a solid career. Parents have to buy into the (going through the process) mentality and show their kids that it’s the way to go also.

Humps-Horns.com · 8 · February 2022

Ty Wainwright on #400 (X-2 Bucking Bulls) at the Shelby County Extreme Bulls - Columbiana, Alabama.

Photo by Dave McKissick / Dave McKissick Photography.

We’ve all seen a young guy make his debut on the scene and have some early success but begin to struggle and all the sudden they disappear from the bull riding world. Some eventually make it to the top but few are ever even heard of again because they never experienced enough success along the way to make up for the failure at the level they have always dreamed of. Failure is a part of the process but if that is a ll they experience than it becomes the norm, not just a small piece of the big picture. Constant failure does crazy things to their minds and many go to the amateur level (which many skipped as a part of the process) and have little success there because they have been trained to fail at every level. Once a great light and future in the bull riding industry they become a disgrace to the talent they had and in most cases their whole life follows that same path.

This is not all I have to say on this subject but all I have time to write today. Have a good day.

Cody Custer

Humps-Horns.com · 9 · February 2022

Outside the Arena with...

Jerome Robinson

By Georgia Akers

Editor’s Note – The passing of Jerome Robinson took the entire western sports family by surprise. It was a shock to see him producing one of the biggest PBR events of the year at one of sport’s most iconic venues and then be gone less than 24 hours later. This article was written

by Justin Felisko and is provided courtesy of PBR. Mr. Felisko does a great job of sharing the essence of Jerome Robinson. Our condolences and deepest sympathy go out to his family.

PUEBLO, Colo. – At 7:10 p.m. Monday evening, the lights of the Denver Coliseum went dim and an image of Jerome Robinson flashed upon the jumbotron.

A sea of cowboy hats in the blue and yellow seats, and plenty more on the dirt below, were quickly lowered onto everyone’s hearts at the National Western Stock Show. The thousands in attendance paid a brief homage to the man who once sat in the same grandstands as them as a kid in the 1950s, rode bucking bulls under the same roof as the 45 riders who were about to compete on Monday night and spent years walking up and down the dust-covered gray concrete floors behind the scenes to help produce and lead PBR’s annual Touring Pro Division events at 4600 Humboldt Street.

As a young boy with cowboy aspirations, Robinson would attend the National Western Stock Show in Denver and watch his rodeo heroes compete in front of him during the 1950s long before he made 11 trips to the NFR as a contestant.

The Ogallala, Nebraska, native told his grandmother at 3 years old that he wanted to be a cowboy, but Robinson would go on to be so much more than just a talented bull rider in the arena.

Rather, the 74-yearold went on to impact millions of people all over the world through his groundbreaking contributions to the Western sports industry.

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

Bull riders, stock contractors, music directors, announcers, television production staffs, event secretaries, promoters, friends, family, staff workers of the past and present for the PBR and PRCA, and

people all around the globe have had Robinson on their minds since the news of his passing Sunday evening at his home in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Forty-eight hours after Robinson finished organizing the production of the PBR’s premier series event at the greatest venue in the world – Madison Square Garden in New York City – he was being honored where his long journey began. On the 25th anniversary of his PBR Touring Pro Division event in Denver, he had returned home.

“It is not what he did,” Paul Chadwick, Robinson’s best friend for 50plus years, told PBR.com on Monday morning. “It is probably the way he did things that was so instrumental to his success because he was so good with understanding and knowing people. People always want to say things like he never forgot where he came from, but I would say he never left where he came from.”

Yes, there are legends. Yes, there are pioneers and heroes.

Of course, we have our superstars and champions.

Jerome Robinson, though, was all of that and so much more.

Robinson was a Founding Father of the PBR and Western Sports, an irreplaceable kindhearted and loving man whose impact and influence branches across generations.

Everyone expected to see their hero, friend or boss around the corner on Monday night, headset in hand, ready to give a heartwarming hello and prepared to tell a story, some of which, of course, maybe were a tad infatuated about a certain missing finger. People were yearning for his leadership, inspiration, and mentorship one last time. A lesson to be learned, a critique to be given, a smile to be seen.

The man staring back at them from the jumbotron should have flashed a sly wink as he so often did to bull riders making the 8 seconds. Robinson’s voice should have been heard saying, “Helloooo, [insert your name here].”

Instead, the walls of the Denver Coliseum were paying silent homage.

Humps-Horns.com · 10 · February 2022

high school level, things were a tad bit different for Robinson.

Robinson was born on October 16, 1947, in Ogallala, Nebraska, and raised in Brandon, and there was no high school rodeo or things of that nature for him to compete at then.

Instead, Robinson would sneak off after church on Sundays to climb aboard his family’s cows in his homemade bucking chute, much to his father Grady’s chagrin. He would load the cows himself, flank them, and put forth some of the greatest cow rides to the silence of the cool Nebraska air.

It was only the beginning.

Jerome Robinson at the PBR Buck Off in the Garden at Madison Square Garden. Photo by Jon Tenca / Puck Stopper Photography “Hey Jerome, what a ride, huh?’”

However, Robinson is likely already too busy to be hearing any of our compliments or memories. Chances are, he has already met with the man upstairs to plan the next greatest bull riding event.

“Jerome Robinson here. I think I have an idea for you.” *** Joy Murray would peer into the backyard and clear her throat.

Little Ty Murray had distinct instructions for his mom.

The future King of the Cowboys and nine-time World Champion would apply his makeshift back number with a certain name on it, and it was up to Joy to play the role of rodeo announcer as Ty prepared to nod for the gate inside his imaginary bucking chutes.

“Ladies and gentlemen… next up… Jerome Robinson!” Joy would yell.

“I’d always put Robinson on the back number,” Murray recalled Monday morning. “I’d pretend like I was Jerome Robinson when I was a little boy playing bull rider in the backyard. There were guys that had more accolades, but I always thought Jerome was the coolest.”

Murray admits he was nervous when he would eventually meet Robinson, but like so many others who would go on to meet Robinson, he too would quickly receive that warm welcoming, “Hello, Ty.” “There’s that saying where you don’t want to meet your heroes because they may not be as cool as they were in your mind,” Murray said. “It’s the opposite with Jerome. He was such a good man. He just loved the sport. He loved it. He never did any of it, I don’t think, for attention or praise or glory or recognition. From everything I can tell about him and everything I’ve heard about him, that’s how he’s always been.

Every aspect of it that he’s ever done, I think he just did it for no other reason than he loved it. That’s it. He just loved it, and he liked the people, and he liked the sport and the heart of the sport.

“He was a good man. Not only was he a huge asset to the PBR, but he was a huge asset to the sport, and then on top of it, he was like an encyclopedia for the sport. He had a memory like an elephant, and he knew so much and could do anything in a really understated way.”

While Murray, who credits Robinson for helping him pull off his annual Ty Murray Invitational at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was able to perfect his craft at Little Britches Rodeos and the

*** Robinson would eventually enroll at Colorado State University to become a veterinarian but instead pursued education. Of course, Robinson would tell everyone he majored in rodeo, as do many rodeo athletes today.

It was also the beginning of his frequent consumption of steak sandwiches from the Charco Broiler over on E. Mulberry St. Robinson would still order that steak sandwich long after his college rodeo days, though they now cost $16 compared to the original $1.85. Robinson would often joke about a college student complaining about wasting $1.85 on a steak sandwich that would ruin a good buzz.

Robinson was not a drinker, instead preferring a celebratory dessert such as vanilla ice cream or maybe some peanut butter pie or a Zebra cake (good fuel on those long rodeo production nights).

The future 1999 PBR Ring of Honor inductee purchased his PRCA card while still in college (1967) and, once he graduated, it was full speed ahead toward his first NFR qualification in 1970.

The rodeo trail was a little different those days – gas ranged from 18 to 30 cents a gallon, and there was no such thing as Google Maps – but Robinson flashed the same commitment and passion for hitting the road as a hungry 21-year-old would today.

Even as a rodeo athlete, Robinson was already paying it forward, too.

He began hosting bull riding schools in Fort Collins, mentoring the likes of a 13-year-old Cody Lambert and future World Champions Michael Gaffney and Owen Washburn.

“I’ve known Jerome since I was 13 years old, and looked up to him from day one, and learned from him from the beginning to the end,” Lambert said. “He taught me first about bull riding, and those are the fundamentals that I try to pass on to everybody that I’ve talked to about bull riding ever since. I’d been riding for a few years, and my dad had taught me what I knew to get to that point, but when I was 13 years old and went to Jerome Robinson’s school, I learned a lot of the reasons – my dad would tell me to do some things, and Jerome explained why we did some of those things, and then he took it a little farther than that. Everyone develops their own style, and I developed my own style with the foundation of what I learned from Jerome and always had a solid foundation to go back to.

“I could see it even more after I retired from bull riding. I could see it more when I was trying to help somebody else. He has so many stories and talks that we had that I’ll never forget. We laughed and

Humps-Horns.com · 11 · February 2022

Continued on Page 22

MY COWBOY HAT STILL FITS

By Abe Morris

High School Finals Rodeo. Schumacher was the Wisconsin state high school All-Around champion for four consecutive years.

B.J. Schumacher B.J. Schumacher grew up in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. His father Eddie gets the credit for passing along the rodeo cowboy interests to his son. His father who had done a little rodeoing in his younger days was a farrier by trade. The Schumachers owned a few horses and B.J. had access to riding them on a regular basis. B.J. would get on a few small bucking horses and ponies and practiced on some dairy cross bulls. The state of Wisconsin has long been known as the heartland of the dairy cattle industry. Those younger years as a kid were very valuable and served as great confidence builders.

B.J.’s mother, Jane Potter, was very instrumental throughout his youth. She would go to every single one of his events and took videos of the rough stock animals. B.J. would then follow up by reviewing and studying the horses, the bulls and his own personal rides during the week. Schumacher is very, very appreciative of both of his parents and gives them the credit for his success once he started competing in the professional ranks. “They were always there for me.”

B.J. was about nine years old before he ever competed in a youth rodeo. He fondly remembers competing in Little Britches rodeos with another future WNFR qualifier Bobby Welsh who also lived in Wisconsin at that time. Schumacher had a ton of talent and a lot of success competing in high school rodeos. By the time he was in high school, B.J. competed at both ends of the arena and worked every event. In 1999 he tied for the National High School bareback riding championship with Royce Ford. He also ended the year as the reserve All- Around champion at the National

Later on, B.J. actually filled his PRCA permit while competing in the bareback riding and saddle bronc riding events. B.J. wanted to compete in all three rough stock events in the PRCA but found out that it was a little difficult when dealing with PROCOM and the central entry office to get traded in all three events during the same performance on a regular basis.

After high school, Schumacher was awarded a full ride scholarship to attend Sul Ross State College in Alpine, Texas. He got along very well with the rodeo coach Kelly Slover. Coach Slover’s critiquing was very crucial to B.J. being able to step up his game in the bull riding event.

B.J. Schumacher had a very successful tour of duty while out on the road-e-o circuit. Unfortunately, though, he never was able to wear enough repellent to keep that injury bug away for more than one year at a time. B.J. was constantly bitten by that old and recurring injury bug. All of the bull riders know that old adage, “It’s not IF you get hurt. The real question is when and how bad?”

Schumacher had suffered a fractured leg during his senior year in high school and had to have a rod inserted. Then within the first few months of college he reinjured that same leg and this time around the inserted rod was bent. B.J. ventured back to Wisconsin to heal up and regroup. It was then that he made the decision to withdraw from school and instead venture down the pro rodeo trail.

Schumacher qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo eight times in the bull riding event. He won the PRCA World title in 2006 and believe it or not that was the only year that he went through the entire rodeo season without suffering a major and sidelining injury. He had an excellent time in Las Vegas winning almost $200,000. In fact, he won the most money of any contestant at the WNFR, but that year there wasn’t a Ram Tough truck awarded to the contestant having the best WNFR campaign.

For two consecutive years B.J. was seriously injured during the Pendleton Round Up Rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon. In 2003, he was jerked down and the bull stuck a horn in his mouth and pushed three teeth back into his nose.

Then in September 2004 at Pendleton, B.J. was in the lead for the world title. He was bucked off, planted squarely on his back and his bull stomped on him. Schumacher suffered a bruised heart and a broken sternum. It was a pretty scary scene. While he lay unconscious for a while, the tending paramedics couldn’t find a pulse. Afterwards, B.J. wore a protective helmet when competing for the duration of his bull riding career.

Humps-Horns.com · 12 · February 2022

In 2005, he was injured again at a PBR event at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut a couple of weeks before the WNFR. Although he qualified for the WNFR, a broken collarbone kept him on the sidelines and he was not able to compete.

Another year he suffered a serious hip injury in Houston, Texas. He tried to tough it out and continue to rodeo, but after consulting with Dr. Tandy Freeman he endured a necessary surgery and was sidelined for several months.

2009 was actually the last year that Schumacher competed. He was riding at Houston, Texas in the Reliant Arena and had won first place in that rodeo the previous two years in a row. The media had made a big deal of his appearance. Larry the Cable Guy was one of his sponsors. They were filming a show at the time and Larry was on the back of the bucking chutes helping B.J. and pulled his bull rope. Despite all of the pressure and attention B.J. knew beforehand that something was amiss. He just couldn’t get pumped up for the ride BJ Schumacher at the 2006 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

PRCA ProRodeo photo. whereas in the past that was never an issue.

Schumacher bucked off and returned to his home in Oklahoma. After a self assessment he simply decided that he was his days off to assist Austin and Schumacher up and down the done and didn’t want to return to full time competition. B.J. hung rodeo trail. up his spurs and never entered another rodeo or bull riding event.

A few years after Schumacher retired, he dabbled with an animal It was one of the most difficult decisions of his entire life. specialty act using two trained brahma bulls. He participated B.J. credits home state WNFR bull rider Fred Boettcher with a in a Wild West Show in Oklahoma City. The trained bulls were great deal of his successes. “If Fred didn’t help me, I wouldn’t owned by Blake Good and B.J. leased them for a year and was have had the success that I did.” Fred took B.J under his wings, contracted to perform at a few rodeos for Ike Sankey and Bob took care of the books and did most of the entering. They were Barnes. Schumacher said he actually was more nervous dealing traveling partners for quite awhile and developed a very close, with those two bulls than he ever was while riding and competing. tight knit friendship that still carries over until this day. Every now You just never knew if the act was going to be a success and the and then he and Fred had to enter separately in order to make it animals performed in front of a large audience like they did in the work. Boettcher is from Rice Lake, Wisconsin and after his riding practice pen. days were over he served as the PRCA bull riding event director.

B.J. Schumacher wisely invested his winnings and purchased a B.J. related that he’ll never forget the year that he had already sewn plot of land in Hillsboro, Wisconsin when he was only 20 years up the world championship title in the bull riding event. Fred had old. In 2021 he was able and fortunate enough to build a very nice made a great ride and was in the spotlight conducting an interview 60 ft. by 80 ft. indoor training facility. Nowadays, B.J is a horse by the media with all of their tape recorders and cameras. Fred trainer. He has eight horses on his property that he is training and abruptly broke off the interview and sprinted back to the bucking riding every single day of the week. chutes to see if B.J. needed any extra help and to also make sure Reflecting back on his rodeo career, B.J. said he wished he had that B.J. was in the right frame of mind before nodding his head. entered the bareback riding and bronc riding a lot more. He lives B.J. Schumacher summed up his bull riding and rodeo career with a very quiet lifestyle these days and seldom even goes to rodeos something that he had once heard bull rider Stormy Wing say, “I anymore. Occasionally he goes to Las Vegas to hang out with his was having fun and out there slaying dragons with my buddies. I old rodeo buddies and attend the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. was having the time of my life!” B.J. would also like to give a ‘shout out’ to a guy who has also become a lifelong friend. Through Schumacher who will turn 40 years old this year shares legal his camaraderie and friendship with 2005 World Champion bull custody of his 7 year old daughter named Brya. They make a great rider Matt Austin, he met John Armstrong a Dallas firefighter who father/daughter team doing chores around the barn and going for lived in Canton, Texas. John would transport Matt and B.J. to and horseback rides on a regular basis. Without a doubt, Brya is the from the Dallas/Fort Worth airport whenever they competed in light of B.J. Schumacher’s world and continues to keep him on his that vicinity. John had a regular full-time job and career and has ‘A’ game. since retired. But John regularly was the designated driver during

Humps-Horns.com · 13 · February 2022

Inspiration Point

Dear Lord, thank you for reminding me of the propensity to easily get distracted with tasks and things that seem to be “good,” rather than being present in the moment, enjoying relationships, and time with you. May I be cognizant of not getting distracted with my priorities out of order.

Guest article submitted by a HNH reader.

by Keno Shrum

Priorities “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38-42) As the host of Jesus in her home, Martha obviously was focused on what she believed was important and customary in doing all the task-related things necessary in hosting Jesus and his disciples. Understandably, there were preparations and things to do. However, in the presence of Jesus, Martha failed to realize that Jesus was sharing and teaching, which would respectfully be the priority at the moment. Thus, what Mary was doing in respect to Jesus and his teaching, was the proper thing to do.

Martha’s intent although seemingly justifiable initially; was actually a distraction.

Oh my! This definitely resonates with me, as I recall situations where I focus on the tasks at hand in the midst of gatherings or situations, rather than enjoying and participating in what is going on in the moment. We just had a family dinner for my granddaughter’s birthday, and while everyone was watching her open her gifts, I thought I’d do the “good thing” and clean up the kitchen. Well, I missed out on those special moments of her gift opening. However, I did catch myself and stopped what I was doing to sing Happy Birthday with everyone and watch her blow out the candles.

Often times, relationships and being present in the moment supersede getting the task done, even if it’s a good thing. These scriptures also speak to me about how I need to reassess and best prioritize my daily activities in relation to others and time with the Lord.

Humps-Horns.com · 14 · February 2022

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Fudge Brownies INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

•

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

•

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

•

3/4 cup granulated sugar

•

2 large eggs

•

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

•

1 tablespoon baking powder

•

1/4 teaspoon salt

•

1 pound strawberries, sliced

•

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1.

Melt the chocolate into the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let cool.

2.

Mix the sugar into the eggs along with the vanilla extract.

3.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

4.

Mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture followed by the flour mixture.

5.

Pour the batter into a grease (optionally foil lined) 8 inch baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until a toothpick pushed into the centre comes out clean, about 2025 minutes.

6.

Sprinkle the strawberries on top of the brownies.

7.

Melt the chocolate over medium-low heat on the stove or in a microwave, pour it over the strawberries and let cool until the chocolate is set, about 30-60 minutes.

Send us your favorite recipe to bullnews@humps-horns.com

Humps-Horns.com · 15 · February 2022

Submitted by Susanne C. - Gunnison,CO

Austin Richardson Ready to Tackle 2022!

By Barbara Pinnella

While the majority of professional bull riders were born into it and/or spent their early life around bull riding, 21-year-old Austin Richardson did not have that advantage. Even though he grew up on a ranch with cattle and horses, he was not immersed in the rodeo lifestyle.

Rodeo, which was right next to my house, and the Stockyards, places like that. They always liked rodeo, they just were not involved in it.”

But the fact that he was not committed to the rodeo lifestyle very early on didn’t stop him from being quite “I did get on a few sheep when I was younger, but I didn’t successful as he made his way up the ladder. In 2014, he take it too seriously then; it wasn’t until I was about 13 was Reserve Champion at the Youth Bull Riders World years old that I really got involved. My family was not into Finals. He followed that up a year later at the Lone Star the rodeo world, but they did take me to the Mesquite Youth Rodeo Association by being the Junior Bull Rider Champion. Then, in 2017, he was the Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association Rookie of the Year.

His desire to compete on the PBR tours only got stronger. Austin did not ride any other type of rough stock, only bulls. At age 18 he bought his PBR card.

As of now, Austin only competes on the PBR tours. But make no mistake, he has not turned his nose up at competing in some PRCA events down the road.

“I have not done the PRCA yet.

I would like to in the future for Humps-Horns.com · 16 · February 2022

Richardson takes on Ridin Solo (Cord McCoy / Bill McCarty) in the championship round of the PBR Buck Off in the Garden in NYC. Photo by Jon Tenca / Puck Stopper Photography.

sure, but my eyes are on the PBR for right now. I love how the PBR travels. I get to go home during the week and hang out with my family and friends, and then get to go do what I love to do on the weekends.

“It kind of gives me a break,” he continued.

“In pro rodeo you have to be gone to every single rodeo during the week. There’s a lot of travel. So, I figure I’ll just focus on bull riding for right now. When I get a little older, I’ll want to travel, and do a little pro rodeo for sure.”

Assuming he is not really sore, Austin likes to get on a couple of practice bulls on a Tuesday or Wednesday. He likes to stay fresh and keep his timing up. Basically, it just helps him to stay on top of things.

As with most bull riders, there is not a lot of time for hobbies, but Austin tries to do some of the things he enjoys.

“I love to golf, and try to do that at least once or twice a week, just to have some fun,” he said. there with him, and finish with a bang for sure. That was “That lets me just kick back. I used to roller skate a lot, a really fun ride and one of my best, no doubt about it.” but I don’t get as much time to go do that.

If Austin got first pick in the draw, he would have a “I work out every day, so I’d consider that a hobby. I used decision to make. There were several bulls that came to to not like to work out, but now that I do it quite often, I mind for him. really enjoy it. I can’t go without it, that’s for sure. I have a gym at my house, but I don’t do a lot of weight lifting. “I would say Woopaa, or Chiseled, or I’m Legit Too. Any I want to control my body weight, so I don’t want to be of those top bulls would be great. Those are the bulls that really bulky. I tend to do more running and stretching, you get to show your top potential on. You can’t be scared of that. I’m Legit Too, he bucked me off in the short round just to keep my body where it needs to be.” back in June, keeping me from a win in Las Vegas. He When we spoke, his favorite bull he has been on thus far usually goes left, and he went out there and went right. So, in his career is Medicine Man, a bull from TNT Bucking I would definitely pick him again.”

Bulls / Hart Cattle Co. When asked about Jose Vitor Leme’s domination last year, “I rode that bull in Nashville, Tennessee, and got my Austin had this to say. highest career score on him, a 91.75 to win Round 2. He’s a big bull and gets a lot of guys down. I was able to stay up Humps-Horns.com · 17 · February 2022

Austin Richardson was flying high in the Windy City at the PBR Unleash the Beast 15/15 Bucking Battle - Chicago, IL. Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

“It’s awesome getting to watch that. It inspires me to be greater than what I am. He is just outstanding, and it’s incredible just what he can do on the back of a bull. And he is such a nice guy; he talks to everybody, checks on you if you are hurt, that sort of thing.”

Keep your eyes on Austin. He is young, hungry and talented. He has a long career ahead of him, and Humps N Horns wishes him all the best in 2022!

Richardson rides Ranch Water (Paradigm Bull Co / D’Anna & Lance Waller) for 87 points in the first round of the PBR Buck Off in the Garden in NYC. Photo by Jon Tenca / Puck Stopper Photography.

Humps-Horns.com · 18 · February 2022

By Kelly B. Robbins

There are literally hundreds of stock contractors in the world of bull riding. Each contractor is different, and they each bring their own flavor to the bull riding table. For some, it might be how they breed and raise their bulls. For another, how they train their bulls. Still another may have a special blend of feed, while another will buy their bulls rather than breed them. Some contractors are former bull riders, who have loved the sport their whole lives. Other contractors fell in love with bull riding after going to a live event. But just like the bovine athletes they bring to the “toughest sport on dirt”, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and unique personalities, which combined, make bull riding the wonderful sport that fans know and love.

L to R - Bryce Cooper, Kamryn Scruggs, Heath Scruggs

Bryce Cooper and Heath Scruggs are two cowboys who got together over 17 years ago and formed Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls. They each bring different skills, likes and dislikes to the table, and have a solid working relationship.

“I met Bryce back in 2004,” Heath shared. “I bought a couple of bulls from him. Something just really clicked between us, and eventually we ended up merging into Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls. We’re like oil and water…we each bring something different to the table. Sometimes it doesn’t mix, and we just have to keep plugging away and make it work.”

“When I hooked up with Heath,” Bryce explained, “I saw that we each brought something different to the table. Heath is good at finding bulls. I like being out on the ranch and in the pastures, and I like traveling and hauling the bulls to events. It’s easier for me to haul them, because my kids are grown now. Heath still has younger kids at home. We complement each other, and our partnership has been solid.

The biggest thing in any partnership is trust. And we trust each other. Our trust is what makes our partnership work.”

Heath houses the younger bulls at his ranch in Thrall, Texas.

“All the young bulls I keep here and train them.” Heath disclosed. “I show them the routine and then see how they do. I keep about 50 bulls here. I scout for bulls all year long.

If I see a bull I like, I try to buy him. I buy 20 to 30 bulls each year, mostly two or three-year-old bulls. I like bigger, stouter bulls, because they hold up better to the Brazilian rope pulls. The little bulls can’t really take that. I don’t get in a rush when it comes to these bulls. I have patience to wait on them and give them a chance to see what they can do. Of course, they don’t all work out.”

Humps-Horns.com · 19 · February 2022

Bryce talked with me as he was moving a load of stuff from his old place in Jarrell, Texas, to his new 350-acre ranch in San Saba County, Texas. The nearest post office is an hour away in Rochelle, Texas. “I am about at the geological center of Texas, between Abilene and Waco,” Bryce revealed. “Once the bulls are ready for the truck, they stay at my place. It varies back and forth. I keep about 51 bulls here, counting yearlings. I’ve got about 20-25 three-year-old and up bulls.

Our goal is to get our bulls ready for the top end PBR.” Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls had five bulls at the PBR Finals last November in Las Vegas. They were 16-4 Risen’s Freight Train, who they haul for owner Larry Risen, 31X Baby Gangster, 611 Kid Knapper, 839C Blowtorch, and 08C Danny Boy. Danny Boy was the first up bull in the re-ride pen. Blowtorch and Monkey were two bulls that were in the PBR Velocity Tour Finals a few days before the PBR Finals.

Blowtorch won the wild card spot and got to go to the PBR Finals.

“I sold all my cows and prefer to find and buy the bulls,” Heath divulged. “It’s all a gamble. Bryce hauls the four and five-year-old bulls, and he breeds some bulls and plays the futurity game. I try to be patient and let the bulls get a little older so they can be broken in with a rider on their back.

That gives a clearer picture of how they are going to do.”

“I recently built a new covered arena down the road from my house, next to my dad’s old arena,” Heath continued. “When I was a kid, I rode until I was twelve or thirteen years old.

My dad, Mike Scruggs, had 30-40 bucking bulls and 20-30 broncs, and he rodeoed as well. He would hold jackpots in

31X Baby Gangster

his arena. Back then he would draw about 100 riders to his events.”

“I call the new arena the Bull Shack. I’m having a jackpot this coming weekend. It’s hard to get these bulls bucked in the practice pen. There are so many contractors now, the bull riders are spread pretty thin. These jackpots give us a chance to buck our bulls and it also draws bull riders who want to practice. Last year Jose Vitor Leme, the current PBR World Champion Bull Rider, and some of the Brazilian bull riders came to one of the jackpots to practice for the PBR Finals.”

“I grew up rodeoing,” partner Bryce shared. “I rodeoed in high school and got a scholarship to college. I went to the College National Finals rodeo twice. Then I rode bucking broncs and bulls professionally for a while. I grew up and rodeoed with Brent Thurman. When he passed away, it changed my direction a little. I steered my sons, Morgan and Kreece, away from rodeo and they played baseball.

Morgan was an all-American at the University of Texas and was drafted by the Dodgers. Three shoulder operations have ended his baseball career at the age of 27. I’m one of the luckiest dads around. Kreece and Morgan are helping work the bucking bull business now. We run beef cattle too.”

611 Kid Knapper

Humps-Horns.com · 20 · February 2022

L to R - Heath Scruggs, Bryce Cooper, Kreece Cooper, Hayes Cooper, Jim McClain

“I like to buck bulls,” Bryce explained. “I’m not interested in all the bright lights. I like the hands-on being around them.

I like raising and caring for them. We buy a lot of bulls when they are young and see how they do. If we have them a while, that means they are doing good! They become like your kids, and some of them you get attached to. They all have different personalities. Some of them are real good with you, and some of them are a—holes! They aggravate you but you just learn to put up with them. 913 Monkey has been one of the most consistent bulls we’ve had, but he’s always been an a— hole too! I’ve just learned to put up with him.”

“I typically buy yearlings and two-year-old bulls,” Heath said.

“But I will buy a three-year-old if he looks good. I’m not afraid to pull the trigger. My favorite right now is my bull 31X Baby Gangster. He’s four years old and bucked at the PBR Finals in November. I bought him when he was three years old. He’s a small ball of fire! He’s all electric and speed!

The odds are stacked against him, but he’s all heart. He’s one of the smallest bulls on the tour.”

611 Kid Knapper. Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

“We are so blessed to be able to do what we do,” Heath concluded. “This coming year we are going to have to adjust to new schedules and higher prices, but I see a bright future for Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls. This should be one of our best years because of the good, young bulls we have coming up.”

The Bull Shack

Humps-Horns.com · 21 · February 2022

Continued from Page 11 joked about lots of things. We laughed at mistakes we’ve made, and how we’ve been successful and unsuccessful, and lots of things. We had a great time together, and Jerome was that kind of person where he was just a great role model, and he was helpful to lots of people.”

It is through his bull riding tutelage that he would become best friends with Paul Chadwick for more than 50 years and convince him and another future friend and confidant, Curt Blake, that maybe their futures in rodeo were not supposed to be on the back of a bucking bull, both Chadwick and Blake recalled with laughter on Monday.

“There was a phone booth, but that was about it,” Chadwick said with a laugh. *** Robinson, in fact, was a storyteller through and through. He could entertain people for countless hours, leaving the most talkative speechless.

“So, you know how Jerome lost his finger, right?” Chadwick said, laughing. “Or what story did he tell you?”

“Jerome would find out what people are best at and focus them that way,” Chadwick said.

Robinson often told people that he lost one of his fingers at a concert of The Who. Others would tell you, no, he lost it as a kid setting bowling pins.

It is no surprise Robinson made tons of friends and connections on the rodeo trail with his warm and jovial personality. A good speeding ticket along the way to the Oklahoma City NFR one year may have been tossed away by an old bull riding school attendee who instead wished Robison the best of luck.

“People are just so gullible, and Jerome knew it,” Eva Chadwick, who has known and worked for Robinson for 30-plus years, said. “He would build all these stories, and everybody would be on the edge of their seat. People would just believe him, and he loved making people smile.”

“‘Jerome? Hey, I am so-and-so,’” Chadwick remembers. “And Jerome would then go, ‘Oh yeah, you attended school two years ago in the fall.’”

The real story was that Robinson lost the tips of his index and middle fingers in a car crash on a Friday night in Texas while heading from Scottsdale, Arizona, to Fort Worth, Texas, for a rodeo. Robinson convinced the rodeo to hold his bull, and he was released from the hospital the next day and, of course, he made an 8-second ride that Sunday.

Robinson would go on to make the NFR from 1970-75 and 1977-81.

He finished fourth at the NFR twice, but he was a champion in so many people’s eyes regardless.

“Everybody will tell you that he and Denny Flynn are the two of the greatest bull riders to ever live that never won a world title,” Murray said.

During his rodeo career, one of Robinson’s most heralded accomplishments was his creation of the centralized computer entry system (PROCOM) in 1975. This system utilized a computer to implement rules and guidelines of the PRCA Rulebook and a bank of toll-free phone lines to communicate with rodeo contestants, stock contractors, secretaries, and committees. PROCOM consolidated more than 500 individual rodeo entry offices across the nation into one, facilitating a vastly more efficient method of contesting in and producing PRCA rodeos. He would also serve as the Vice President to the PRCA Board in 1979 when the PRCA moved its headquarters and Hall of Fame to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“Jerome had one of the first satellite phones,” Chadwick said. “It was as big as a brick. He has always carried a phone. That was his phone in a car. His affinity with phones started with him to develop with Bryan McDonald the central entry office to take advantage of 800 toll-free phone calls instead of calling the local sheriff in town to find the local rodeo office.”

In 2019, Robinson was officially inducted into that same Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport.

Robinson, fittingly, would not just use the system for business, though.

Robinson also had some rodeo prankster in his blood. He once called the PRCA and convinced an employee taking entries that she needed to call the sheriff ’s office in Montana because he was stuck in a phone booth because of a barking dog holding him hostage, and he couldn’t get to his car in time to drive to the rodeo.

Robinson, then 35 years old, wound up dislocating his knee on the dismount, and it would ultimately lead to his retirement at the end of the season when he failed to make the NFR. But why tell a story about a career-ending injury and black ice instead of something dramatic? *** Once he retired, Robinson attended production school and quickly evolved into one of the best rodeo producers in the industry, booking venues, hauling in the dirt, and bringing with him the best and most respectable crew in the business under his Western Trails umbrella. It was the beginning of a career that would take him around the world and lead to him impacting people of various ages and jobs for nearly 40 years. Go to any PBR or PRCA event, and you will likely meet someone who was mentored, influenced, or taught by Robinson.

In 1985, Robinson would produce the ESPN televised rodeo series “Winston Tour,” which showcased the best athletes in all of rodeo in a team format and served as inspiration for what the 20 PBR cofounders thought they could do to elevate bull riding to a standalone sport.

When the PBR was founded, Robinson and his production company provided all the chutes, panels, arena dirt, lights, and show set-up. It was the beginning of a fruitful partnership, and Robinson remained an integral part of the PBR framework and family ever since.

For 29 years, Robinson served as the arena director and helped the PBR flourish in all areas of the business.

“Jerome wasn’t a co-founder, and he wasn’t involved in the decision for us to do the PBR and what we started. But when we started producing events, he was the first guy we called,” Lambert said. “When we started producing and promoting our own events, he was the first guy that

Humps-Horns.com · 22 · February 2022

we hired to do that for us. And he’s been there ever since, to every one of them. That’s the thing. Jerome was a road warrior in a way that most of us have never seen before. He was intellectual. He was driven.

But he wanted to do a better job at everything, at everything from the way injuries were taken to the way the production was. Everything Jerome did made sense.”

Murray added, “He wrote the book on a lot of the stuff we do now, that he figured out along with us. He’s one of those guys that did a bunch of stuff that he never even got credit for, and you’re never going to hear it from him. He didn’t care. He always just wanted everything to get done and go smooth and everybody to be happy. I think he loved what he did. I think he loved being around the sport, and I think he loved being around the guys.

“He’s done it all for us, and I guarantee you we lost an asset to the PBR that is not going to be easily replaced, maybe never get replaced.

I feel like it’s going to take five guys to do what Jerome did, and he did it all like it wasn’t anything. He had a thousand things going on, and I could call him up and say, ‘Hey, how do you get in this place?’ And he was like, ‘Well, okay Ty, I’ll come meet you.’ That’s how he was. He had a million things going on right before a performance, and he’d come out and meet me and personally do whatever I needed. He was that way to everybody.” *** Curt Blake has known Robinson for more than 35 years since first attending a bull riding school in 1986, and the music director spent two decades walking into the Denver Coliseum with his mentor, hero and friend.

“I don’t know that anybody’s ever talked to Jerome and left the conversation not feeling better than they did when they went into the conversation,” Blake said. “He was a teacher, and he never put himself above anybody else. You always felt like you were Jerome’s equal, even though you knew his knowledge and his skills exceeded you. He just gave you the confidence to go do stuff that you would’ve never thought you could do, and teach you. If you made a mistake, he wouldn’t yell at you or make you feel stupid about it. You just learn from it and move on. Unless, of course, he’d already told you not to do it. Then yeah, you’d get yelled at a little.”

On Monday, the reality was that Robinson would not be walking into the dingy old stadium with his warm smile.

“He was a second father to me,” Blake said. “He was a mentor. He was my best friend in the world. He took me out of Wyoming and sent me all over the world, and would give me his checkbook and his credit card and say, ‘Go represent me,’ and – I’m at a loss. I’ve never had anyone ever believe in me that much. And it was like having a living, breathing Google. I take for granted how many questions I would have, or concerns, and his phone number was at the top of my speed dial.

“Life seems to be circular, doesn’t it? His dream started here at this building, and his career ended at the most popular sporting venue in the world. I remember one time somebody had asked him what his exit (retirement) strategy was, and he simply looked at them and said, ‘Well, death.’ That was his exit strategy.

“He always said, ‘I’m going to live myself to death,’ and he did just that.”

Blake was one of the men who often accompanied Robinson all over the world when Robinson, who easily could have retired to his vacation home in Costa Rica years ago, was tasked with putting on an international rodeo or bull riding.

Robinson’s production crew made stops in Japan, France, Finland, Oman, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela. There is no telling how many rental cars, boats and planes may have officially been wrecked under Robinson’s watch, but there is a belief that he had bad luck with at least a dozen rentals, Blake said in laughter.

Before the age of cell phones, Blake would come home to find a plane ticket in his mailbox, which was Robinson’s way of telling him to pack his bags, and he was hired.

“He was kind of a modern-day P.T. Barnum, if you will. It was a wild west show,” Blake said. “He had that presence about him. You would walk into a hotel room in Dubai, and he’d have the cowboy hat, and people would just gravitate towards him and his personality. And by the end of your stay, as with any venue or building he ever worked, the people that knew his name were the bellmen and the security guards and the waitresses. He just had such an endearing manner about him.”

Six years ago, Blake was working the NFR when Robinson asked what he was doing the following week and if he wanted to go to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sure enough, there was Blake walking around with Robinson in the frigid Russian air, preparing to meet with officials at the Russian Olympic headquarters about the possibility of creating a six- to ninemonth rodeo tour.

Photo by Jon Tenca / Puck Stopper Photography “It was just like you’d think in a movie, you know?” Blake said, his voice still full of amazement. “All the flowery ornaments, red and gold, big high ceilings in a castle, and these huge bowls. They brought in a chef from Siberia to make this borscht and were eating borscht and telling stories.”

As they met with Russian officials, the group proudly brought out “the finest vodka in Russia.”

Blake began to wonder how things would play out because he knew Robinson did not drink.

“I was so curious,” Blake said. “I couldn’t wait to see it. I was going to be the guy that saw Jerome drink.”

The group made a toast, and just as everyone tipped their heads back to take a shot, Robinson quickly poured his into his borscht.

He then wiped his lips. “Man, that is good! You guys were right.”

“And he did that with three shots of vodka, put them in his soup bowl,” Blake said with another laugh.

Humps-Horns.com · 23 · February 2022

In 1992, the Chadwicks were working with Robinson in Paris when Robinson was tasked with producing an event at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Berc. The rodeo was taking place around Eva’s birthday, June 26, and Americans involved with the grand opening of Euro Disney had even come to partake in the rodeo and party with the group.

Robinson often tried to learn things about production overseas that he could incorporate in the United States. No matter where he was in the world, he always strived to learn more.

“They took us through Euro Disney, and Jerome learned about how the music cued the cowboys, not the music trying to stay with the cowboys,” Eva said. “They would just catch up if they missed a cue in their productions at Disney to the music. That changed a little bit how he thought about things and production.”

However, that wasn’t the main takeaway of the Paris trip.

A bull went “in-Seine,” you could say, Paul recalled with laughter.

One of the bulls in the back pens broke free and escaped the venue, jumping into the Seine River. It took a series of French police boats to corner the animal as members of Robinson’s crew worked to get the bull back to safety.

“I think there may have been a little too much French champagne going on that night for the crew,” Paul said with laughter. *** Two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney was getting ready for a rematch against Spitfire in Kansas City, Missouri, 13 years ago when Robinson walked over to him.

“J.B., I think you should slide your rope back a couple inches so he doesn’t pull you down again,” Robinson said.

Robinson was one of the few men Mauney would often talk to after a buckoff or if he needed advice with his riding, but on this winter night, Mauney disagreed.

“No offense, Jerome, but I put my bull rope in the same place on every bull I have been on my entire life,” Mauney said.

1.4 seconds later, Robinson walked back over to Mauney.

“I’ve got a new plan,” Robinson said with a smirk. “Let’s never pick him again.”

Mauney replied with a chuckle, “We will go with that one.”

The future PBR Ring of Honor inductee spoke fondly of Robinson Monday morning upon learning of the legend’s passing. Mauney had plenty of friends who worked for Robinson, and he was always impressed with how, on many weekends, even in his 70s, Robinson could be found moving panels and getting a venue set up.

“I doubt you could find a 74-year-old man who rode bulls as long as he did and still be in the shape he was in,” Mauney said. “I dang sure won’t be getting around like he is when I’m in my 70s. Jerome Robinson was one of a kind. Some of my really good friends in North Carolina worked for Jerome for I don’t know how many years, setting up back pens and driving trucks. They all say he is not like a boss.

They love that guy. That says a lot because most people don’t like their

bosses, and every one of them loves him.”

Bobby Dykes knew Robinson for more than 30 years and agreed with Mauney.

“I had nothing but respect for the man,” Dykes said. “Honestly, I could never imagine losing the man. I guess some part of me believed that Jerome would live forever. He expected a lot out of you when you worked for him. Well, when no one else said anything, he always made it a point to say thank you for your hard work. He treated everybody on the crew the same. No one was any better than anyone else. If he told you something, you could darn sure take it to the bank because he always stood behind his word. He was more than a boss; he was a friend. He will definitely be missed by many, and things are just not going to be the same without him.”

Fellow Colorado resident and 2009 World Champion Kody Lostroh was thrilled when he rode former PBR Finals bull MGM Grand in front of Robinson as a young kid. Lostroh was so excited to draw a bull he had once seen on TV, and to ride him in front of a childhood hero such as Robinson was something he never would forget.

“You could write a dang near book about him,” Lostroh said. “He is like a real-life Dos Equis man (The Most Interesting Man in the World). Golly, his presence is super knowledgeable about anything.

Whenever you spoke to him, it was like speaking to an old grandfather figure who knew everything about life, and he would give you advice, and it seemed he was always right. I’m sure going to miss that guy. His stories would always draw you in.”

Lostroh and 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis said another role involving Robinson also stood out to them. Robinson was also one of the last men any bull rider would see while competing on the premier series, as he would often be the one to tell a rider it was time for him to ride following a television commercial break.

“Jerome was always one of those iconic guys like Cody Lambert or Ty Murray,” Davis said. “His presence, you felt like you were around something greater than you. When you were in the arena, the thing I remember most is him counting down the time before it was time for me to go. He was just a great guy. I know I will miss seeing him around. I feel like he was the busiest guy in the PBR.” Eight-time PBR World Finals qualifier Chase Outlaw and 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse are competing in Denver, and both said they would miss the little wink Robinson would often send their way following a qualified ride.

“If he would see you, and I don’t know about everybody, but he would give me a wink,” Outlaw said with a grin. “Like, that was a good job.

That is what he loved to do: watch them bull ridings. Knowing he was a legend in what he did, that was a pretty good accomplishment of, ‘Yeah, that was a good job.’”

This past Saturday in New York, Outlaw saw Robinson taking off his headset, unknowingly for the last time. Outlaw went up to Mr. Jerome, as so many people call him, and he said he would ‘see him down the road.’

Robinson snapped his fingers back at Outlaw, flashed a pistol in the air, and gave a nod and a smile.

“I was like man, ‘That is one cool cat right there.’”

Humps-Horns.com · 24 · February 2022

WHERE’S THE BEEF? 2022

*-Added Money Amount Is For Each Night Information Subject to Change Without Notice Date

Location

Added $

Open

Time

Call-In #

Assn/Event

BULL RIDING EVENTS WEEKLY Saturday

Micanopy, FL

Mon-Thur prior

716-525-6011

Beat the Beast Bull Riders Southern Tour

FEBRUARY Feb 4-5

Milwaukee, WI

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Feb 4-5

North Charleston, SC

PBR Velocity Tour

Feb 4-5

Verndale, MN

Feb 4-5

Ottumwa, IA

Bullriders of America Finals

Feb 5

Lexington, KY

PBR Velocity Tour

Feb 5

El Paso, TX

Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour

Feb 11-12

Oklahoma City, OK

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Feb 11-12

Youngstown, OH

PBR Velocity Tour

Feb 12

Texarkana, AR

Feb 12

Lufkin, TX

Feb 12

Santo, TX

Feb 12

Memphis, TN

Feb 18

Sedalia, MO

Feb 18-19

St. Louis, MO

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Feb 18-19

Wellington, FL

PBR Velocity Tour

Feb 19

Polk City, FL

Elite Bullriders Association / SGSR

Feb 19

Fort Worth, TX

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo

Feb 19

Knoxville, TN

PBR Velocity Tour

Feb 19

Polk City, FL

Elite Bullriders Association / SGSR

Feb 20

Okeechobee, FL

PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Feb 21-22

Los Angeles, CA

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Feb 22

San Antonio, TX

PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Feb 25

Grand Island, NE

PRCA Xtreme Bulls

$8,000

1/24

5-8pm

651-248-2663

BYOR / Bull Team

NFPB

4 States Ultimate Challenge Shoot Out PRCA Xtreme Bulls

$500

903-219-0218

Cowboy Protection Assoc / WTB

417-924-3591

NFPB

PBR Velocity Tour $1,000

2/7

6-9pm

Humps-Horns.com · 25 · February 2022

WHERE’S THE BEEF? 2022

*-Added Money Amount Is For Each Night Information Subject to Change Without Notice Date

Location

Feb 25-26

Little Rock, AR

Feb 26

Worcester, MA

Feb 26

Santo, TX

Added $

Open

Time

Call-In #

Assn/Event PBR Unleash the Beast Tour PBR Velocity Tour

$500

903-219-0218

Cowboy Protection Assoc / WTB

MARCH Mar 4-5

Poplar Bluff, MO

PRCA Xtreme Bulls and Bands

Mar 5

Arlington, TX

PBR Global Cup USA

Mar 5

Odessa, TX

West Texas Bull Invasion

Mar 5

Hampton, VA

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 5

Las Vegas, NV

Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour

Mar 5

Charleston, WV

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 11-12

Vernal, UT

PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Mar 11-13

Bangor, ME

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 12

Santo, TX

Mar 12

Dayton, OH

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 12-13

Glendale, AZ

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Mar 16

Mercedes, TX

PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Mar 18-19

Kansas City, MO

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Mar 18-19

Wheeling, WV

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 19

Polk City, FL

Elite Bullriders Association / SGSR

Mar 19

Enid, OK

PRCA Xtreme Bulls

Mar 19-20

Fresno, CA

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 25-27

Albuquerque, NM

PBR Unleash the Beast Tour

Mar 26

Oakland, CA

PBR Velocity Tour

Mar 26

Bandera, TX

$500

$1500

903-219-0218

3/7-24

Call/text

830-777-7129

Cowboy Protection Assoc / WTB

Riding on Faith / Bikers and Bulls

YOUTH BULL RIDING EVENTS FEBRUARY Feb 4-5

Stanton, TX

Feb 12

Tatum, TX

$6,000

432-557-6916 / 432-517-0521 WCMB Major / West Texas Bull Bash

Feb 12

Kingman, KS

Feb 12

Brownwood, TX

Feb 19

Bandera, TX

EC 2/13 9pm

Feb 19

Muldrow, OK

Mon prior

Feb 19

Odessa, TX

Feb 23-26

Fort Worth, TX

Tue 9am-Thu 9pm EC 1/29 Mon-Sun prior

Built God Tough Roughstock Series

316-655-2909

Kansas YBR

254-485-1806

TOYBR Central Region

830-777-7129 / 830-796-5229 Cowboy Mardi Gras Open, Novice, Mini Call/text

Sun-Tue prior 1/5

903-754-1034

479-883-7319

WCMB/ Jesse James Chute Out Series

325-436-8535

WCMB / TOYBR West

patriotevent.com

WCMB / Priefert Patriot Event / Jr Patriot

MARCH Mar 5

Center, TX

Mar 5

Lenapah, OK

Tue 9am-Thu 9pm

903-754-1034

Built God Tough Roughstock Series WCMB / Tumble I Bullriding

Subscribe today at www.humps-horns.com or 325-500-BULL (2855) Humps-Horns.com · 26 · February 2022

WHERE’S THE BEEF? 2022

*-Added Money Amount Is For Each Night Information Subject to Change Without Notice Date

Location

Mar 12

Odessa, TX

Added $

Open

Sun-Tue prior

325-436-8535

WCMB / TOYBR West

Mar 19

Brownwood, TX

Mon-Sun prior

254-485-1806

TOYBR Central Region

Mar 19

Muldrow, OK

479-883-7319

WCMB/ Jess James Chute Out Series

Mar 26

Odessa, TX

325-436-8535

WCMB / TOYBR West

Mar 26

Kingman, KS

316-655-2909

Kansas YBR

Mar 26

Lenapah, OK

Mon prior

Time

Call/text

Sun-Tue prior EC 3/12

Call-In #

Assn/Event

WCMB / Tumble I Bullriding

BUCKING BULL EVENTS FEBRUARY Feb 5

Planada, CA

FEb 5

Porum, OK

1/24-2/2

contact Billy Soksoda

Feb 11

Oklahoma City, OK

1/24-31

Feb 12

Santo, TX

$500

918-960-1476 abbireg.com 817-565-6786 abbireg.com

ABBI Sanctioned ABBI Sanctioned / LJ Jenkins ABBI / Classic Top 5 Futurity Poor Boys Bull Team

Feb 12

Vinita, OK

Feb 18-19

Waco, TX

Feb 25

Little Rock, AR

Feb 26

Santo, TX

$500

817-565-6786

Poor Boys Bull Team

Mar 12

Santo, TX

$500

817-565-6786

Poor Boys Bull Team

Mar 12

Glendale, AZ

2/21-28

ABBI / Top 5 Futurity

Mar 18

Kansas City, MO

2/28-3/7

ABBI Classic / UTB

Mar 19

Springtown, TX

Mar 19

Bakersfield, CA

Mar 25-26

Abilene, TX

$50,000

1/31-2/7

ABBI Sanctioned / Evolution Bull Comp.

ABBI

2/7-14

ABBI Classic / UTB

MARCH

Texas Bucking Bull Association EC 3/12

661-346-9169

3/7-14

ABBI Sanctioned ABBI

Events highlighted in yellow have ads in this issue of Humps N Horns for more information.

email: bred2buck@gmail.com

Humps-Horns.com · 27 · February 2022

CLASSIFIEDS Practice Pens

Practice Pens

PISGAH, AL - TIM COX, TCB, ANYTIME, CALL FIRST, 256-996-9426

JACKSONVILLE, NC - Aleck Barnard, Elite Cowboy Rodeo Assoc., Onslow Rodeo Arena, 6pm Every Other Sunday, Call First, 910-381-8597

NEW MARKET, AL - EC Hunt, 5:30pm Sun., 256-683-8169 BATESVILLE, AR - James Bechdoldt, Anytime, Call First, 870-307-9923 CONWAY, AR - Mark Lindsey, Ride & Shine Cattle Company, Anytime, Call First, 501-730-4557 ELFRIDA, AZ - D Davis Bucking Bulls, 4pm Sat., Call First, 520-642-3737 LINCOLN, CA - B Bar Ranch, B Bar Indoor Arena, Rain or Shine, All Rough Stock, 916-206-4059 MARYSVILLE, CA - PacWest, 5pm Wed., Steers & Bulls, Call First, 530-751-6643 FRESNO, CA - Toro Bravo Arena, Thur. by appt., Call First, 559-577-2445 ELIZABETH, CO - Tuff Garcia, Tuff E Nuff, 6pm Mon., Rain or Shine, 970-846-0788 STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO - Tuff E Nuff, 6pm Wed., Apr-Nov., 970-846-6828/3354 ALDEN, IA - Circle C Rodeo, 6pm Wed., Rain or Shine, Call for alternate dates 641-373-3625

Do You Have a Livestock Layover or Practice Pen? List it for FREE in the Classifieds.

WOODBINE, IA - Tom & Kristina Kelley, every Sun. (weather permitting).

Beginner - rank bulls. Call 712-5922493

Call our office at 325-500-BULL (2855)

KENDALLVILLE, IN - B Bar A Bucking Bulls, Heidi Speicher, 7pm Every Thur, Call First, 260-564-5864/Troy

For More Information on listing your facilities

JACKSONVILLE, IL - Lazy C Rodeo, 10am-3pm Sun., Rain or shine, Call First, 217-245-8280

Humps-Horns.com · 28 · February 2022

CHANDLER, OK - JAM Bulls, 2pm Sun., 7pm Wed., Call First, 405-570-9010 SOPER/HUGO, OK - RBL Rodeo Bulls, Anytime with 4-6 hour notice, Rain or Shine, 307-461-1741 EAGLEVILLE, TN - BF Cattle Company, 2pm Sun., Jackpot, Call First, 615-336-4313 EMORY, TX - Oakes & Greene’s, 7pm Wed., 903-348-8630 LORENA, TX - Rocking S Ranch, Tue., Jackpot, Call First, 254-716-0779 MANSFIELD, TX - JC Knapp Ranch, 4pm Sun/6pm Wed., $5 at the gate to ride as many as you want, 817-223-3692 SIMMS, TX - Wilburn Bucking Bulls, 7pm Every Other Thur., 903-543-3025 PETROLIA, TX - Norris Dalton, 7pm Wed., 940-733-3020 DECATUR, TX - Cullen Calame, Denton Creek Farms, Call First, 940-393-3730 NOCONA, TX - 4x Arena, Call First, 501-944-1907 NOCONA, TX - Locke Bucking Bulls, Call First, 940-872-0733 WILLS POINT, TX - Austin Arena Bulls, Barrels, & Poles. $10 per ride/run or $25 for all you can ride. Bulls for all ages. 214-7265799

Livestock Layovers BATESVILLE, AR - James Bechdoldt, White River Rodeo, 870-307-9923 RAYMOND, IL - Randy Littrell, Shop Creek Cattle, 217-556-0551

CLASSIFIEDS Livestock Layovers MARYSVILLE, KS - Gary Hershey, 4H Bucking Bulls and Marysville Sale Barn, Call First, 785-292-4952 LAKE CHARLES, LA - Keith Strickland, Deep South Rodeo Genetics, 337-304-1493 SALEM, MO - Hwy 32 & 72, Salem Livestock Auction, 573-729-8880 HELENA, MT - Jim Horne, Bull Horne Ranch, 406-459-5706 FERNLEY, NV - Nathan Pudsey, Circle P Bucking Bulls, 775-750-2168 CLAYTON, NM - Justin Keeth, Lazy J 3 Bucking Bulls, 575-447-0877 BETHESDA, OH - 15 Miles off I-70, TCB Ranch, 304-281-4530 SOPER/HUGO, OK - RBL Rodeo Bulls, Anytime with 4-6 hours notice, 307-461-1741

Livestock Schools Layovers

BOX ELDER, SD - Gus “Duane” Aus, Lazy Heart O Ranch, 605-923-3426

GARY LEFFEW BULL RIDING SCHOOL

BUCHANAN, TN - Parsons & Milam 731-642-8346 CLARKSVILLE, TX - Brian Agnew, BA Livestock, 903-669-9189 DUBLIN, TX - Mike Godfrey, Godfrey 4X Cattle, 817-235-2852 MANSFIELD, TX - JC Knapp Ranch, JC Knapp Rodeo, 817-223-3692 MIDLAND, TX - Ted Norton, Norton Bucking Bulls, 432-413-8433 DECATUR, TX - Cullen Calame, Denton Creek Farms, 940-393-3730 SIMMS, TX - Near I-30 Texarkana, Wilburn Bucking Bulls, 863-381-2799 CHEYENNE, WY - Floyd & Ann Thomas, TTnT Ranch, 307-778-8806

Free bull riding tips on Facebook at Gary Leffew Bullriders Only.

14 World Champions and counting!

Learn the guru’s winning techniques: Bull riding drills and mental tricks for a smokin’ hot career!

FMI and to register for school, visit

Miscellaneous WINNERS RODEO SUPPLY - Gary Leffews Dare to Be Great DVD $45.00 or I am Hot DVD $35.00-free shipping.

Also some remaining Hotman and Lostroh bullropes plus all other bullriding gear.

Gold Buckle Rodeo Supply rodeo@wk.net 320-328-4000 Dealers wanted !!

RENOWNED HIGH QUALITY BULL ROPE DickCarrBullRopes.com, PO Box 18, Elk City, OK. 73648, 1-580-225-3208, Be Blessed.

www.garyleffewsbullridingworld.com

2022 Schedule Feb 19-20 Bakersfield, CA Feb 26-27 Bakersfield, CA Mar 18-20 Greenville, TX Apr 1-3 Panguitch, UT Apr 22-24 Grantville, PA May 14-16 Reva, VA ​Jun 21-23 Uvalde, TX Aug 27-28 Greenville, TX Oct 28-30 Panguitch, UT Nov 23-27 Greenville, TX

Humps-Horns.com · 29 · February 2022

Your Ad Could Be Here!

Call 325-500-2855 for more details

PROFESSIONAL QUALITY BULLROPES Raymond Branch, Custom Braider Maker of World, NFR, & PBR Champion Bullropes Strictly custom-braided to your specifications.

(928) 289-9611 www.mypqb.com

Western Wanderings a cowboy’s fire-starting kit While out on a drive, I don’t make the fire Old Cookie takes care of that chore But I always have tinder and matches To start my own fire for sure

A piece of a torn rain slicker Lines my fire kit’s old leather bag This helps to keep my fire kit dry Cause wet stuff sure causes a snag

Sometimes I get too far from camp While chasin’ them unruly strays There’s a fire-starting kit in my saddlebags Because being prepared surely pays

I too, carry matches and tinder Rolled up in a rag real tight In the pocket of my leather chaps Case my horse runs away in a fright

I always have several matches They work real well and real fast But I also carry some flint and a knife Whose spark can complete the task

Any seasoned old cowboy will tell you He has a fire-starting kit if there’s need That makes starting a fire really easy And that is advice you should heed

I keep some tinder in my kit Dried bits of bark or a bird nest I also carry some small, dried twigs They seem to work the best

By Kelly B. Robbins

Andrew Alvidrez rides Zorro (Jane Clark / Gene Owen) for 87.25 points in round 2 of the PBR Unleash the Beast event in New York, NY. Photo by Jon Tenca / Puck Stopper Photography.