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ronc riding in rodeo these days can be summed up in one word: conservative. Whether saddle bronc or bareback, judges reward control. The more a man rides like a machine, the more restraint and discipline he demonstrates, the more likely he is to win trophy buckles and paychecks. It wasn’t always so. Time was, bareback riders tended to spur high, wide, and handsome, hang and rattle, flop and pop, spend every fraction of every eight seconds with the constant threat of eating dirt—yet somehow staying aboard in a dangerous dance accompanied by singing spur rowels. Saddle bronc riders exposed
to watch, and, with Mahan, always more likely to win money than not. And that’s not to mention his superior abilities as a bull rider. Bull riding is not an event that lends itself to the conservative, controlled approach currently the preferred style among bronc riders. It will always be a wild and wooly contest for cowboys willing to let it all hang out for the eight seconds between the rattle of the gate latch and the call of the claxon. And nobody knows that better than Larry Mahan. Twice (1965 and 1967) he was world champion bull rider. Six times he was named world champion All-Around Cowboy, using his talents in riding bulls and broncs to rack up the most annual winTHE MORE A MAN RIDES LIKE A MACHINE, THE MORE nings in all of professional roRESTRAINT AND DISCIPLINE HE DEMONSTRATES, THE MORE deo. Five of those All-Around LIKELY HE IS TO WIN TROPHY BUCKLES AND PAYCHECKS. championships (1966-1970) were consecutive—a record that stood for many years until brothemselves to danger with every jump, raking spurs ken by another rough stock champion, Ty Murray, and from maneline to cantleboard, balancing on buck rein again by timed-event master Trevor Brazille. and blue sky, throwing caution to the wind and putting Larry Mahan was the first cowboy to compete in a little wild in the Wild West sport’s classic event. three events at the National Finals Rodeo, and is still Such a bronc rider was Larry Mahan. the all-time leader in qualifying in rough stock events. Every trip out of the gate, he rode with flash and With ten successive days of competition, the NFR is a flair. No cautious, controlled rides for him—he acgrueling event for any cowboy. More than a few top cepted the challenge of the roughest horses and threw hands over the years have been unable to withstand the his best challenge right back at them. It wasn’t al- grueling pace, forced to miss go-rounds or drop out always pretty—but it was always exciting, always fun together owing to injuries. Ten of the world’s toughest
