This is understandable given his semen now sells for $5,000 per straw.Īnd then there’s the prize money. His owner once refused a purchase price for him of $700,000.

Take legendary bull Bushwacker, a rodeo veteran who retired in 2014 after earning $600,000. Oscar, a legendary bull from California in the the 1970's. Stocking the rodeo is no longer a sideline for ranchers. And through careful management and much investment, many breeders and owners have been able to capitalise on this aspect of the bull-riding boom. A steady stream of top quality bulls has developed along with the sport and has played its own part in expanding bull-riding’s appeal. Here the top riders compete for an end of season bonus of $1 million as part of $10 million in prize money offered throughout the year.ĭriving this success, alongside the daredevil riders, are the other stars of the show – the bulls.

In the arena, 3 million fans now watch bull riding, compared to 300,000 in 1995. Since formation of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) organisation in 1992, rodeo has been expanding both in popularity and as a business empire under the influence of the PBR the sport has grown into a multi-million dollar industry.Ī weekly bull-riding TV show sponsored by the Ford motor company – the Built Ford Tough Series – is featured on CBS and networks globally, broadcast to half a billion homes in 50 countries.

Raising rodeo bulls