As a major component of rodeo sport, professional bull riding is generally thought to have established during 1864. Two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met in Deer Trail , USA . The meeting was prearranged to settle a dispute over which group was best at universal ranch tasks. From this simple competition, rodeo sport was born. Of course, since then the sports have much developed, the showmanship and highly competitive nature of the games have never wavered.

A pivotal moment for modern bull riding, and rodeo in general came in 1936 when the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) was created. Through this organization, a lot of rodeos are organized and held yearly. Since that time, the fame of all aspects of the rodeo sport has risen; a considerable achievement for the sport came in 2002 when it got Olympic sport status during the Salt Lake City Olympics. Newly, a separate organization has been shaped for bull riding alone : The Professional Bull Riders (PBR), which also stages a large number of rodeo events.

The principles of bull riding are quite easy. A rider mounts a bull gripping a leather rope, and after he fastens the rope around the bull the rider announces he is ready. The bucking chute is opened and the bull storms out. The following little seconds are very important; the rider must do his best to stay on the bull for as long as he can while only touching the bull with one hand. His other hand must remain free for the period of the ride.

The bull, as a prey animal, is cautious of having something on its back. Thinking it may be in danger, as if attacked by a lion or similar predator it runs about at high speed, bucking violently. This process continues for a number of seconds until the rider loses his balance and falls off the bull or is just thrown off the bull's back by the sheer force the animal exerts. Each bull is given an individual name, and around 75 bulls, each judged to be of good strength, health, quickness and age are selected to perform.

The scoring system is also quite basic. As two rodeo athletes are involved in the game, each athlete is awarded points ranging from 0-50. Scores of zero are quite ordinary as a lot of riders lose control of the animal almost right away after the bull rages out of the bucking chute. Though, many experienced professionals are capable to gain scores of 75 or more. A score above 80 is considered excellent, and a score in the 90's outstanding.