• Photo

Jared Black in rodeo gear.

Sphere IT

Save This Page

Reader Reaction

digg it

Youth looks to bull riding event

Jared Black is getting an early start on his dream. The young Floyd County bull rider has qualified for a national competition in Oklahoma.
Black, age ten, started bull riding at the age of five. He started out in mutton busting (sheep riding) and quickly advanced to bulls, which for the National Junior Bull Riding Association, weigh from 900 to 1,300 pounds.
“I like all of it,” he said. “There’s just a lot of adrenaline.”
Black is serious about the sport. Todd Black, his father, said Jared “works to make money for his entry fee.”
Bull riding is more than just hanging-on-for-dear-life for eight seconds. It takes strength, skill, and talent.
Jared works on getting the technique right. “You have to know when to bring your hand down and when to bring it up over your head for balance,” he said.
“He works at it all the time,” Todd Black said. “He has his own personal coach (David Gaither, of Bedford).”
There is a lot of stretching and exercise involved. “We went to one competition, and he was up at 6:30 the next morning doing sit ups,” Todd Black said.
Bull riding is obviously dangerous. Jared has had a ruptured spleen, bruised kidneys, and stitches.
Once, he had his leg broken in four places. “He didn’t want to go to the hospital, because he wanted to ride the next day,” Todd Black said.
To qualify for the national tournament, Jared had to be ranked in the top eight. He will continue competing locally and regionally until October, then take a month off prior to the Shawnee, Oklahoma competition.
Jared has his future mapped out: “I want to win an Open championship by the time I’m 15, a Challenge competition by the time I’m 16, and a World championship by the time I’m 25.”