He then remounts his horse and allows the rope to become slack. The run is declared invalid if the calf kicks free within six seconds. Upper body control and strong legs are essential to riding bulls. The rider tries to remain forward at all times. Leaning back could cause him to be whipped forward when the bull bucks.
Judges watch for good body position and the use of the free arm and spurring action.
Although not required, spurring will add points to a rider s score. Bareback Riding A bareback rider begins his ride with his feet placed above the horse s shoulder. If the cowboy s feet are not in the correct position when the horse hits the ground on its first jump out of the chute, the cowboy has failed to mark out the horse properly and is disqualified. Throughout the eight-second ride, the cowboy must grasp the rigging with only one hand. Each rider must begin his ride with his feet over the bronc s shoulders to give the horse the advantage.