HARDWAY PRO BULL RIDERS HISTORY
Hardway Pro Bull Riders began in 1995 as the Hardway Buckout with a membership of 50. A board of directors was established and we were incorporated as an official association that sanctioned weekly jackpots to develop new bull riders and to test young bulls for a stock contractor who was building a pen of bulls. Members were required to buy a card, have documented proof of insurance, and were expected to follow a simple rulebook that had been developed. The jackpots were held every Wednesday night from May through September. At the end of the season, a yearly finals was held and buckles were awarded to the season champion and the finals champion.
By 1997, we had doubled our membership and participated in 8 sanctioned bull ridings in the northeastern US that were produced and contracted by Rawhide Rodeo Company. This was the first year of a long-lasting relationship with the Benton Rodeo Association, which has a Hardway Pro Bull Riding each Sunday evening following their yearly rodeo.
In 1998, we grew to a membership of 120 and co-sanctioned 4 bull ridings with All Pro Bull Riders of Maine. The finals were held on New Yearís Eve at the Erie County Agricultural Center in Hamburg, NY, produced by Rawhide Rodeo Company. We had 600 spectators for the bull riding and dinner dance in spite of a very large snowstorm!
In 1999, our bull ridings increased to 14 on-the-road productions with a stable membership. Our finals remained in Hamburg on New Yearís Eve. Our year-end awards increased to season champion, finals champion, rookie champion, finals bullfighters, bucking bull of the finals and jackets to the top 7 season finalists.
In 2000, our membership remained stable and Tracy English, of Broken B Ranch in Dalton, NY, was added as a stock contractor. We added junior bull riding to 2 of our on-the-road events and each weekly jackpot which started being held in Dalton. We had 7 dedicated junior bull riders who competed in our finals and shared in the awards.
In 2001, our on-the-road shows grew to 19. Stock contractors grew from 2 to 4. We co-sanctioned 5 events with RBF Rodeo and were invited to participate in 3 bull ridings at Painted Pony Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY, as well as our weekly jackpots at Broken B Ranch. Our membership consisted of 14 junior bull riders, 76 bull riders and many supporters of the organization. Our finals were held at The Coliseum at the NY State Fairgrounds. Awards included buckles to the finals champion, rookie champion, and season champion along with a trophy saddle. Junior bull rider awards included a belt to the season champion and a buckle to the finals champion. Jackets were given to each junior bull rider who participated in the finals and to the top 25 bull riders.
In 2002, we added Double M Ranch in Ballston Spa, NY as a stock contractor. Our members who placed in their open rodeos won points for our organization. Membership has remained stable and we participated in 19 on-the-road events. This is a major year of change, as we are produced and promoted our own 2002 Finals on October 5. Awards included buckles for the finals champion, rookie champion, and season champion along with a trophy saddle. Junior bull rider awards included a buckle to the season champion and buckles to the finals co-champions. Buckles were presented to stock contractor of the year and to two dedicated bullfighters. A plaque was awarded to the bucking bull of the year and the finals.
In 2003, we co-sanctioned events with International Pro Bull Riders. We had 17 on-the-road shows, and participated in 5 shows at J Bar W Ranch (home of IBR). Membership has remained stable and for the second year, we produced our own 2003 finals at Broken B Ranch, Dalton, NY, on September 13. At our awards banquet, we honored our finals champion and rookie champion with a buckle and our season champion received a buckle and a trophy saddle. The finals champion and season champion in our Junior Bull Riders were awarded a buckle. All junior bull riders were given jackets.
In 2004, we co-sanctioned events with IBR. We had 15 on-the-road shows, and participated in 10 shows at J Bar W Ranch (home of IBR) for our open bull riders. This year we offered 2 divisions of Junior Bull Riders. Our junior bull riders had 9 on-the-road shows and weekly jackpots at Double V Ranch in Prattsburgh. Membership has remained stable and for the third year, we produced our own 2004 finals at Cross Creek Ranch, Wyoming, NY, on October 17. We honored our finals champion and rookie champion with a buckle and our season champion received a buckle and a trophy saddle. The finals and season champion in both divisions of junior bull riding received a buckle. Plaques were presented to the Stock Contractor of the Year, Bucking Bull of the Year, and Bucking Bull of the Finals.
In 2005, our membership remained stable.We had 13 on-the-road shows. Our junior bull riders had 11 additional shows in which they participated. Awards were given to our season and rookie champions in the open division and our season champions in both divisions of junior bull riding at the end of the season. Plaques were given to the Stock Contractor of the Year and the Bucking Bull of the Year.
In 2006, our membership remained stable. We had 13 on-the-road shows and our junior bull riders had 12 on-the-road shows. Our finals were held on New Yearís Eve at the Kay Arena in Indiana, PA. Awards were given at the conclusion of our 2006 Finals.
2007 and 2008 were both successful years for Hardway Pro Bull Riders and we look forward to continuing to bring great bull riding action to an increasing number of venues in 2009 and beyond.