You would be forgiven for thinking you were not at a proper rodeo if you saw a fluffy bull trot out of the chute with a rider on top.
But this is a miniature bull riding event, one that has exploded in popularity in recent years as the “fat” bulls are used for the next generation seeking the thrill without the unnecessary danger.
Adrian Roots, a breeder of miniature bulls, said they had become the norm at rodeo events across the country.
“Where the bulls are available, everyone uses them,” Mr Roots said.
“When we started, we thought we were going to cart them round in a gooseneck, we thought six or eight bulls might have been enough, and just this year my wife and I bought a semi-trailer … we now have over 100 bulls.”
Mr Roots has been breeding mini bulls since 2012 on his property at Duaringa, west of Rockhampton in Queensland.
“It was an idea that we copied from some good friends of ours in the [United] States,” he said.
“We honestly believe it’s important for the sport to grow the juniors, to keep the kids coming through.”
Are they baby bulls?
While they may look cute and cuddly, Mr Roots said the bulls were fully grown.
“They’re not a young bucking bull; a miniature bull is a miniature breed,” he said.
“They are mature bulls that have lost all that young teenage fizz about them.”
The bulls are common miniature breeds — belted Galloways, mini-Herefords, Dexters and lowlines.
With all bulls under 1.2 metres high at the top of their backs, their legs are very short.
“Muscly, pretty big … some of them have horns, some don’t, and they are fat,” said River Richardson, a miniature-bull rider from Dalby.
“[The bulls have] strong but stubby legs.”
Fellow competitor 11-year-old Rylee Remfrey thinks the world of the fluffy beasts.
“Mini bulls are just fat, they are fun to ride.”
Given they are used specifically for the younger generation of bull riders, Mr Roots takes particular pride in breeding his bulls to be “cool”.
“A lot of miniature cattle are predominantly black, so we’ve been trying to breed bulls over the last couple of years to have all colour just so they look cooler for the kids,” he said.
Why have mini bulls?
It is not just the looks that make these mini bulls such a popular option at rodeos, but also the safety they offer.
“A few years back now we went through a generation of junior bull riders that did it pretty tough, they got on some real bucky stock,” Mr Roots said.
“I think everyone’s just realised now we’ve got to tone it back for our kids to make sure when they get to this type of event when they’re 18, that they’re still healthy enough to ride them.”
Tony “Tonka” Toholke, a Mount Isa Rodeo ambassador, said it was great to see so many kids have a good experience with the traditionally dangerous sport.
“As soon as the kids come off, [the bulls] are just so docile, they give a little buck, and they give them a good ride and the kids absolutely love it,” he said.
At rodeos across the country, children are relishing the chance to rider a “proper” bull.
“They buck harder, they are fun to ride and they aren’t that skinny,” Remfrey said.
“Big bulls buck too hard for us little kids,” River added.
