A bull fighter is recovering in hospital Saturday after he stepped into the ring to protect a bull rider at the Farmer’s Day rodeo in Stony Plain Friday night.
“The cowboy was thrown and the bull fighter came in to protect him,” said Bev Giles, promotions manager for the Kinsmen Rodeo.
“He and the bull literally met head to head.”
The fighter — an unidentified man in his 20s — was knocked out and viciously trampled before the clown, other bull fighters and several cowboys were able to distract the beast.
“His throat was cut, he got a really good gash to the neck,” said Giles, who was in the announcers booth at the time.
STARS Air Ambulance responded to the call around 9:18 p.m. and the man was taken to an Edmonton hospital.
“He had to get many stitches and has a broken pelvis but he’s expected to make a full recovery,” said Giles, adding bull fighters are the “unsung heroes” of rodeos.
“They go in fearlessly to distract the bull so the cowboy can get to the stands.”
It’s the first injury at this year’s Stony Plain Kinsmen Rodeo, which kicked off Friday and runs through Sunday.
Officials say the crowd was especially calm throughout the ordeal. Several medically trained bystanders jumped in to help paramedics treat the injured man.
“The crowd was great and STARS arrived within minutes,” said Giles. “The rodeo will continue as usual with a replacement bull fighter.”
Working with the cantankerous animals has proved dangerous for some rodeo lovers over the last few years.
Last year a woman was sent to hospital after she was roughed up by a bull while tying up the animal in Rexall’s EXPO Centre during the Canadian Finals Rodeo.
In 2010, another woman was seriously injured and four others hurt when a bull jumped a rail and climbed the fence after dumping its rider during the same event.
Source: Edmonton Sun
Injuries like this are far too common in the Cowboy world… That is one of the many reasons Cowboy Country is proud to sponsor Bling ‘n Boots. Bling ‘n Boots is fundraiser for STARS Air Ambulance and the Cowboys Benevolence Fund. To support these organizations (and the cowboys they help), please visit their website or Facebook page.
