I’ve been on vacation. I spent a whole month at the ranch and it was great. I got to hang out with my heifer and did a pretty good job of traveling around the pastures and being social with all the girls.

October started with a trip to Rosenberg, Texas, for the PRCA rodeo. It is part of the Fort Bend County Fair and when we pulled up there, it brought back memories from last year. There is all kinds of livestock there, steers, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and even a few heifers. I thought I’d be friendly and see if I could get some of those heifers’ attention, but they were a little too blue-blood for me. Seems as though they thought that pure-bred Angus blood shouldn’t associate with a bucking bull.

We got there Wednesday and I didn’t have to perform for two days. We spent time at a local ranch before making the trip to the fairgrounds. When we got there, I just absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of the fair. People may not realize it, but I love the smell of kettle corn.

They put me in the draw for Friday and Saturday and I’m ready. On Friday, it’s Kane Patterson that gets me. I’m back in the pens, they are sorting the livestock and I hear the announcer start talking.

I’m listening and I know that voice. It’s been a year since I’ve heard it, but I heard it a lot growing up on the 3T Rodeo Ranch, so I’m not likely to ever forget it --- it’s Bob Tallman.

I know that Bob had big expectations for me because of my breeding. On my mom’s side of the family I go back to Wrangler Rivets and on my dad’s side I’m all Bodacious. In fact, those are my grand sires. I’ve spent most of my life trying to do them justice and I think that they would be proud.

It was Bob that put the bloodlines together and even though I looked like a little Jersey calf when I was born, he and his crew took really good care of me and gave me every opportunity to learn how to be a bucking bull before Mack Altizer bought me and I joined the Bad Company Rodeo string.

I’m listening to Bob talk and I’m actually getting a little nervous. I don’t want anyone else to know that, but I really want to perform at my best. It seems like this rodeo has gone on forever. I just can’t wait to get out in front of the crowd and show my stuff.

The guy that’s drawn me is Kane Patterson from Waco, Texas. I always try to pay attention to my surroundings and listen to the guys talk. At Rosenberg, I was so busy listening to Bob and thinking about bucking, it wasn’t until the bull riding that I saw Kane.

He got right down to business and said he was glad to get a chance to get on me. Even though he had a chance, I could tell he wasn’t too sure. So he’s on my back, my ears are twitching and I’m listening to all of my coaches. Bob Tallman is announcing my name, Mack Altizer is making sure everything is just the way he wants it and Chicken Fry is setting the flank. All of the people that have built me into a world class bucking bull are right here.

           I’ve never felt that much pressure before. It was all I could do to focus on what was going on. Then I remembered, my name is Walk This Way and I am a bull with BADITUDE. I started telling myself that over and over. I knew I was going to have an outstanding trip.

            I exploded out of the chute and that Kane guy was gone. The judges had it down at 1.06 and 1.52 seconds. Even better, one marked me 22 and the other one marked me 23 plus and they barely got to see me. So I made a short trip around the arena and gave Bob a chance to talk about me.

            I could hear the pride in his voice when he told the fans that he had raised me. That pumped me up a little more and I was ready to get back to the pens and brag a little to my bull buddies. I later found out this was the first time Bob had ever told the public that he raised me. I’m glad I made him proud and more importantly I’m glad I could have a trip like that for the whole Bad Company Rodeo team.

            I had to make the most of my time in the arena, because they turned me out on Saturday night, so I only got to buck that one time. That was a disappointment.  

             Bad Company Rodeo’s young bulls were all outstanding. I want to congratulate Funky Cole Medina for taking Jay Slyder from Justin, Texas, to first place with an 88. I was pretty sure Kryptonite was going to get ridden when I found out that J.W. Harris from May, Texas was getting on him. J.W. nearly rode me at Killeen so I knew Kryptonite had his work cut out for him. They had an 86-point ride and finished second.  

            I’m glad to see these young bulls doing well and hope they will be able to join me at more of the PBR stops next year. In fact, that will be my next trip --- to the PBR World Finals. I heard through the grapevine that Justin McBride rode Scene of the Crash for a $200,000 bonus in Columbus, Ohio.

            Good for Justin. He sure can make us bulls look bad. I can’t wait to get to Las Vegas and tease Scene of the Crash. That ride may have been the stuff that legends are made of and people will talk about it forever. I have a little insider’s joke on Scene of the Crash though. Every time that Justin looks at that presentation check that he got for the ride, he’ll be looking at my picture! If they had an award for most photogenic bull I’m sure I’d win that one hands down!

            There will be some trash talking in the pens in Las Vegas. This is the only time of year that all of us bulls get to be at the same place at once and I can’t wait. While I’m in Las Vegas, some of the other bulls will be at Dallas for the ProRodeo Tour Finale. Then we’ll be back at the ranch before the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

You can now email me walkthisway@badcompanyrodeo.com

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