The Basics

A qualified ride is eight seconds. The clock starts when the bull’s shoulder or flank breaks the plane of the gate. It ends when the rider’s hand comes out of the rope, the rider touches the ground, or the rider’s free arm touches the bull. A successful ride will earn a score of 0-100 points. Scores of 90 points or above are considered outstanding.

The Method

Four judges rate each rider and each bull on a scale from 1-25. Those points are added together and divided in half to reach a rider score and a bull score of between 0-50. Those numbers are then combined to reach a final ride score between 0-100.The overall event winner is the rider with the highest combined score on all of his bulls.