Gary Warner, a prominent veterinarian in the world of bull riding, said he recently received calls from two bull owners asking him to look into the possibility of drug testing what some in the industry refer to as 'the bovine athletes.' Warner intends to bring the matter up for discussion at this month's World Finals in Las Vegas. It's not going to slow down until you legislate (against) it.' It's just like baseball, football, whatever. But at the same time, they give the kids the feel of riding a bull.'Oh, I think damn near everybody's doing it,' said Jerry Nelson, one of the sport's top bull owners. 'Those peewee bulls by no means are mean, and they don’t buck a lot. 'The kids like the mini bulls so much better,' Hales said. The stock was enough to get people involved, but he said it was a less than ideal situation. Jubilee Days has hosted junior bull riding for about 16 years, but for more than a decade, the Jubilee Days Committee found steers and yearling bulls on local ranches for the kids could ride, Jubilee Days Committee Vice Chair Myron Hales said. It’s kind of like a bull riding university if you will.' It can build some good bull riders, starting them on mini bulls. 'So, we started raising mini bulls about 10 years ago. 'I felt there was a need for something in between,' Roland Smith said. Without access to better alternatives, he explained many junior rodeos used steers for young bull riders until they were big enough to straddle the full-grown bulls used in the professional rodeo circuit. 'It’s not the same as riding bulls, and a lot guys didn’t take the transition from steers to bulls well.' 'I started riding steers at 10 years old,' said Roland Smith, a clean-shaven 62-year old with weathered hands and a neighborly smile. But behind the chaos, hidden among the numerous volunteers working the chutes, Roland and Georgie Smith, co-owners of S&S Mini Bucking Bulls, were hard at work ensuring the animals were ready to go and fit for performance.

Raising bulls for bull riding