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INJURY PREVENTION IN BULL RIDERS USING ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLES AND INNOVATIVE DESIGN

John Schneider, MBBS, GRAD Dip OH&S, FAFOM RACP, MSIA

Specialist In Occupational Medicine

I.  ABSTRACT

Recreational and leisure activities are becoming more professional particularly sports which are now being promoted as consumer events for the media and entertainment industries.  The rodeo circuit is one such area, and bull riding is one activity associated with this industry in which the risk of injury is relatively highly. 

 This activity has traditionally been performed with riders maintaining their position on the bull by grasping a rope tied around the bull.  The situation sometimes arises when a rider is either thrown from the bull, or is trying to get off the bull and the gloved hand holding this rope cannot be freed, and the rider becomes “hung up”.  This may result in injuries to the rider, or injuries to others (eg rodeo clowns) as they try to separate rider and bull.

 This paper will discuss injuries occurring in bull riders and the principles behind a new means of maintaining a grip using sound ergonomic design, which has been developed in Queensland. 

The International Olympic Committee has in the past, taken the attitude that in order to be a true sportsman, an athlete must take part in his sport for the pleasure in doing so, practise it without material gain, accept without question the decisions of the jury or umpire, win without exulting, lose without bitterness and lose rather than win by cheating.  This may in the past, have described the Olympic athlete for whom what matters was not the victory but the race. 

 Professionalism is encountered now in virtually every sporting discipline particularly once it attracts a sufficient degree of public and financial interest, and requires a certain standard of skill, although the organizational back up often lags behind the sportsperson and their management's professionalism.  With the increasing financial opportunities and rewards awarded to sportspeople, the consequence of injury can represent loss of significant income to both the sportsperson and the sponsor. 

 Initially sports medicine tended to focus on the treatment of sports related injuries and their rehabilitation, before considering issues including health and hygiene factors such as sports physiology and psychology.  Although the design focus has always addressed performance issues, it is only recently that sport doctors have become more interested and involved in applying ergonomic principals to improve injury prevention by redesigning sports equipment eg skin bindings and boots, football boots, weight and balance of tennis racquets etc.

 With however, increasing profile in the sport and opportunities for financial reward from competition, the risk of common law actions against organisers of these events are rising and has been pointed out by some of the organisations involved in this sport for example the National Rodeo Council of Australia. 

Rodeo in Australia is controlled by a number of independant organizations acting and keeping records independantly.  Accurate data for the industry is consequently impossible to obtain and that which is available, almost certainly underestimates the size of the problem.  Incident information for this presentation, was provided by the National Rodeo Council of Australia, and Australian Professional Rodeo Association.  Because this represents only two of the organizations however, it can only be used to gain a general impression of the “sport/industry”.

 The three largest controlling groups are the Australian Professional Rodeo Association, the Australian Bushmen's Campdraft & Rodeo Association, and the National Rodeo Council of Australia.  The latter comprises and represents a number of regional organisations including the Queensland Amateur Rodeo Circuit [QARC] , West Coast Rodeo Circuit [W C R C] , Rodeo Services Association [RSA], Northern Cowboys Association [NCA], National Rodeo Association [NRA] , and until recently apparently the Central Rodeo Cowboys Association [CRCA] .  Other commercial organisations and entrepreneurs such as Championship Bullriders Pty Ltd. operate private as well as sponsored events such as the Bundy Rum Series.

IV.  RISK IDENTIFICATION & ASSESSMENT

Campdrafts and Rodeos involve a number of events including bull riding (both senior and rookie or second division) and junior.  The difference between the senior and rookie being the experience of the rider, and the difference between senior and junior being the age of the rider, and size of the animal.  Other events include horse riding, barrel racing, and roping events.  The limited information available suggests that a majority of injuries occur in bull riding events.  This is to be expected as the riding events are higher risk and those involving bull riding carried an added risk that the animal often attacks the rider once unseated.

 The need for a more professional approach to occupational health and safety issues is becoming more readily acknowledged within the rodeo industry, to some extent precipitated as in other industries, by personal injury litigation and insurance costs.  Safety equipment has long been recognised as a failing in the industry and organizations such as the National Rodeo Council of Australia have taken some initiative in the interest of competitors by evaluating and encouraging the development and introduction of new ideas and equipment such as break-away bull ropes, helmets, and protective vests for both bull riders and bronco riders.  It is hoped that a full range of safety products for the full spectrum of rodeo may reduce the injury frequency and severity rates for competitors, clowns, stock handlers, officials and spectators.

As previously stated, it is difficult to obtain accurate quantitative data on the incidence of injuries sustained during rodeo events.  This is due to the unstructured and unregulated nature of the sport and the unco-ordinated involvement of several organisations including national, state and private entrepreneurs.

Some information is available from some of these organizations, usually pertaining to injury claims made against insurance policies.  This information probably significantly underestimates the actual number of injuries as many incidents are not reported because those injured may not have access to insurance funded medical treatments and/or income replacement.  The majority of those involved in this sport are still amateurs, or at best semi-professional, and those participants earning some income out of the sport, are usually self employed and therefore unlikely to be covered by traditional workers compensation insurance policies and notification requirements. 

Between the 9th September 1999 to 30th June 2000, 225 incidents were reported to the National Rodeo Council of Australia by their affiliated  organisations.  Of the 225 incidents, not all supplied sufficient information to classify them as to the nature and/or severity of the injury, the event in which the injury took place, or whether or not an insurance claim resulted.

 Those that were classifiable identified bull riding, both open and junior, as the activity producing the largest number of injuries.  During the combined period of 1999 and 2000, there was over 30 000 bulls released from chutes in rodeo events in Australia.  Approximately 35% of these injuries occurred to the legs, 24% to the head, 17% to the shoulder/neck/collar bone and 16% to the arms.  Apart from 8% of injuries to the ribs and chest, the remaining incidents involved loss of consciousness, abdominal, back and other injuries. 

Successful bull or steer riding requires the rider to remain seated on a bull for 8 seconds while maintaining a one handed grip on a bullrope tied around the animals’ girth. Points are scored for the rider’s ability to maintain balance on the animal, and more can be scored if the animal is more active and aggressive.

 Injuries usually result from falls, kicks from animals, crush injuries from compression between the animal and gates or rails and the ground, or from animal attack to those in the arena or the rider once dismounted. The latter is most likely to occur in bull riding as bulls will often attack where horses will usually gallop away once they have dislodged their rider.

 Injuries in bull riding occur more frequently if the rider is “hungup” (ie. his hand is caught in the bull rope when he is thrown or trying to dismount), has an uncontrolled fall from the animal, or has fallen to the ground.  Obviously if the rider can control his dismount, and quickly move away from the animal, the chances of injury are significantly reduced.  

The rider maintains his seating by grasping a rope tied around the bull's girth and the loose end of the rope is gripped in the rider's gloved hand.  In order to remain seated on the bull for 8 seconds, riders have in some cases, attempted to tie their hands and or gloves onto the bull rope to make it difficult for them to become unseated (ie the death or suicide wrap).  Obviously however, should they lose their balance and become unseated, this practice makes it difficult for them to free their hand and escape from the vicinity of the animal, significantly increasing the chance of a “hangup”. Because of this increased risk this practice is no longer as common now as in the past.

 Once unseated there is little chance of the rider being able to free themselves from the ”hangup” and extrication from this situation relies on the bull loosening the ropes due to its movement and bucking, or rodeo clowns being able to get close enough to the animal to untangle the rope.  This situation significantly increases the risk of injuries to the rider, (particularly hand and wrist injuries, as well as other injuries associated with being dragged around an arena unrestrained by an uncontrollable beast), and rodeo clowns. 

The “Easy Rider” bull rope, developed in Queensland, has been designed to release the rider's hand when the rider releases his grip, thus preventing the risk of “hangups” and the consequent increased risk of injury particularly to the wrist and forearm.

 The equipment has also been designed so that the hand gripping the bull rope handle, is in a neutral position thus allowing the rider to exert more of their forearm strength during the ride increasing his chances of remaining seated, as well as reducing the risk of him being hung up when dismounting.

Insurance Update, “Rodeo in Australia”, Magazine of the National Rodeo Council of Australia, vol 18 2001, p 9. 

 ILO, “Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety”, 3rd Edition, 1987, Geneva Switzerland, pp 2094-2095.