In the heart of Portland, Oregon, Party Bus, a youthful and vibrant 3-year old bull bred with a bloodline for bucking, made an audacious and unforgettable debut on the rodeo circuit. However, it was not just his first rodeo, it was, tragically, to be his last.
Born of rodeo stock, Party Bus was the progeny of the renowned Short Bus, a name recognized and respected among the rodeo fraternity. His youthful exuberance peaked at his debut rodeo performance when he vaulted over the enclosure fencing of a bustling central Oregon arena, only to go on a wild rampage through the concession section, leaving three spectators injured.
In a calming interpretation, Mike Corey, the bull’s owner, stated the bull had made an innocent error and held no intentions of causing harm to anyone. He elucidated that this marked the first instance for Party Bus, to be surrounded by such an immense crowd. In a bewildered tone, Corey said, “He simply went and jumped out of the arena. It happens, and not very often, thank God. I had no idea he would do that.”
Witnesses at the Sisters Rodeo that fateful Saturday captured heart-stopping videos of Party Bus defying the constraints of the fence, tearing through the concession area and using his horns to catapult a woman into the air. Having stamped an unforgettable mark through his rampage on the rodeo grounds, Party Bus retreated back to the sanctity of the livestock holding pens. Thankfully, experienced rodeo livestock professionals were on hand to swiftly regain control of the situation, thus ensuring the bull’s safe containment, as confirmed by the Sisters Rodeo Association.
Chief Thad Olsen of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District confirmed that Party Bus’ audacious escape lasted but a mere thirty seconds, an escapade not void of cost. “It could have been way worse. We were very fortunate that we only had three people with relatively minor injuries,” he claimed, providing some reassurances.
Despite his disappointment, Corey vowed that Party Bus’ first rodeo was irrevocably to be his last. Despite being bred from award-winning bulls and trained with a remote-controlled dummy, Party Bus’ rodeo career was abruptly cut short. The bull’s unruly behavior led to him being “condemned” by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, thereby disqualifying him permanently from future competitions.
Despite this sudden ending, Party Bus will retreat to a quieter lifestyle on Corey’s eastern Washington ranch, where he’ll be tasked with siring more baby bulls that Corey optimistically hopes will grow into “superstar athletes”. Even in this sudden retirement, Corey maintains that Party Bus still has a significant role to play. “He’s a great animal,” he muses. “His daughters and his sons will be a huge asset in the future of rodeo.”
