You’re usually warned to stay away from something that’s a “bunch of bull.” But Waterloo’s Jim Probst doesn’t heed this warning; he goes straight for the bull, bunches of bulls at that, and is racking up some major accolades along the way.

Probst is co-owner of the Rawson-Probst Bull Team, along with Mike Rawson of Texas. Theirs is one of nearly 50 teams that competes on the Championship Bull Riding circuit. This year, at the CBR Finals in Cheyenne, Wyo., Rawson-Probst was named World Champion Bull Team.

“Mike’s a winner in every way and prepares his bulls and expects them to excel every time out,” Probst said. “All you can ask them to do is buck, and sometimes with a little luck, a good draw of a rider and the blessing of the good Lord above, everything turns out and you have a year like we did this year.”

Probst got started with the bull-riding industry in 2008, when he bought 50 percent ownership in two bulls. One of the bulls never really amounted to much, he said. The other, though, by the age of 3 was a “pretty good rider bull.” His involvement with CBR began in 2010, and at one point he owned part or all of seven to nine bulls and at least four females.

He has since scaled back, selling the bulls and currently only owning a “partnership in a 2-year-old up-and-comer, hopefully.”

In CBR events, the bulls are competing just as much as the riders trying to stay on them for eight seconds. The best bulls are those who cooperate in the chute, where the rider mounts and secures himself to the bull by getting a good hand hold in the rigging, and then bucks and spins once out of the chute.

Half the score on a bull ride comes from the animal and the other half from the cowboy.

A total score, for the bull and rider combined, of 90 or above is excellent, comparable to a home run in baseball, Probst said. It is the combination of two scores of a maximum of 50 points each, given by two judges, then added together. A successful bull is expected to earn 20 or so points; the rider a little more.
The bulls from the team of Rawson-Probst had high finishes at competitions in Jackson, Tenn., Hobbs, N.M., and Las Vegas thanks to White Wolf, Banditos Gold, Jail House Socks, Ravens Mistake and Black Betty — all of who gave superior rides to superior riders during the season and helped secure the championship in July.

For all their hard work, the Rawson-Probst Bull Team earned a check for $108,000, a custom Hyo silver buckle, a pair of custom-made Fenoglio boots, a Juan Jose Munoz Andrade saddle, a 28-foot neckover stock trailer and a Mahindra eMax 22-gear tractor. Personally, Probst received a portion of the cash earnings, as well as the boots and belt buckle.

And if you think that because he’s reached the pinnacle of the sport he’s going to rest on his laurels, you don’t know Probst.

“Yes it was team Rawson-Probst (that won), but the accolades belong to Mike Rawson. He is the guy that does all the hard work and knows his bulls. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Probst said. “My team franchise is Mike’s to manage ‘til he tells me ‘No.’ Who knows? With a little luck and the continued blessing of the good Lord above we may be back there (in Cheyenne) again someday.”

Luckily, Monroe Countians don’t have to travel to Cheyenne, Wyo., to see the bulls of Rawson-Probst live in action.

“Mike Rawson will have a trailer load of bulls up at our Optimist Bull Riding event on Sept. 19,” Probst said.

Presented by the Waterloo Optimists, Tuff Hedeman’s Horizon Series Tour CBR event takes place 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Waterloo.

Tickets are available at Waterloo Rural King, Wm. Nobbe John Deere, JV’s Downtown Bar & Grill, Schnucks, First National Bank of Waterloo (all locations), Western Junction in New Baden and CarStar in Red Bud. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.WaterlooILOptimist.org or by calling 618-477-7240.