Until then, Lillie and Cirildo specialized solely in cotton burr grinding and hauling for the area cotton industry. It could be a fun hobby, so they decided to buy a few of the cute minis and raise them at their Lockney acreage. She borrowed the magazine to show the article to husband Cirildo. “I love animals, and this caught my attention,” recalls Lillie. Lillie Leal, a partner in her husband’s agribusiness, was at her local hair stylist’s shop when she thumbed through the magazine and thought immediately how fun it would be to raise the mini-bulls as “pets.” But at the same time, they give the kids the feel of riding a bull.With only a fraction of the aggression carried by their full-size counterparts, the pint-size bulls are the perfect size for pint-sized riders. '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