What better way to kick off this New Year then by having a bullish new perspective on the industry, through the joyous eyes of a junior bucking bull breeder.

For Jody Spears, it’s all about heart and the pure love of his bulls. The 10-year-old has an admirable approach for handling his young buckers; do it with passion and enjoy what you’re doing.

Jody and his family have 40 head of cattle, including seven bulls spread, across four pastures in Lenoir, North Carolina. They are 70-miles from

As one of only a few girls raising bucking stock in “Cowboy Capital” Stephenville, Texas, bucking the naysayers is sometimes tougher than bucking the bulls.

Son of Kenny and Paula Jack aspires to become a Roughstock Veterinarian

One year from now, bucking bull breeder Matthew Jack is determined he’ll be packing his boots and heading to college, with his eyes on the long-term goal of becoming a physician for bucking bulls. The education is extensive, and the list of classes intense at his dream school—Oklahoma State University’s pre-veterinary program.

However, the 17-year old Oklahoma junior breeder is prepared to take the bull by the horns, and is not intimidated by the hefty four-year college requirements to prepare for the following four years of veterinary medicine. Matt has researched the challenging animal science prerequisites to carry out his vision. The college courses include organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, animal nutrition, zoology and genetics rounded-out with physics.

Mark and Kelly Ward’s son is following in the family hoof-steps, and like his PBR-veteran father, Mason is starting to ride a little roughstock, too.

As a fourth-generation bucking bull breeder, Mason Ward has good stock behind him—and great opportunities in front of him. Following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather who raised roughstock, and his grandfather who also bucked bulls, and now both parents...it’d almost be “old hat” to Mason, except that the Nebraska breeder is only 8.

“It’s fun!” exclaimed Mason, a second grader at Tryon Elementary School in Tryon, Nebraska. “I like raising and feeding my bulls, and just being around ‘em.”