PBR debuts at UBS Arena as bulls treated like elite athletes

The Professional Bull Riders tour is rolling into UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., this week for the New York Mavericks’ first home event, bringing roughly 120 bulls and their handlers to Long Island.

Bulls are treated like elite athletes, with regular veterinary care, hoof trimming and chiropractic work, according to a PBR stock contractor. MagnaWave stimulation—a form of electronic muscle therapy—is applied to improve recovery and blood flow, and the animals’ diets are customized to build lean muscle rather than weight gain. “They’re athletes as well, and so we treat them as such with regular veterinary care, hoof trimming and then, believe it or not, chiropractic work,” Justin Cornwall said. He added that the bulls are regularly exercised to stay in peak condition and that their meals are tailored to maintain their physique.

The event will begin Thursday night, with the New York Mavericks hosting their first home outing for the league. About 120 VIP bovines are expected to be present as part of the showcase, and some are valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. One notable bull is known as “The Undertaker,” a roughly 2,000-pound athlete that exemplifies the care and preparation that goes into the event. Bulls can cost up to $250,000, Cornwall noted, reflecting the genetic work that goes into producing generations of top offspring. The organizers insist the bulls’ participation is a testament to their elites’ physical conditioning and temperament, not mere novelty.

{Image: VIP bovines lined up for the event}

Mavericks coach Kody Lostroh described the bulls’ downtime as relaxed, saying they rest in a naturally scented, dirt-filled housing area away from the arena. “They relax. You see them back here pretty much just chilling and enjoying life. There’s not a lot of stress on them,” Lostroh said. He also described the personalities of individual bulls—some fiery and eager to buck, others more laid-back—echoing comments that some animals form bonds with their handlers. “If they’re getting ridden and they just keep bucking harder and harder, you know they really enjoy what they’re doing,” Cornwall added. “There’s a lot of personality.”

Animal-rights groups have voiced concern about the use of bulls in rodeo-style competition and the way some equipment is used. John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, said bulls are prey animals and may not welcome being tracked from city to city or having a rider on their back. He pointed to the flank strap, a rope around the bull’s waist used to encourage bucking, as a focal point of opposition. A bill in New York City proposes banning flank straps, a move Cornwall criticized as mischaracterizing the sport. “We wouldn’t do anything to injure or hurt these bulls,” he said. “If I’ve got to do [harmful things] to try and make them buck, they’re not going to work for me. They’ve got to want to do it.”

Lostroh noted that some bulls are young and still “pretty fiery” and want to run, while others prefer a quieter routine after a ride—illustrating the varied temperaments among the team’s 120 bulls. Mason Taylor, a Mavericks rider who owns nearly three dozen of the team’s bulls, said that bonds can form between riders and certain animals: “With some bulls, their personalities do create a bond. It’s really neat when you do see a bull that can recognize you.”

The UBS Arena stop marks a notable convergence of professional sport and animal management, highlighting a meticulous approach to equine- or bovine-like athletes that rivals human counterparts in its attention to conditioning, nutrition and recovery. Organizers stress that the bulls’ welfare is central to the program and that the event remains a showcase of athleticism and skill rather than a sideshow. The PBR circuit travels from city to city across the country, and this LI stop represents the league’s expansion into a new market with a devoted fanbase awaiting the bulls’ performances.

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