Saddle Up

	Tough Break, Buckaroo

On the day after American voters handed the Democrats control of Congress, President Bush described the Republicans' election drubbing as a "thumping," and added, "this isn't my first rodeo."

Bush's comments made me wonder whether he'd ever ridden a bull, or experienced anything close to the pain that follows.

Cody Ruiz, 25, a cowboy from Ontario, Ore., has definitely had his butt kicked by a bull in a rodeo ring.

But the rodeo, he explained, isn't about the beatings. It's all about adrenaline and competition. And money.

In the Spotlight

I met Ruiz at the Days of '47 Rodeo, one of the oldest rodeos in America, held at the Delta Center arena in Salt Lake City.

When we met, Ruiz was poised to attempt a ride on a bull named Black Bandit. He needed to hold on for eight seconds.

Instead, Black Bandit, weighing in at more than 1,500 pounds, gave Ruiz a truly painful thumping -- not just an election defeat -- and robbed him of thousands of dollars in prize money. ...