The taming of bulls has ancient roots in contests dating as far back as Minoan culture.^[3] Bull riding itself has its direct roots in Mexican contests of equestrian and ranching skills now collectively known as charreada.^[3] During the 16th century, a hacienda contest called jaripeo developed. Originally considered a variant of bull fighting, in which riders literally rode a bull to death, the competition evolved into a form where the bull was simply ridden until it stopped bucking.^[3] By the mid-19th century, charreada competition was popular on Texas and California cattle ranches where Anglo and Hispanic ranch hands often worked together.^[3]

 

Abstract: Inspired by the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, many drinking establishments offered mechanical bull riding to their patrons. As the use of mechanical bulls became more popular, associated injuries became increasingly reported in the literature as the "urban cowboy syndrome." We report a case of severe straddle injury resulting in symphysis diastasis, urethral injury, and significant retroperitoneal hematoma resulting in cardiovascular instability secondary to mechanical bull riding. This unique case is the most severe mechanical bull injury reported in the literature and the only report of the urban cowboy syndrome since the early 1980s.

Key Words: mechanical bull, pelvic fracture, straddle injury, urban cowboy syndrome