When asked why he switched to handling rough stock for a living instead of sticking with dairy farming, Bluebell cowboy Eldon Monsen replies with a smile, "Well, I don't think bucking bulls make all that much money, but they're a lot more fun than milking cows." And fun is definitely the name of the game for this cowboy, but there is more to raising good bucking stock than meets the eye. If you watch the way Monsen handles his stock, you'll see he has a gift for working with these massive and sometimes dangerous animals, and he's got an eye for a good bull and a great bucker.
Eldon Monsen grew up around cattle. He milked cows alongside his brother and father for years, but it was the big, tough bulls at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal that caught the young man's eye. "Ever since I was a kid I went over to the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. I was just a kid from Bluebell, we didn't go too many places, but we went to Vernal to the rodeo and I'd see Swany Kirby, the main stock contractor for the rodeo, up on a big palomino horse leading the grand entry. Everyone would ride in behind him and I remember thinking to myself, "Wow. He takes care of the bulls. What a cool way to make a living." That memory stuck in Eldon's mind and eventually led him to the path he's on today; Eldon Monsen, Stock Contractor, owner; EMJ Bucking Stock.
Eldon tried a few other occupations first. "I've done a lot of things. I've milked cows, raced horses, even played in a band, but this whole thing started coming about when my oldest son, Justin, started working for the Professional Bull Rider's Association when the PBR was just starting to expand. Justin and I got together to put on a PBR event in Vernal and that was the start of the Lane Frost Challenge. We were about four years into the Lane Frost Challenge when I decided I could actually get a herd of bucking bulls going and become a stock contractor."
Monsen began networking through his Lane Frost Challenge and met several stock contractors. After visiting with several successful contractors, Monsen soon made his first bull purchase. His herd was officially started with three bulls he purchased from the first ever televised bull sale. The small herd grew quickly as Monsen added some prize cows and began starting his bulls from calves. "When they're calves, that's when the training begins. You can buck them out and see which bulls have potential and then you work with them to get them used to your touch and being handled. They need to buck, but they've also got to come into the back pens and be herded around and that's where knowledge of your stock comes in." Monsen says.
Working with the bulls from the time they're young also gives Monsen a chance to get to know each individual animal. "A good contractor has to know his stock. Some bulls start out spinning left and when they're put in a right opening chute they might not have as good a trip. So it's up to the contractor to figure out if a bull's got a left or right delivery and to get them in the right chutes at events so the cowboys get a good ride." Half of the cowboy's points come from the bull's performance so it's important to enter stock that will perform well. "One of the first things that catches my eye with a young bull is whether or not he kicks high with his back feet and spins. Some naturally spin, some pick it up later, but better bulls usually kick and spin from the get-go. A lot depends on the bull himself though. These bulls have to have enough heart to keep going and like to buck."
Upon observing Monsen with his bulls, you'll notice a calm demeanor he keeps with his animals. Monsen thinks patience may be a contractor's greatest asset. "The calmer you keep your bulls the easier they will be to handle and that makes them less dangerous. I've got one bull, Little John, he's maybe 13, 14 years old and I can do whatever I want to him in the back pens. My wife, Janet, can even feed him hay out of her hand, but when he gets in the arena he knows it's time to buck and he does his job. If he has people poking at him and stirring him up he'll get pretty mad and they'll pay for it."
EMJ Bucking Stock and the Lane Frost Challenge are now a traveling outfit, going from town to town giving cowboys from all levels: high school riding champs to pro cowboys, a chance to ride, win some money and do what they love. Eldon has big goals for the Lane Frost Challenge. "We used to be affiliated with the PBR, then we switched to a CBR event and one of the reasons we changed was because we got to be on TV. I liked that a lot. The first year we went independent with the Challenge I was on Bull Riding TV- broadcast on American One Sports. I liked being on national TV so my goal for the Lane Frost Challenge is to get all our events televised." The Lane Frost Challenge has been televised by VTV and can be viewed on the internet now by going to strata.tv, local sports and watch the 2009 Vernal Lane Frost Challenge.
As Monsen's bull herd grows and becomes more skilled, so does his Lane Frost Challenge event. Eldon Monsen is striving to push his show to a pro-level show and to breed and train some of the top bucking stock in the nation. He's got the determination and he's got the motive; fun. It's a fun job and he's just a guy having a good time, doing what he loves.
Look for the Lane Frost Challenge and EMJ Bucking Stock at Altamont Longhorn Days on July 23rd.
Eldon Monsen grew up around cattle. He milked cows alongside his brother and father for years, but it was the big, tough bulls at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal that caught the young man's eye. "Ever since I was a kid I went over to the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo. I was just a kid from Bluebell, we didn't go too many places, but we went to Vernal to the rodeo and I'd see Swany Kirby, the main stock contractor for the rodeo, up on a big palomino horse leading the grand entry. Everyone would ride in behind him and I remember thinking to myself, "Wow. He takes care of the bulls. What a cool way to make a living." That memory stuck in Eldon's mind and eventually led him to the path he's on today; Eldon Monsen, Stock Contractor, owner; EMJ Bucking Stock.
Eldon tried a few other occupations first. "I've done a lot of things. I've milked cows, raced horses, even played in a band, but this whole thing started coming about when my oldest son, Justin, started working for the Professional Bull Rider's Association when the PBR was just starting to expand. Justin and I got together to put on a PBR event in Vernal and that was the start of the Lane Frost Challenge. We were about four years into the Lane Frost Challenge when I decided I could actually get a herd of bucking bulls going and become a stock contractor."
Monsen began networking through his Lane Frost Challenge and met several stock contractors. After visiting with several successful contractors, Monsen soon made his first bull purchase. His herd was officially started with three bulls he purchased from the first ever televised bull sale. The small herd grew quickly as Monsen added some prize cows and began starting his bulls from calves. "When they're calves, that's when the training begins. You can buck them out and see which bulls have potential and then you work with them to get them used to your touch and being handled. They need to buck, but they've also got to come into the back pens and be herded around and that's where knowledge of your stock comes in." Monsen says.
Working with the bulls from the time they're young also gives Monsen a chance to get to know each individual animal. "A good contractor has to know his stock. Some bulls start out spinning left and when they're put in a right opening chute they might not have as good a trip. So it's up to the contractor to figure out if a bull's got a left or right delivery and to get them in the right chutes at events so the cowboys get a good ride." Half of the cowboy's points come from the bull's performance so it's important to enter stock that will perform well. "One of the first things that catches my eye with a young bull is whether or not he kicks high with his back feet and spins. Some naturally spin, some pick it up later, but better bulls usually kick and spin from the get-go. A lot depends on the bull himself though. These bulls have to have enough heart to keep going and like to buck."
Upon observing Monsen with his bulls, you'll notice a calm demeanor he keeps with his animals. Monsen thinks patience may be a contractor's greatest asset. "The calmer you keep your bulls the easier they will be to handle and that makes them less dangerous. I've got one bull, Little John, he's maybe 13, 14 years old and I can do whatever I want to him in the back pens. My wife, Janet, can even feed him hay out of her hand, but when he gets in the arena he knows it's time to buck and he does his job. If he has people poking at him and stirring him up he'll get pretty mad and they'll pay for it."
EMJ Bucking Stock and the Lane Frost Challenge are now a traveling outfit, going from town to town giving cowboys from all levels: high school riding champs to pro cowboys, a chance to ride, win some money and do what they love. Eldon has big goals for the Lane Frost Challenge. "We used to be affiliated with the PBR, then we switched to a CBR event and one of the reasons we changed was because we got to be on TV. I liked that a lot. The first year we went independent with the Challenge I was on Bull Riding TV- broadcast on American One Sports. I liked being on national TV so my goal for the Lane Frost Challenge is to get all our events televised." The Lane Frost Challenge has been televised by VTV and can be viewed on the internet now by going to strata.tv, local sports and watch the 2009 Vernal Lane Frost Challenge.
As Monsen's bull herd grows and becomes more skilled, so does his Lane Frost Challenge event. Eldon Monsen is striving to push his show to a pro-level show and to breed and train some of the top bucking stock in the nation. He's got the determination and he's got the motive; fun. It's a fun job and he's just a guy having a good time, doing what he loves.
Look for the Lane Frost Challenge and EMJ Bucking Stock at Altamont Longhorn Days on July 23rd.
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