Behind the chutes at a Bucking Bull event is not where you would expect to see a 12-year old girl, but Emory Vickers is not your ordinary girl.
Emory has spent her whole life helping with her family’s cattle. They run 140 bucking cows and 60 head of bucking bulls. She helps with the daily feeding and working cattle plus helps get the bulls ready for competition, i.e. bucking, flanking and exercising.
The family raises, trains and hauls their bulls to PRCA and PBR contractors all over the United States and Canada. They probably spend more time with their bulls than most people do, and Emory loves every minute of it.
Emory picked her bull, X85 Fuzzy, as a baby. “He was a furry little guy when he was a baby, so she named him after his wooly hide,” her Dad Clint said. As X85 Fuzzy began to grow, he slicked off, packed on the muscle, and has turned out to be one of the best bulls in their string of young buckers.
Bull, X85 Fuzzy compete at a recent competition. Photo by Tiffany
Bending Quicksand Photography
Emory has been competing with her prize 2-year old bull and has won the last three American Bucking Bulls events, flanking her bull.
The flank rope is a loose soft cotton material that goes around the bulls hip and intensifies the kick. You must be precise on the flank rope or the bull will not buck or kick as hard. At the Junior events, Emory is the only person that can touch and tighten the flank rope and the 10-pound box that simulates a rider. The bull bucks for six seconds, and then a button is pressed to release the flank and box. “It’s great to see her compete at the highest level with the rankest bulls in the world with an animal she was there with the day he was born and have success,” her Dad added.
In 2020, Emory has won at Attica, Kansas with an 87.5 point bull score; Brush, Colorado with an 89 point bull score, and Vinita, Oklahoma with a 88 point bull score. She is now qualified for the Evolution Finals which will be held in October. Emory hopes to follow in the footsteps of her favorite veterinarian, Dr. Gail Anspaugh and aspires to be a veterinarian one day. She enjoys reading, playing softball and her animals. Emory is a sixth grader at Cheyenne School. She is the daughter of Clint and Amy Vickers and has two brothers, Eli age 7 and Asa age 6.