There’s nothing unusual about a college lecturer influencing a student’s career path. For Jason Diedrich, it was a guest speaker whose voice is more commonly heard in the rodeo arena that helped to pave his way.

Diedrich, who started riding bulls in junior rodeos and progressed to pro rodeos, attended a seminar at his college when Bob Tallman was introducing the concept of a bucking stock registry. The talk spurred his curiosity, and he stayed behind to ask Tallman more about what he was doing.

At the end of last year’s ABBI competition during the Wild Card competition, a new group of breeders made their presence known. That partnership, known as “The Firm,” consists of three breeders — Curtis Mendell, Mike Lane & Billy Downard, aka Mendell, Lane & Downard.

This group was formed in March of 2007 while attending an event in Ft. Worth, TX. Mendell was bucking his bull, 420 Chester, and Lane and Downard were there looking for a bull to purchase. Lane and Downard were breeders, but wanted a bull they felt would be competitive enough to win some events. The two approached Mendell wanting to buy the bull outright, but Mendell wanted to keep part of him, thus The Firm was established. Each of these breeders have had success in the past with some top bulls, but like any program there are years when nothing seems to be the way you want.

Kent Cox has been a factor in the bucking bull business for many years.

First he competed as a bull rider with the PRCA and the PBR. Cox actually qualified for the PBR finals, but due to an injury, he was not able to compete. Later, he teamed up with his friend Dean Wilson and they served as the dummy men at many of the top futurities, becoming most efficient at strapping on the dummies while bucking around 40 bulls per hour. Cox also has one of the top breeding programs in the country. Last, but not least, he is becoming one of the best bull haulers going, having placed the flank on the top bull of the ABBI last season, T11 Troubadour, for Julio and Cindy Moreno.