Into Every Horse Doctor’s Life A Little Bull Must Fall

By John Voket

At 13, Newtown resident Ned Schankman said he knew he wanted to be a veterinarian. But that didn’t stop him from living out another dream — to be a cowboy.

“I don’t think my parents knew, but when I was younger I used to sneak off and ride bareback broncos and bulls in the rodeo,” Dr Schankman confessed to The Bee earlier this week while on a routine visit to perform dental procedures on several of the horses at Sunnybrook Farm.

The local vet’s childhood experience with bucking bulls came full circle recently when he was called on to consult and provide veterinary services to the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) organization during its first visit to the area last weekend.

The PBR brought its Enterprise Tour to Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard for a two-night stand that featured dozens of riders from across the globe, taking their turns trying to stay affixed to the huge heaving, swirling animals that Dr Schankman said are unique and specifically bred for this particular sport.

“Very few bulls have the ability to buck like the ones that are used for this sport,” he said. “That’s why you might have heard that some of the best ones can go $60,000.”

That price tag was double the amount of the entire purse up for grabs during the two-night PBR stint in Bridgeport, but that didn’t stop riders from as far away as Brazil from donning their spurs and heading to the Park City hoping and even praying for their eight seconds of fame. Eight seconds is the minimum ride time to qualify as a contender in this highly dangerous sport.

And while Dr Schankman said he sees comparatively few injuries to his “patients” compared to the two ambulance crews standing by each night, the Bridgeport event came to a close with blessedly few minor bumps and bruises. But the veterinarian said his work with the PBR did not begin and end over the course of a couple of days.

“The PBR called me prior to Thanksgiving to inquire about the health requirements of the state for bulls to enter,” he said. “They wanted information on compliance with local Department of Agriculture guidelines.”

Once Dr Schankman completed his task of serving as a liaison between the state and the PBR contractors who provide the hybrid animals to the bull riding events, the organization again sought his consultation about where the contractors could house their stock over the few days they would spend in Connecticut.

“I knew about a perfect place just a little ways away in Bethany,” he said. So Dr Schankman helped the PBR arrange lodging for all the prize animals at C&S Ranches in Bethany, a regional center that hosts team roping, barrel racing, and other training in its vast indoor arena.

“These contract breeders were bringing in bulls from North Carolina, Ohio, and Maryland, so we set them up with a nice place to come back to after the competition,” Dr Schankman said.

The PBR’s next request was for the doctor to provide on site/on call emergency service while the cattle were here in Connecticut.

“I don’t even know why these guys needed me, the animals are so well cared for,” he said. “But at $10,000 and up for each bull, I guess it’s a good idea to have someone looking them over before and after each event.”

While a cursory visual exam was performed before and after each show at C&S Ranches, the doctor explained, a true “physical exam” is not possible without special restraint. He said, by his observation, that the animals appeared to have no preexisting injuries and all routine work was done prior to shipment to the state.

“You have to be careful though, because the PBR requires the spurs to be rounded off. But once in awhile you get a guy who isn’t exactly following the rules and it can cause an injury to the animal,” Dr Schankman said. In addition, the bulls have their horns modified to reduce the likelihood of serious injury to the riders, as well as the judges, rodeo clowns, and a mounted observer who also remain very close to the action as these prodigious bulls come wheeling out of the gate.

“It doesn’t hurt the animals, but the horns have to be filed down so their tips are at least as flat and round as silver dollars to prevent them from goring anyone in the ring, or the other bulls while their in the waiting pens or being transported,” he said.

Although last weekend’s visit by the PBR tour was the second appearance in Connecticut, the first visit was on the reservation at Mohegan Sun Arena where the participants were not bound to state agriculture department requirements due to the Mohegan tribe’s sovereign nation status.

Dr Schankman said his experience with the PBR was very positive, and during the periods of time he spent backstage in Bridgeport, he became very impressed with the way the organization marketed itself and broadened its appeal to general audiences.

“These guys don’t want their events referred to as rodeos,” he said. “And they really try to get away from the Western image by minimizing the use of country music on the PA system and using a lot of hard rock and heavy metal. You’ll notice that all the announcements refer to bull riding as a sanctioned sport and the riders as professional athletes.”

Dr Schankman was also impressed with the “high air” some of the animals were able to achieve, with some getting as high as four to six feet off the ground during their gyrations.

“You can breed an awful lot of bulls and never get more than one that will buck,” he said. “It’s amazing if you go to the PBR website or listen to these guys talk about bucking statistics. It’s like they’re talking about baseball or football with all the scores and detailed information about each animal and rider.”

Besides this first, and he hopes not last, experience with the PBR, Dr Schankman said he has also worked with several other more exotic breeds as a consultant to Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus every year when that event comes to the Park City.

“I find it’s very similar to the bulls,” he said. “You’ve got your protesters outside but people have no idea how well cared for all these animals are. They are very much loved by their caretakers and are provided the best food and the best level of care possible.”

The local vet recalled one instance where an injured circus horse was brought all the way to Tufts University veterinarian school for a bone scan following a circus ring incident.

But once these temporary visitors pull out of the state, it’s back to taking care of horses, Dr Schankman’s primary specialty. Just a couple of days after the PBR moved on to its next destination, he was back to work at Sunnybrook Farm performing routine examinations and procedures like “power floating,” the practice of filing down rough edges on horses’ teeth so they don’t become injured when operating with bits in their mouths.

Standing with one arm stuck into a full-sized horse’s mouth up to his elbow, one could observe the special rapport Dr Schankman is able to achieve with his four-legged “patients.” And although he tolerates an occasional temperamental moment, this is one veterinarian who obviously does not put up with a lot of bull from anyone, even the PBR.