El Toro

The mechanical bull is a fixture at the Cinco de Mayo festival and a near certain path to humiliation for the riders. You find these in bars all over the country, too. My Flickr pictures that have received the greatest number of views and likes by far were taken of one of these machines in a bar in New Orleans. A rather tipsy young lady was riding and, due to the violent motion, some of her garments were, um, falling off. You can find them easily enough if you like.                 

Bubbles and Bull

They had a mechanical bull at Grovefest. An operator ran the thing with a joystick, making it gyrate wildly. I think you got a prize if you lasted a couple of minutes. No one did.

Note the broken left horn on this contraption. Someone who slid forward could be seriously injured. The lawyer side of me wonders how much insurance the owner has.                  

Ride 'Em

Something new at the Cinco de Mayo festival, a mechanical bull. The price was five dollars a ride (still in my pocket, thank you) and no one but the young man in the last picture made it more than a couple of seconds. He hung on for 9 or 10, breaking the day's record.

Are these things anywhere other than the US? Probably some in Canada and Mexico. They look dangerous but the riders take their chances. The people I watched ride it were young and presumably sober. These machines sometimes turn up in bars, too, where the danger to your spinal cord (and reputation) is greater. Check your insurance.