When did cowboys get into ridding Bulls for a sport?

Answer 1

As a major component of rodeo, bull riding is generally thought to have originated during 1864 (during the American Civil War). Two groups of cowboys from neighboring ranches met in Deer Trail, Colorado USA. The meeting was arranged to settle a dispute over which group was best at general ranch tasks. From this simple competition, rodeo was born. Of course, since then the sports have much evolved, the showmanship and highly competitive nature of the games have never wavered.
~