NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – The 7th Annual Buckin' Battle and Bash bull riding event charges into the D & N Event Center this Friday and Saturday, May 23–24, promising two nights of adrenaline-packed action and family fun in North Platte.
Professional bull riders Mason Ward and Hayden Harris are among the featured athletes competing in the standalone bull riding event, which offers an up-close and personal fan experience in an intimate setting.
“You don’t have to have it at a rodeo ground, you can put it wherever,” said Ward. “At the D & N, it’s perfect—there’s not a bad seat in the house. It’s well put together every year, great riders, great bulls.”
Each competitor will ride two bulls per night. Harris said he sometimes scouts bulls beforehand but often prefers to ride instinctively. “You never know, it’s a live animal—they could do something different every time,” he said.
Ward acknowledged the physical toll of competing back-to-back nights, calling it “controlled chaos.” But for him and Harris, the challenge is part of the draw.
The weekend also includes a free-to-attend Futurity at 9 a.m. Saturday, where yearling and two-year-old bulls will buck with training devices in a preview of the sport’s future stars. “It’s kind of like Pee Wee football for bulls,” Ward said. Harris added, “You’re watching the next superstars—just like we started out on sheep and calves, they’re starting young too.”
After-parties will follow both shows—Friday night at the D & N Event Center and Saturday at PALS Brewery.
Gates open at 6 p.m. with bull riding action beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are available in advance at Feed and Co. on Rodeo Road or Town and Country Western Wear, and at the gate—though Ward warns, “It’s gonna sell out fast.”