25-Year-Old Bull Rider Hospitalized Following “Gory” Incident At New York Rodeo
on Jun 30, 2026
What should have been a fun event turned bad on Sunday night (June 28) when a bull rider was seriously injured during a rodeo in New York.
An unidentified 25-year-old cowboy suffered serious injuries while competing at the Rodeo Tierra Caliente event in the Bronx area of New York.
The incident happened Sunday evening. Horrified spectators watched as the bull rider was thrown from the bull, dragged through the dirt, and stomped on. Fellow cowboys tried to distract the bull and get him away from the rider, but the bull was relentless.
Off-duty EMT, Melanie Ayala, was in attendance at the rodeo and rushed to the rider’s aid as soon as she realized that there were no other medical personnel on hand.
Ayala told News 12, “It wasn’t until the announcer got on the mic and started telling people to stop recording because it was serious and instead to use their phones to call the ambulance that I realized that something happened.”
She used her hands to help stop the bleeding before the cowboy was taken to Jacobi Medical Center. According to News 12, he is expected to make a full recovery, and his name has not been made public.
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While speaking with NBC New York, Ayala went into detail about the injuries she witnessed, saying, “The bull horn has penetrated his cheek, so it looked really gory. He also got stomped on by the bull as he was falling, so he had a swollen eye.”
In regard to the lack of medical personnel at the rodeo, Ayala said, “I’m very shocked and surprised as a medical professional that this was not something that was considered. Where there are bulls involved, there is this lack of mindfulness for the people that would need it.”
Spectators captured the terrifying incident on camera. Viewer discretion is advised.
What is Rodeo Tierra Caliente?
Rodeo Tierra Caliente is an entertainment company that hosts Mexican-style rodeos, known as jaripeos, all over the United States. Traditional Mexican music and dance accompany competition events like bull riding.
According to news sources local to Sunday’s event mentioned above, event organizers failed to obtain the proper permits to conduct such an event. ABC7 reports, “Under the New York City Health Code, certain exhibitions involving animals require a permit from the Health Department’s Veterinary Public Health Services program.”
Rodeo Tierra Caliente describes itself as the number one company for Mexican-style rodeos throughout the United States.
