Comparing across eras
Score Inflation
A bull score only means something against its era. In 2012, 14.5% of all trips scored 45 or better; by 2024 that rate had fallen to 1.7% — the same number on the page, a very different night in the arena. Here's the whole record, so the history pages on this site can be read honestly.
League-Average Bull Score by Season
The premier-only line answers the obvious question about the 2020–21 bump: part of it is mix — developmental circuits paused, so premier trips jumped from 45% to 57% of all recorded outs — but the premier series itself also climbed from 42.21 to 42.67, because fewer events meant contractors hauled only their best pens. The slide after 2022 is mostly the Challenger Series flooding the data with developmental outs (3,460 in 2019 → 7,695 in 2025). Milestones mark documented structural changes, not judging speculation.
Share of Outs Scoring 45+
Season by Season
| Season | Scored outs | Avg bull score | Premier-only avg | Premier share | 45+ rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7,521 | 42.22 | 42.28 | 31% | 2.5% |
| 2024 | 10,268 | 41.84 | 42.12 | 28% | 1.7% |
| 2024 | 10,194 | 41.86 | 41.75 | 27% | 2.2% |
| 2023 | 8,461 | 42.04 | 42.11 | 31% | 3.1% |
| 2022 | 7,547 | 42.41 | 42.71 | 29% | 5.3% |
| 2021 | 5,832 | 42.59 | 42.67 | 49% | 5.4% |
| 2020 | 4,118 | 42.35 | 42.41 | 56% | 4.4% |
| 2019 | 6,457 | 42.20 | 42.21 | 45% | 2.9% |
| 2018 | 6,357 | 42.08 | 42.10 | 45% | 2.5% |
| 2017 | 6,042 | 41.98 | 41.97 | 49% | 2.3% |
| 2016 | 6,199 | 42.05 | 41.86 | 47% | 3.0% |
| 2015 | 5,776 | 42.16 | 41.86 | 50% | 3.8% |
| 2014 | 2,759 | 42.46 | 42.58 | 62% | 5.1% |
| 2013 | 1,255 | 42.94 | 42.96 | 73% | 9.3% |
| 2012 | 557 | 43.18 | 43.32 | 76% | 14.5% |
All recorded outs with a bull score, every circuit. Judging standards, tour composition, and which circuits report data all shift over time — that mix, not the bulls suddenly bucking softer, is what moves these lines. Keep this page open when comparing careers across decades. How scoring works →