Humps N Horns Editor-in-Chief Terry Blake is living the life he dreamed about as a kid. He’s a member of the professional bull riding community. But he’s not riding bulls. He’s promoting bull riding, and what goes along with the sport, as editor of the world’s premiere bull riding magazine.
“I bought Humps N Horns Bull Riding Magazine because I love rodeo, especially bull riding,” Blake told us of his acquisition of the world’s elite bull riding publication. “I have always been drawn to bucking bulls. Their athleticism amazes me. They are so big and strong, yet they are so agile.”
Blake fulfilled his childhood dream of being involved in bull riding when he and his wife Stacie bought Humps N Horns from friends who owned the publication.
“I’ve loved rodeo my whole life,” Blake told us of the passion he’s held since he can remember. “I wanted to be a bull rider when I was a little kid. I had the dream of being a champion. But I grew up in the city.”
Blake and his family regularly attended the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo while he was growing up. That fueled his passion for rodeo even more. And, although he was a city kid, he did get to participate in the sport he loved.
Terry Blake’s passion for bull riding led him to buy Humps N Horns Bull Riding Magazine in 2015.
“I rodeoed in high school,” Blake told us. “But I didn’t have the talent to be competitive. So, I didn’t pursue it further.”
Blake and his wife, Stacie, were subscribers to Humps N Horns Magazine when they met the owners. They became friends with them and when the owners decided to sell the publication, the Blakes realized it was the opportunity they had been looking for.
“We realized that we’d found our niche. The magazine gave us a way to be involved in the sport of bull riding, explained Blake. “It went right along with my lifelong dream of having a relationship with all those involved in the sport.”
“It’s a fun way of being involved,” continued Blake. “It’s really a joy to be able to promote the positive aspects of the sport. I have a neat relationship with the bull riding community through my work for the magazine. I get to go behind the scenes and experience what goes on there. I get to interact with the world champions and all the other riders. Cowboys by nature don’t brag about the good things they do. I’m able to bring their stories to the public.”
The Blakes bought the magazine about 6 years ago in the same full color, glossy format that it is in now. But when it began in the 1990’s, the publication started out in a newspaper format with the name Humps N Horns Bull Riding News. Its mission was simple. It was to keep the bull riders connected and provide them with entry information about upcoming events.
Ownership changed and so did the name. The newspaper format magazine became HNH Bull Riding News with a similar goal of providing information to those in the bucking bull industry.
Then, in 2011, the name changed again and the magazine became a full color, glossy publication. Humps N Horns Bull Riding Magazine still provided bull riding event information, but it also branched out with articles and features to engage bull riding fans.
The magazine Terry and Stacie Blake acquired had become the popular source of information and connection to bull riding for the thousands of fans who love the sport. There was also the continued responsibility of providing the needed information for the bull riders.
Mike Lee (2004 Professional Bull Riders World Champion) started out as a kid searching through the pages of the original Humps N Horns Bull Riding News.
“Humps N Horns Bull Riding News, for the first 10 or 12 years, was made up of information on bull riding events and advertisements,” Blake told of the beginnings of his magazine. “It was a place where kids would go looking for events to ride in. That’s all it was. Today the magazine is a hybrid.”
That hybrid structure requires a lot of work and dedication to get each issue put together on schedule, off to the printer and in the mail to subscribers.
“The big surprise for me was how much work it was to have a magazine,” said Blake with a laugh. “The number of little steps in the process were overwhelming in the beginning. But it has become a little easier over time.”
Those little steps for Blake as Editor-in-Chief include: choosing the stories; assigning them to writers; creating a time-line for submissions; selecting and acquiring photographs; putting together the final lay-out (including advertisements and announcements) of the issue and getting the lay-out to the printers by the due date.
The current editions of Humps N Horns include a mixture of feature articles for fans, industry-related pieces and essential event information for bull riders.
“We don’t do a lot of bull riding event results except for the World Finals and the National Finals Rodeo,” explained Blake. “There is a time lapse in our publication schedule that does not allow for the release of current results. We do include industry information on stock contractors and bucking bull breeders.”
The bucking bulls of today have genetic pedigrees developed by dedicated breeders. Gone are the days of sale barn bought buckers.
In the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Professional Bull Riders events, bucking bulls are provided by stock contractors. These contractors often buy the bulls that they haul on their trucks. Blake feels it is important to acknowledge the people who breed and raise the bulls who are bucking at the professional level.
“The bucking stock just keeps on getting better,” remarked Blake of the animals whose stories he shares with the world. “For me, it’s interesting to see the genetics and the lineage of the bulls. It’s like the horse racing genetic pedigrees. The bucking stock industry has adopted that same mindset.”
Those genetic pedigrees take time and investment to develop. It is important to Blake that the small breeders don’t get overshadowed by the bigger breeding programs and the stock contractors. Once bulls get to the professional ranks, they are often recognized solely under the names of the stock contractors and their partners.
“It’s a long game for small breeders. It takes more time for the calf crops of a small program to show their worth. These small breeders are a big part of the bucking bull industry,” Blake told us. “They often don’t get recognition when they sell their bulls to professional contractors. I can give it to them through the magazine.”
A major challenge for Blake is keeping the balance between planning far enough ahead while, at the same time, staying current. One of the ways he does this is through the use of social media.
“My wife and I travel to bull riding events to promote the magazine, meet people for interviews, and video bull rides to post on our social media pages. It’s a way to be current,” Blake told us about how he spends many of his weekends. “On an average year, we go to 25 or 30 events. Most of our travel is on the weekends so the farthest we go is about 9-10 hours away. We live in Fort Worth which is a great, central location that is in the heart of a lot of bull riding events.”
Humps N Horns has an active Facebook page that features some of bull riding’s best rides and wrecks.
Blake has a high standard for the rides he puts on his social media pages. Each ride posted has to have high impact value. He has learned through experience there’s only one way to make sure to get those kinds of videos.
“Earlier on, I tried to only video a few rides,” Blake told of his mistake. “I’d end up missing the great ride or the wreck. Now I video every ride. It doesn’t make sense not to. You never know what you’re going to miss. I have them on SD cards so I can go back later and find the best rides to post. I’ve got them right there.”
Some of Blake’s favorite events are those attended by young up-and-coming riders.
“It’s fun to see the young riders starting out and then watch them climb up through the ranks. We have National Professional Bull Riding events here and that’s where we first saw Ezekiel and Ouncie Mitchell. They’ve done well and now Ezekiel has moved up to ride in the Unleash the Beast Tour of the PBR.”
The Blakes also meet and greet the public, sell merchandise and interact with the bull riding community. It’s always a busy weekend, but Blake wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s fun and relaxing. I enjoy what I do,” said Blake of his magazine responsibilities. “We get in late on Sunday night and I get up early and go to work on Monday. It’s not a problem for me. I’ve had people ask, ‘Don’t you get burned out?’ and the answer to that is, ‘No.’ If it’s something you love, it’s not going to burn you out.”
For Blake, one of the best parts of owning Humps N Horns Bull Riding Magazine is the relationships he’s built.
“We’ve met a lot of sweet people over the years. We’ve made some great relationships with people we see over the course of the year,” Blake told us. “It’s great the people you meet.”
And, for Blake, it’s his undying passion for bulls and the sport of bull riding that makes it all worthwhile.
“The bulls are great athletes. It is so amazing to watch them. I am so thankful for this opportunity to be involved with the sport. And I am thankful for the relationships I’m making along the way.”
