The Two-Time Champion Bull Was Ranked No. 9 In The World
On Saturday, March 7, the second day of the Kubota PBR Unleash The Beast in Little Rock, Arkansas, one of the most popular bulls in professional bull riding was injured.
Man Hater, owned by Jane Clark and the late Gene Owen, was transported out of the arena after suffering an injury to his back left leg. According to Rodeo Roundtable, this injury was sustained in the first six seconds of PBR rider Brady Fielder’s ride and was attributed to a misstep.
“I knew something was wrong, because he went from bucking so hard to just stopping,” Fielder said, as quoted in Man Hater’s obituary. “As soon as he went down, I could feel it on his back. I could feel it clear as day.”
Taken to Oklahoma State University for evaluation, it was reported that Man Hater’s injury — identified as a high right hind fracture — was too severe, so the bull was euthanized.
Last year, Man Hater won the YETI World Champion Bull title for the second year in a row, having previously won in 2024. The bull was ranked No. 9 in the world, boasting an 85% buckoff rate with a buckoff streak of five.
According to the obituary for Man Hater’s late owner, Gene Owen, who died in 2025, “[Man Hater] helped redefine unrideable and brought record breaking scores along with it.”
For Fielder, who was Man Hater’s final rider, the bull brought about a couple career highlights, as Fielder successfully rode him twice.
“He’s everything I would want in a bucking bull,” Fielder recalled. “There’s nothing bad about him… there’s no better feeling bull that I’ve ever been on.”
See Man Hater’s final ride, which begins about 40 seconds into this clip, and pay special attention to his back right leg, here:
Watch PBR commentator Craig Hummer discuss Man Hater’s injury, here:
In a moving tribute to Man Hater, LeAnn Hart, of Hart Cattle Company, shared a montage video of several behind the scenes moments of the kind of daily care that the bull received.
“There was a certain kind of pride in [Man Hater] from the second he stepped off the trailer at Hart Cattle,” wrote Hart, describing the bull as a “lone wolf.” “He’d head straight for the ‘play pen’ and run to the very top of the hill, just to let every other bull know he was the king of that dirt.”
Throughout her post, she mentions the significance that Man Hater’s late owner, Gene Owen, had in the bull’s life, writing:
“Gene Owen always believed this bull had a third title in him. Tonight, that vision came true. It just wasn’t on this side of Heaven. There is no greater victory than being healed, being whole, and being back with the cowboy who knew exactly what he was worth.”
Hart’s video concludes with an image of the bull covered in a quilt made from Gene Owen’s old shirts, and Hart’s post ends with the solemn sendoff, “Rest easy, King of the Hill. The brokenness is over now.”
In a separate social media post, Hart Cattle wrote, “ManHater wasn’t just a ‘bull’ to us; he became family.”
Notably, her tribute video was set to Christian artist Brandon Lake’s “When A Cowboy Prays,” and can be seen, here:
While bull riding is most often thought of as a bull rider’s competition, it’s also a competition for the bulls.
Upon learning of Man Hater’s death, PBR athlete John Crimber wrote on Instagram, “Thank you Man Hater for not only giving me my best ride of my career so far, but for giving me the confidence that I can do much more than what I expected from myself.”
He added, “I’m very thankful that I got to put my rope on one that is the exact definition of what an animal athlete is supposed to be like.”
Read John Crimber’s tribute to Man Hater, here:
Rewatch Alan de Souza’s 2025 YETI World Championship ride of Man Hater, here:
