Alexander Saites, 35, asked his mentor, Chuck Browning, 61, to be his “puller” at the World Gay Rodeo Finals in Reno, Nevada, this past weekend. It’s a request built on trust, as the puller’s job is to ensure a thick rope is tightly fastened around a roughly 1,000-pound steer while the rider descends into a narrow, metal chute and into position on the thrashing animal. Browning, who has been involved with the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) for 37 years, said that when he’s pulling for a rider, the first thing he tells them is: “You got to breathe in your nose, out your mouth, and you have to repeat that.”

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