Bullet is the name of the horse that is ridden by the "Spirit Rider" at

Oklahoma State University-Stillwater Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

football games and other special events. The current Bullet is a black

American quarter horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at ...

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

. Bullet was introduced as an Oklahoma State tradition in 1984 by the late Dr. Eddy Finley as part of the Spirit Rider Program. Bullet gallops out onto the football field at

Boone Pickens Stadium Boone Pickens Stadium (previously known as Lewis Field) has been home to the Oklahoma State University Cowboys football team in rudimentary form since 1919, and as a complete stadium since 1920. Aligned in an east-west direction since 1920, th ...

, ridden by the Spirit Rider carrying an orange OSU flag, during the pre-game performance by the

Cowboy Marching Band The Cowboy Marching Band is the marching band of Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and wes ...

and after every Cowboy touchdown. The current Bullet is the fifth horse used in the OSU Spirit Rider program, and the fourth horse to be named Bullet. The first Spirit Rider horse, a black mare named Della, was owned by John Beall Jr., who served as the original Spirit Rider at OSU. Spirit Rider charges into OSU history
When Beall left OSU, the university decided to keep the tradition alive. In 1988, the school bought its own black horse and through a contest put on by the school newspaper, ''

The Daily O'Collegian ''The O'Colly'', formerly ''The Daily O'Collegian'', is the student-run newspaper at Oklahoma State University. ''The O'Colly'' is published every weekday and distributed for free to OSU students at various points around the campus in Stillwater. ...

'', and won by OSU Senior Scott Townsend, "Bullet" was adopted as the name of the horse. In 2003, Bullet I was retired and OSU broke in another black horse to roam the sidelines. Bullet II died shortly before the beginning of the 2005 football season and was replaced by a third Bullet. Bullet III was retired during halftime of the OSU WVU game November 17th, 2018. Bullet IV was also introduced during halftime. In addition to riding Bullet during football games, the Spirit Rider is charged with the task of taking care of the horse, such as cleaning Bullet's stall at the OSU Equine Center, feeding and exercising Bullet every day and bathing Bullet three times a week. In 2001, Bullet was one of three finalists for the MD Barns Silver Spur Award presented by the

American Quarter Horse Association The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive even ...

. The award honors American Quarter Horses that have made a significant impact on the lives of others and created a favorable perception of the breed.

References

{{Live animal mascots college Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls Big 12 Conference mascots Horse mascots