On the horizon

FORT WORTH, Texas - Given the nature of his job, Shorty Gorham must be fearless in the arena.

However, the veteran bullfighter isn't without other fears.

"I've been fortunate all my life to have a job I love coming to," he said. "To me, the fear of retirement isn't walking away from the arena, it's going and doing a day job I don't love as much as I love bull riding."

Although he doesn't intend to retire from bull riding this year, Gorham has openly discussed his intention to do so in the next couple of years.

Lately he's been asking himself, "What's after bull riding? What do I do?"

The answer may involve his other passion: hunting.

This past spring, Gorham was talking with Dale Folds at a Built Ford Tough Series event when Folds asked what Gorham planned to do once he retires.

Gorham was honest and said, "I really don't know."

Folds has owned a hunting outfitters business for more than 20 years. He explained to Gorham that he's getting too old to guide hunts and asked if Gorham wanted to be part of World Class Hunts (www.worldclasshunts.com) - with the intention to one day takeover the business.

"That sounds like a heck of a deal," replied Gorham, "but let's talk some numbers."

Over the years, Folds has offered guided Louisiana alligator hunts, along with exotic animal hunts in Texas.

Gorham has hunted all his life and a few years ago was part of a long-range hunting series on TV.

"Hopefully, when I hang my hat up here, I can fall right into that and keep on going."

With Gorham now involved, plans are in place to offer western big game hunting, and he'll spending his summer break from the BFTS working on putting together hunts for elk, big horn sheep, mule deer, antelope, bear and mountain lions.

This summer, he's already begun scouting, working his dogs and trying to get himself prepared for November and December. With the PBR schedule the way that it is, he will only have a couple of months each of the first few years to serve as a guide.

"It's going to be a slow transition into it," Gorham said. "I am going to run some hunts this year and then over time, as my clientele builds up, hopefully, when I hang my hat up here, I can fall right into that and keep on going."

Gorham later joked, "In the future, hopefully, I'll be too busy to come to these (BFTS) deals.

"Book 'em."

Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC.