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Courtney Weatherburne
"Looking into this holding pen, these over 1,700 pounds bulls are calm and subdued, but in just a couple of minutes that would change as they are unleashed in the battle against man. A test of will, power and pride."

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
And that battle will be fought in this arena in front of scores of cheering fans. These bulls are poked and prodded out of the holding pen and placed in the chute, where it meets its opponent.

Both man and beast are engaged. These bulls are bred for this sport. But these riders have their own techniques.

Marlon Lobo, Young bull rider
"I just have one mind to sit down and not drop but you know, you have to work for it. You have to work for what you want. You have to work so hard. You know what those bulls do? They could go down speeding on the left, change leap on that side and you have to watch their head how they jump."

Devon Sutherland, Young bull rider
"It's risky indeed, but when you ride a bull you don't watch that. If you ride a bull and you're afraid of him and you think that you'll get hurt, you will get hurt."

Wilbert Vasquez, Veteran rider
"You have to have ideas about bulls. Most of the majority, their flings come out hard with you. You have to know when to change with the bull. When the bull changes from right to left, you have to know when to switch your body. And majority of the time you have to ride the bull from here up. You have to be flexible in your body to dance with the bull. The bull moves left, you move left with him. And when you come out, you lock your chin down and hold up. Hold down strong with your hand and hold up your chin and that's it to ride a bull."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Bull riding is only one aspect of the rodeo. Another element is calm roping."

And it's through calf roping that these riders perfect those techniques to graduate to bull riding.

Hugo Miranda, Coordinator, Rodeo Show
"The calf roping is geared to basically prepare our youths. They are to be ready for that bull riding program as soon as they are over 18. Some of these kids are jumping bulls, some of them are younger than 18. The thing is, it creates a sport for these kids as well and I will tell you it needs a lot of courage and a lot of manhood."

Apart from manhood, it takes love for the sport because although these techniques have led some of these riders to victory before, nothing can prepare them for the imminent danger that lies beyond those chute gates.

Marlon Lobo, Young bull rider
"They say it takes four years to make it come back. So within those four years I don't know if I can ride up to those days."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Wow, that's really serious. It will take 4 years to really properly for you to be able to come back. Do you think that after the 4 years you would definitely be back here for that agric, to be a part of this rodeo?"

Marlon Lobo, Young bull rider
"Sure."

Alyson Coye, Veteran Rider - Taking his last ride
"I got a broken leg right here, I got my knees separated. My wrists separated, both of them. But I continue, I just put some bandage and ignore the pain and go again. To me, I love it I would say much more than if I have a wife, I love it more than my wife. Because it's one of my sports that I dream about you know, and it's my life story."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Let's say that you weren't retiring today, if your wife and your children asked you to stop the sport or they would leave you, what would be your response?"

Wilbert Vasquez, Veteran rider
"Well if I wasn't retiring today, they would have needed to leave because I love this sport. I love the sport, I don't care where the rodeo is I go wherever."

Devon Sutherland, Young bull rider
"It's something that I love to do so, I don't think that it will, well it might kill me but I don't think I will stop right now."

And while they won't stop anytime soon, neither will the flood of fear that overcomes their family every time they mount these raging bulls:

Isabel Hoare, Mother of Rider Coye
"I am very scared, yes I pray a lot for him, I usually pray. I hold my hand on my heart because you never know what will happen."

And it is that uncertainty that drives these bull riders.

Hugo Miranda, Coordinator, Rodeo Show
"It's the thrill, they love the sport and I think that is what brings them to the show grounds right? There's another component that these guys, it's just like football you know. They want to be the best. These guys, you see how those bleachers were filled today? They have their own crowds. So that is what triggers them you know. It's like the Saturday night fight you know. Mayweather and Pacquiao. That's what their aiming for."

Courtney Weatherburne
"No broken limbs or estrange spouse can deterred these daredevils from the thrill of the ride. For these cowboys, danger is like a drug and a few busted parts is just an occupational hazards."

Out of the 26 bull riders, none were victorious- in a match between man and beast, beast won. The bulls are brought from Guatemala.

On a related note, in terms of the Agriculture and Trade Show, 40,000 people attended on Saturday and Sunday this year - 4,000 more than last year.