Rodeo is a sport that came about by everyday work being made into competition.
Every event in rodeo has a practical purpose; all but one that is. There is no practical reason to get on a bull; only the thrills, chills, and rush of excitement. It¡¦s more than a challenge between riders. It¡¦s a challenge between man and beast. Legendary cowboy Larry Mahan had an even different way of looking at it. He said, ¡§It¡¦s not a challenge with the animal but with the weakness in one¡¦s self¡¨. At any rate, it¡¦s all about the challenge.

The challenge is simple; stay on the bull¡¦s back for eight seconds while keeping one hand fee from contact with the bull or your own body. Well it sounds simple anyways. Bull riding is a difficult challenge that involves overcoming many forces.

Bulls will try just about anything to get a rider off their back. This includes raring, kicking, spinning, jumping, belly rolls, and some unintended moves such as stumbling and falling down. All the moves produce some sort of force the rider has to overcome.
Fortunately

... in great shape. Much energy is spent in the course of a bull ride. The energy is equal to the force applied times the distance traveled. The forces are great and as fast as a bull can move they can cover a lot of ground in eight seconds. This adds up to a lot of energy being expended. Bull riding can be loads of fun. But it is definitely no picnic.