photos by David Halterman

The PBR (as in Professional Bull Riding) tour rolled through town last weekend, bringing with it all the brims, belt buckles, bulls, beer and boots the fairgrounds could handle. The sport is simple to understand but hard to master; strap yourself to a bull in a cage, open cage door, hang on for dear life. Risky but extremely lucrative, bull riding has been called the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.

A rider prays before hopping into the chute. A bull waits anxiously as cowhands afix the bucking strap. Bulls have a different bucking style than horses, goes side to side as well as up and down. Justin Orr, of Belen, N.M., gets ready to ride with a little help from his friends. Proper placement of the bull rope is essential; it is the only peice of equipment holding the rider to the bull. Frank Archuleta removes his hat for the singing of the National Anthem Jordan Hupp, of Cheyenne, braces himself during a rough ride. Clayton Folton gets bucked. A bull runs through the arena after dropping a cowboy.