00:00It's no easy feat to get a young bull like Sneaky Rutter to buck like this.
00:09Watching him dance across their backyard arena is a high that bull breeders Alex and Dean
00:14Tyson chase.
00:15It's the result of hours of repetitive work, good genetics and just a little bit of luck.
00:21We're very attached to them, they're not that far down the rank from the kids.
00:26The Tysons breed and train bucking bulls at their property in Gunning, around an hour
00:30north of Canberra.
00:32What goes on here is a side to the bull riding industry away from the bright lights and roaring
00:37crowds that not many get to see, where bulls are cared for and trained to prepare them
00:42for a possible future in the bull riding scene.
00:45We're just going to try and simulate what they're going to see out in competition and
00:48where maybe they need a bit more work or need to build a bit more trust with us and we'll
00:52put pressure on them in different ways and try and make it as familiar and comfortable
00:57as they can be so when they go out and compete it's a very safe space for them and they know
01:03the deal, nothing's a surprise.
01:05A vet by trade, Alex works with the professional bull riders, known as the PBR, travelling
01:11across Australia to be on site if a bull needs medical attention.
01:15It's still a controversial industry.
01:17Bull riding events must comply with state regulations and a specific code of practice
01:22but animal activist groups like the RSPCA and Animal Liberation Australia believe those
01:26don't go far enough.
01:28Senior Scientific Officer with RSPCA Australia, Dr Di Evans, has been advocating against bull
01:34riding for more than 20 years.
01:36Her position on the industry is very clear.
01:39If you look at bull riding, the main issue is in relation to the inherent risks of pain,
01:44injury and distress and a lot of this is really related to the application or tightening
01:52of that flank strap around the sensitive underbelly.
01:55So when we see this stringy salivation, it's associated with a high stress response.
02:03The ACT was the first and remains the only Australian jurisdiction to ban rodeos, including
02:08bull riding, more than 30 years ago.
02:11The maximum penalty for someone who takes part in a rodeo in the territory is a year
02:15in jail.
02:16In the surrounding towns like Queenbeyan and here in Yass, bull riding is clearly still
02:21very popular.
02:22From Oberon, another one of Australia's top contenders, Jack Rowlinson.
02:28Bucking Bulls Australia was founded in 2019, allowing bull breeders like the Tysons to
02:33compete.
02:34At these events, they can choose who rides their bulls to safeguard the animal's experience
02:38and give them a good match up.
02:40It works both ways, as riders know what work has gone on behind the scenes to have the
02:45bulls ready and quite literally raring to go.
02:48They're looked after better than humans, they're their pets and they're babying pretty good
02:54I hear.
02:55I don't know another animal alive that gets looked after better than bucking bulls.
02:58When the crowds go home and the Tysons return to their peaceful property, they have a little
03:03time to reflect.
03:04Why the heck do you love bulls so much?
03:06I think it's their personality.
03:09I think you really get attached to their personality.
03:11As a mother, it's really really nice to go to those events, you can take your grandma,
03:15you can take your kids, everyone can have a good day, you bring along some bulls, someone
03:20might hop on, you form another friendship, it's a great environment really.
03:26A great environment that's become this family's way of life.
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