The length of a second...

– Anyone who doubts that some seconds last a lot longer than others should try riding a bull at the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour in El Paso.

As in all great rodeo classics, the rider has to hang on with just one hand as the bull bucks and kicks.

About 25 contestants tried their luck and skill on Saturday night in El Paso: the challenge was to ride a bull for at least eight seconds without getting thrown and without touching it with their free hand.

The Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour is named after a four-time world bull riding champion, who today is retired.

The competition carries a $30 000 (about R422 000) prize and cowboys come from far and wide to participate.

For instance, Ben Jones, who injured his face during the event, is originally from Australia.

Texan Juan Alonzo can also testify to the dangers of rodeo. He served in the US army for five years and while stationed in Iraq, trained on a wooden barrel.

The rider grips a leather handle attached to a flat braided rope cinched around the bull.

Inseparable from the American West and the myth of the cowboy, but in reality owing much to Spanish and Mexican vaqueros, rodeo celebrates balance and resistance to pain. –

El Paso