IN this sport, it's not "if you'll get hurt", it's "when" and "how badly".

If you're a human taking a physical challenge against a ton or so of angry bull, the odds are you are going to come off second best.

Bull riders know the score. The best bulls can toss your around like a rag doll, flick you away with a leap and a twist, then turn and send you flying again with their killer horns, before dancing on your bones.

But the big injuries aren't as common as they could be. Glen Young, general manager of Professional Bull Riding Australia, explains:

"At this level you've got guys who know what they're doing. They only come on to the PBR tour when they're actually confident in their riding ability.

"They've been on a lot of bulls. They get a lot of niggling injuries but you don't see a lot of bad injuries on our tour even though it's there in the background.

"These guys, when they get into trouble they know what they're doing and they can get out of it most times.

But still, bad things happen.

"Where the big injuries come … it's like a heavyweight title fight, you're putting in a lightweight against Mike Tyson. You go to a rodeo where you get a kid that's starting out getting on the best bull in the pen.

"That's not the case here because you're getting the best riders on the best bulls."

Australian Regional Media, publisher of Rural Weekly and the Gatton Star, has teamed up with PBR Australia to deliver an adrenalin-filled series of bull riding events around the regions, including Ipswich on October 25.

Top bull riders will be chasing valuable competition points plus an ARM prize bonus of $20,000.

Tickets for the Ipswich bull riding event are available now