The rodeo has wrapped up for the day - but many are resting up for the rodeo dance Saturday night.
ABC30 talked with some athletic trainers who make sure the cowboys are healthy enough to earn their living at the rodeo.
Busting out of the gates - cowboys can be a split second away from a serious injury.
"you're gonna see sprains, strains, contusions, even fractures, dislocations," Rick Foster said, "Obviously, in this sport the opponent is quite a bit bigger. So the injuries can be more severe in rodeo."
Rick Foster heads up the Justin Boots Sports Medicine Team at the Clovis Rodeo. He's in charge of eight athletic trainers. Foster's company works more than 120 rodeos a year. The team of trainers helps keep the cowboys put together enough to compete.
Jessica Zehrung said, "When they go out and start riding it is completely different. You're dealing with a whole new level of injury."
Zehrung spent the day with Foster - learning about that new level of injury. Zehrung is a junior at Fresno State studying to be an athletic trainer.
"It's really interesting; this isn't something you get to do a lot in California," Zehrung said. "It's not an opportunity everyone has, the experience is amazing."
Not only does this team help after an injury - they try to prevent them. Foster says these men are no longer rodeo cowboys but rodeo athletes. And they need to be protected like other athletes. So these trainers make sure the cowboys - and up and coming trainers -- are given the proper support.
"It's just another sport they get to see," Foster said. "They can adapt, stay ahead of the injury cycle. And help get these athletes back out to competition as quickly and safely as they can."
