Rivalry between beast and man takes center stage at the Clovis Rodeo

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- In the world of professional bull riding, to beat your adversary takes seconds; but long before this brief encounter the rivalry begins.

Professional bull rider Roscoe Jarboe said, "It's not a competition between the humans-- it's a competition between us and the beasts."

Jarboe is in his fourth year of competition-- on this day he is facing off with Iceman.

"We loaded him today and he didn't look too friendly, I don't know if I'd trust him either."

When you stare down the face of this bull more than 1,800 pounds of fury looks back.

A lot of these bulls have personalities of their own. Some cowboys would even argue they get competitive themselves. Rodeo stock contractor John Growney is known for raising the best bucking stock.

"As they gain their experience they know how to play the game just as well or better than the cowboy. When that bull smells that fear then he takes over." Growney added, "Roscoe has no fear. He lived that-- his dad rode bulls. He's lived it his whole life and this is all he wants to do it's all he thinks about."

"When I get on him I'll just clear my mind won't think about what he's going to do and if he does something I'll be ready for it," said Jarboe. "None of these bulls make me nervous, I get the jitters right before we go on but that's just the adrenaline running through you."

Jarboe said, "If you're riding him good eight seconds is going to feel real short. You're going to ride a little longer. But if you're hanging off the side it's going to feel like eight seconds is never going to come."

A never-ending contest in man versus beast and on this day beast won out.

"He won this battle but he won't win any more," said Jarboe.