<p>Bull riders prepare their bull ropes backstage before the start of the PBR Classic on Monday in Pendleton.</p>

Shane Proctor gentled himself onto 1,500 pounds of muscle and testosterone.

Underneath him, the bull tensed, spring-coiled and edgy. Proctor checked his grip, wrapping his rosin-slathered glove around his bull rope. As the chute gate opened, Spin to Win blasted from the chute, twisting and whirling. In less than two seconds, the cowboy hurtled into space.

The Professional Bull Riding crowd in the Happy Canyon stands let out a mass groan. The bull strutted around the arena, blowing streams of slobber that snaked their way to the dirt. The Washington cowboy collected his rope and headed for the fence, replaying the ride in his head.

A good day at the office for Proctor and his fellow bull riders is eight adrenaline-charged seconds aboard a spinning, wild-eyed, super-charged beast. Today, it didnt happen, but Proctor has ridden to victory plenty of times in the past. Its a dangerous and unpredictable way to earn a paycheck. More often than not, the bull wins.

So who are these guys?

Proctor and two of his fellow PBR bull riders Jordan Hupp and Matt Bohon agreed to give East Oregonian readers a glimpse into their lives. On Monday night before riding, they explained how they muster the gutsy machismo to board bulls each week.

Around them in the ready room, bull riders prepared their gear. One roughed his bull rope with a knife, while another raked his glove with a wire brush. Each helps a bull rider improve his grip. Another took slow swigs of a Monster energy drink. Others stretched, spit chewing tobacco juice into a trash can or sat quietly.

Proctor, 28, reclined on a massage table as a masseuse kneaded his neck muscles. The cowboy said he worked his way up from mutton busting as a young boy to his first real bull at age 15. His legs shook during that ride, but he has since mastered his fear.

Getting on a bull, its a job for us, said Proctor, adding that he has never become blasé about getting on bulls. If youre numb to it, if youre just in it for the money, youre going to get hurt.

Hupp and Bohon agreed emphatically.

If you dont get the adrenaline rush, you should stop, said the 29-year-old Bohon. We are professionals this is our livelihood but at the end of the day, you can only succeed if you love the sport.

Hupp said bull riders must ward off a certain amount of fear. The antidote, said the Texan, is confidence.

You cant let fear take control, he said. Confidence overcomes fear. Confidence separates the great from the mediocre.

The trio camouflaged nerves with humor.

What we lack in muscle, we make up for in tape, wisecracked Hupp as he prepared for his ride.

The bull rider said he followed his brother into calf and steer riding as a boy and eventually worked his way up to bulls. Bohon said he played soccer, basketball and baseball until bull riding caught his eye. The Missouri rider said he talked his parents into sending him to bull riding school at age 13.

Rodeo looked fun and I was enough of a daredevil to give it a try, Bohon said.

Between competitions, the bull riders work out on their own. Bohon runs stairs, pumps weights and runs laps. Hupp and Proctor have similar routines. They ride mechanical bulls (barrels), though they are nothing like you see in a bar. Neither Hupp nor Bohon ride bulls except in competition, though Proctor does.

All suffer occasional injuries in competition. Proctor, a former log home builder and substitute teacher, shattered his arm during his world championship ride in 2011 and now carries two plates and 16 screws. He broke ribs on three different occasions. Monday, he rode despite a torn rotator cuff, broken wrist bone and a left shoulder that often pops out of place.

It comes with the territory, Bohon said, admitting he doesnt like talking about injuries. It takes a toll on the body and mind.

Dwelling on the danger isnt the way to win, they said.

You minds got to be clear, Proctor said. If youre trying to think of your next move, youre a second behind. Youve got to let your body do what its been trained to do.

Later that evening, Bohons bull (Gridiron) quickly flung him to the dirt while Hupp lasted eight seconds on Black Bart, but was disqualified for touching the bull with his free arm.?Neither made the finals.