Adriano Moraes

At the encouragement of a family friend, Adriano Moraes got on his first bull at age 16. "I loved it. I loved everything about riding," recalls Moraes. By age 18, he was riding bulls professionally. Moraes made the global leap in 1994 when he burst onto the PBR scene and was crowned the organization's first ever PBR World Champion. In 2001, he accomplished another first when he won the 2001 PBR World Championship title and became the first two-time PBR world champion. After a lackluster season in 2003, Moraes held a virtual strangle hold on the coveted number one position in the point standings for the entire season, not to mention, his winning four BFTS tour championships and placing in the top five in 12 events. "I just got my priorities in the right order," states Moraes. "First is God, second is my wife and kids, and third is my bull riding career. Now, everything is in place."

Dillon and H.D

Bulls are the business at D&H Cattle Company and the business is good. Dillon and HD Page run D&H Cattle Co on 1500 acres that has been in the Page Family for nearly six generations. The ranch is located on the banks of the Washita River just north of the small Oklahoma town of Dickson. Dillon and HD have developed what many consider to be one of the top bucking bull breeding programs in the world.

Nearly 30 years ago, Dillon purchased his first set of bulls. Being a former bull rider, he knew what he was looking for. He sold that first set around 1977. In 1985, in a pursuit to provide practice stock for HD, he once again entered the "Bred to Buck" business by purchasing his first set of bucking heifers from Larry Kephart that went back to the original Charlie Plummer bloodlines. He purchased a trailer load of the ladies and paid $1.00 per pound. Dillon started breeding his bulls to his commercial cows and the Kephart set. Along with buying new bulls whenever he came across them, the bulls wearing the Rocking P brand began showing up at rodeos and bull ridings all across North Texas and South Oklahoma.

Since the mid-90s this father and son team have been supplying top notch bucking bulls to the PBR events all across North America. The first PBR Finals they attended, they sent two bulls - this number has steadily increased each year. At the 2001 PBR Bud Light Cup World Championships, the father-son duo sent 10 bulls to Las Vegas alone, not including the bulls raised and sold to other contractors that also qualified. In 2001 and 2002 the years of hard work and dedication finally paid off. The duo was named the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 & most recently 2005 PBR Stock Contractors of the year.

D&H is busy traveling and promoting their bulls in the PBR and in Futurity and Classics while also improving their genetics and breeding program.

Justin McBride

McBride does not have a PBR World Championship title to rest on; yet this cowboy is among the most consistent and threatening forces on the tour. You can bet the gold buckle is in his plan for the near future. "I can't quit bull riding until I win a world title," says McBride. The third-generation bull rider matched skills with his first wild bovine - a calf on the McBride family ranch - when he was just three years old. Today he's a standout on bull riding's most elite competitive level and is on a merciless mission to wear the brand of a PBR world champion.

A hunger for success and passion for bull riding are bred into him - McBride has always considered his father as his role model and wanted to follow in his footsteps as a bull rider. "I can't remember when I didn't want to grow up and do this. I get to do what I love for a living," says McBride. He continues with a laugh, "And, I don't have to have a real job."

McBride's talent in the arena has taken him to the top of every level of competition. As a high school bareback rider and bull rider, McBride was named the National High School Rodeo Association's Bareback Riding Champion. Along with the title he earned a full rodeo scholarship to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. McBride accepted the offer and joined his good friend and fellow bull rider Ross Coleman as a UNLV Rebel. While McBride and Coleman were each competitive at the collegiate level, the PBR was beckoning. In 1999, McBride and Coleman both joined the PBR as full-time professionals, a decision that has since paid off to the tune of more than $1,305,000 in earnings for McBride.

Mike Lee

Mike Lee grew up around livestock and climbed on his first steer at age 10. Throughout his teens, he moved up the ranks from to junior bulls to senior bulls and competed in high school rodeos. Lee's riding talent was evident at a young age - he qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals two years and was offered rodeo scholarships from several colleges. Lee turned down those offers and went pro when he turned 18. "As a rookie, I learned to ride jump for jump - one bull at a time," says Lee. "And, I tried to stay focused on what God's path is for me."

This 2004 World Champion has one of the highest riding percentages of the top 45 bull riders in the world and finished in the top five at Built Ford Series events 10 times this season. In April of 2004, Lee and two other PBR bull riders signed individual sponsorships deals to represent Team Army. As part of the sponsorship, Lee promotes the Army at various conferences and autograph sessions across the country. He attended a short boot camp this fall after the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals.

Rob Smets

The skills of a professional bullfighter involve speed, agility and a keen sense of the bull's nature. No one knows that better than one of bullfighting's greatest, the "Kamikaze Kid." Rob Smets has been competing on the professional level for 27 years and is the best-of-the-best when it comes to fighting two-ton animals in the arena.

Smets has not allowed severe injuries, including two broken necks, stop him from doing what he loves. One of Smets' trademarks is his enthusiasm that not only projects onto the fans, but onto the riders as well. His skills and great attitude have made him to one of PBR's legendary cowboys. Ty Murray, seven-time all-around cowboy and current PBR president, once told Smets, "I'd get on a mountain lion if you were there to fight for me."

Smets seems to be in the best shape of his life, and the 45 top bull riders in the world continue to vote for him to save their lives 31 weekends a year. Smets will continue to take devastating hits and throw himself in harms way as long as eight seconds are on the clock, and a cowboy's life is on the line.

Credits

Directed by John Hyams

Produced by Jon Greenhalgh

Executive Producer - Alison Palmer Bourke and Evan Shapiro

Supervising Producer - Jessica Wolfson

Co-producer - Neil Fazzary

Cinematography - Stephen Schlueter

Edited by John Hyams and Jason Gallagher

Music by The Unseen Hand: featuring Wil Hendricks, Michael Krassner, and Tim Rutili

Sound Re-recording Mixer - Tom Effinger

Production Sound and Additional Sound Editing - Neil Fazzary

Production Assistant - George Xhillone

Supervising Sound Editor - Brian Scibinico

Sound Editor - Abigail Savage

Foley Editor - Dustin Cook

Foley Artist - Eslie Bloom

Location Foley Engineer - John Moros