OAKLAND — Bucking bulls and dancing broncos are a rare sight in urban East Oakland, but about 3,000 people who flocked to a dance and jaripeo — Mexican rodeo — near the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline on Sunday afternoon hope it’s not the last time.

Seven bull riders and more than a dozen assistants entertained the crowd, most of them in cowboy hats and boots, ready for the ‘ah!’ ‘oh!’ ‘wow!’ and ‘ouch!’ reactions as bulls gave rough rides to the brave Mexican cowboys who challenged the 1,000-plus-pound bovines. But not before master of ceremony Ruben Serrano asked the audience to remove their hats and remain silent while he recited “A Cowboy’s Prayer” as bull riders kneeled and bowed their heads in the center of the ring, a tradition in Mexican rodeos.

Bull rider Angel Diaz, of King City, quickly got hit in the left cheek by the bull’s head or horn covered with fiberglass cases and wraps to avoid much more serious injuries, such as being gored. Diaz looked like a waving flag as he struggled to free himself from the wild ride. He was OK, not a major injury for what the spectators saw. Maybe a sign that the “cowboy prayer” worked out here, or just luck.

Bull rider Fernando Guerrero, 34, of Sacramento, impressed the crowd with a ride that looked as if the bull would shake off that pesky rider from its back, but Guerrero held on to the end.

“It takes a lot of work, responsibility, courage and self-trust,” Guerrero said. His wife, Lorena de Guerrero, said she was nervous, “but I trust in God and him.”

After the bull riding show, dozens of cowboys from ranches in the East Bay and beyond, some drinking beer, rode into the ring to warm up for the horse dancing competition as Mexican bands played good rhythmic music. Small clouds of dust sparked by the dancing hooves swirled between the stage and the ring.

The first prize won the Copa de C.O.P.A. and $750 cash. Second prize netted the winner a trophy and $500, with third place taking home $250.

In addition to the bull riding exhibition and the horse dancing competition, the family event included live music from six different bands, dancing, games and other attractions organized by longtime community organizer Jose “Cheo” Ortiz, founder of Community Outreach Program Alternatives Inc. Money raised from the event will help the youth of Oakland, Ortiz said.

“I always wanted to have a big event in Oakland. I want the money to stay here in Oakland,” Ortiz says. “There is no need to go to other cities. Here in Oakland we know how to make events, great shows.”

And he’s no joke, they will hold a similar event in September in the same location off of Interstate 880 near the Oakland Coliseum.

“Some day there will be COPA Inc. Fairgrounds,” Ortiz said.