Between a "rock and a hard place" is how WA rodeo rider Jeremiah Day describes being pinned against a steel fence by a rampaging 650-kilogram bull.

Perth bull rider Jeremiah Day walked away after being crushed by a 650kg bull at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

The 26-year-old walked away with a suspected broken rib and a sore shoulder in one of many lucky escapes for rodeo riders competing at the weekend's 35th annual Nullarbor Muster, with hundreds of spectators making the journey to remote Rawlinna, 1000km east of Perth.

Not only did he survive the hit, he got back on the bull the next day to finish in the top five, making Saturday's final against former Australian bull-riding champion Wade McCarthy and eventual winner Stuart Rae from Boddington.

Besides the huge hit, it was a happy homecoming for Day, who grew up on Gunnadorah Station, 50km east of Rawlinna, on his family's cattle station before moving to Perth a few years ago.

Wearing the belt buckle he won as the 2012 Nullarbor Muster rodeo champion, Day had just successfully negotiated eight seconds on his first ride of this year's competition when he was thrown from the bull.

He got up straight away but found himself too close to a fence and within striking range of the bull who rammed him hard into the steel gates as the stunned crowd looked on in horror.

Day was badly winded and hung himself over the fence while the bull fighters quickly tried to move the animal away.

Once he caught his breath, he slowly picked up his cowboy hat, saluted the crowd and limped back to the sidelines.

A rider gets caught up in the ropes and dragged by a bull at the Nullarbor Muster. ( Brooke Lucas )

Bull riders bred tough

Day admits he was lucky to walk away but said getting hit by a bull was an "occupational hazard".

"I've been nailed a few times but not usually that intense," he said.

"Usually it's the feet that get you — not so much the head.

"I'm a bit sore in the chest and my shoulder, which copped the worst of it, but I'll be right.

A female bull rider crashes out in spectacular fashion at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

"You've got to be [tough] — there's no room for the weak out here."

Looking on from the crowd was Day's girlfriend Nikki Smith, who admitted she did not enjoy watching him ride.

"I felt sick when I saw it happen but thankfully he's OK," she said.

"I knew the guys [the bull fighters] would look after him — they jumped in pretty quickly to protect him and get him out of there."

'Bull fighters have more guts'

Former national champion Wade McCarthy (centre) battled badly bruised ankles to finish in the top five at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

It was Day's 10th year riding at the Nullarbor Muster and the realities of bull riding were well known to the mechanic, who was nearly killed when he was stomped on in Sydney a few years ago. He suffered a lacerated liver.

He said the Nullarbor incident was unusual but shrugged it off as part of the "fun".

"He [the bull] had a bit of weight behind him — I felt that," he said.

"I said that to the bull fighter alongside me — 'that was a rock and a hard place mate' — and lucky he was there to take him off me and I didn't get hit a second time."

Bull fighter Jamie Clinch narrowly avoids being hit at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

When asked who has more guts — the riders or the bull fighters — Day was quick to say the wranglers inside the bull ring.

"Definitely the bull fighters — I've only got to do it once — they've got to do it 30 times," he said.



About 1000 people attended the 35th Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Tom Joyner )

Adrenaline rush of riding 'gets the heart pumping'

Day, who was introduced to bull riding by his father Brett, said the sport was a major adrenaline rush.

He said the moments before the gate was pulled open were the most intense.

"It's not so much scary but it definitely gets the heart pumping," he said.

"Anyone that says there's not a little bit of fear in you doing it is lying — you've just got to push past that.

A bull rider gets into position at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Tom Joyner )

"That's [the Nullarbor hit] going to be out of my mind now — you can't dwell on the past, that's just what happens.

"It's just [an occupation hazard] — like stubbing your toe on a step."

Like father, like son

Day's father Brett, who was nearly killed by a bull in an accident on his pastoral station a couple of years ago, had provided the cattle for the Nullarbor Muster every year since 1984.

He said his son's latest lucky escape brought back some bad memories.

"He [Jeremiah] was lucky a few years ago when he got stomped on in Sydney and we thought we were going to lose him," Brett Day said.

"You never forget getting hit like that, so it does play on your mind — it takes guts to get back on the bull."

Bull riders competing in the open division at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

Brett Day rode bulls across Australia for 13 years before suffering a serious head injury in a motorcycle crash.

He said it was a tough man's game.

"The most dangerous part of getting off a bull is running to the fence," he said.

"He [Jeremiah] made a mistake and thought the bull wasn't going to chase him but unfortunately it went on with the job and he got a bit hurt."

Loved riding since jumping on his first steer as a teenager

Day, who rode his first steer as a 14-year-old in Wiluna, said there was no secret to bull riding.

"If I could tell you, we'd all be winning," he said.

"Every ride is different — there's no way to predict anything, there's no algorithm, you've just got to hold on."

He said the serious injuries riders suffered could mean a quicker retirement for some, and he was unsure how many years he has left in the sport.

"I guess it's different for everyone," he said.

"There's some people who have retired at 22 because they've either lost the heart or had too many injuries, and you look at someone like Wade [McCarthy] who is in his 30s and winning most of the events around WA."

Training hard in the city for bush rodeos

Now a city slicker and running his own business, Day admitted it was hard to stay on top of his game.

He does a lot of running but knows a few riders who had taken up yoga to strengthen key muscles.

A young cowboy spectating at the Nullarbor Muster at Rawlinna. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

"I try and keep quite fit — you don't want to bulk up," he said.

"You don't want to be too top-heavy. Obviously you're on a moving animal so you want to try and stay as lean as possible.

"You want a strong core — you can't ride them with strength — it's all balance.



"There's lots of exercises you can do — there's buck machines and training devices like that — but nothing compares to the real thing," he said.

Winner's celebrations soured by dislocated shoulder

This year's champion bull rider at the Nullarbor Muster, Stuart Rae, had a torrid time on the way to collecting the winner's cheque and belt buckle.

Rae was run over and kicked in the head on his second ride of Saturday's competition and dislocated his shoulder in the final.

Stuart Rae after getting kicked in the head in his second ride at the Nullarbor Muster. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

The 21-year-old hoped the injury would heal in time for a four-month trip to Canada next month where he planned to compete at regional rodeo circuits.

Rae spoke to the ABC while icing his shoulder just minutes after it was popped back into its joint. He said the pain was worth it.

"I love what I do — there's no better feeling," he said.

"Ideally I'd be talking to you without a sling on, but it's part of the game.



"It's not a matter of if you'll get hurt but when you get hurt. It's a scrappy game and it's the guys who hold on the tightest and want it the most that came away with the win."

Walking wounded keep paramedics busy

Rae was one of three riders who needed treatment for dislocated shoulders on the final night of competition.

The list of walking wounded from the weekend also included Perth rider Isaac Leclair, who was badly cut after getting his arm caught in the ropes while trying to dismount.

Paramedics carry one of the competitors to the ambulance for treatment. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

Novice rider Brook White will have a permanent memento in the form of a scar on his chin after copping horns on his first-ever ride.

"That won't stop me. If anything it revved me up more to have a good second ride to make it worth coming out here," White said.