When Fred R. Conrad was growing up in Jackson, Mich., in the 1950s, his first heroes were the cowboys he saw on his family’s black-and-white television. He dreamed of being the Lone Ranger, or Roy Rogers. His mother even taught him to ride on a retired cow pony named Brazos.

Alas, Mr. Conrad, 62, never achieved his goal of being a cowboy. He did eventually become a New York Times staff photographer. The two are often confused.

One of the best things about being a newspaper photographer is that sooner or later you get to see most everything life has to offer. Yet somehow — despite a career of almost 36 years — Mr. Conrad had never photographed a rodeo, not even the Professional Bull Riders’ United States tour at Madison Square Garden. The event has been there annually for the last 20 years, and the three-day event began last Friday.

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

So, last week Mr. Conrad set out to fill this void in his professional life and explore the unlikely juxtaposition of bull riding in a metropolis where steers are scarce. He spent three days with the men who ride the bulls for eight seconds — or often less — of sheer terror.

“They’re very soft-spoken and most of them are incredibly religious, which sort of makes sense if you’re putting your life on the line in every event,” Mr. Conrad said. “Most of them are either from the American Southwest or surprisingly from Brazil, which has a long history of cowboys and bulls.”

Despite the Kevlar vests they wear, most of the cowboys have been injured, and many put on knee or elbow braces in the locker room before the event.

“It’s probably the most dangerous single sport that I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Conrad said. “Many of these guys are really young, and yet they walk like I walk. And I’m in my 60s. It’s so incredibly violent and potentially dangerous. That’s I guess the draw. Can they survive?”

While photographing the cowboys on — and falling off — the bulls, he noticed another odd detail. The young men’s hats almost always stayed on. How was that was possible? Was a little Super Glue involved?

“I have no idea what keeps those hats on,” Mr. Conrad said. “I have no idea what keeps their heads on.”

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

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