Brisbane, Australia —
The gate swings open and teenager Johnathon Carlo hurtles into the rodeo arena on the back of miniature bull, his right hand swinging wildly before he crashes into the dirt.
The crowd roars as the then 14-year-old strides back to the chutes, rubbing his left wrist, the one he uses to hold onto the bull rope. “You hurt?” I ask. “Nah,” says the teenager.
For bull riders, pain is a state of mind. All that counts is eight seconds on the back of a bull. Any fewer means no points. A B/O. A buck off.
The aim is the same the world over, but this rodeo is in Australia, where cattle stations dwarf even those in…