PALESTINE, TX (KLTV) -
It's one of the last shots bull riders will get to compete for $100,000 and a brand new Dodge truck.
It's the Don Gay Bull Riding tour in Palestine, and it's happening this weekend.
Riders spent the day Friday prepping the bulls for tonight's qualifying rodeo.
"I'm always looking to win, but basically it's me and the bull. I ain't competing against other riders or anything like that, I've got to do my job riding my bulls," said bull rider Ricky Aguiar.
Ricky Aguiar and Wyatt Welsh have been competing for more than a decade.
Jimmy Ray with the Don Gay Bull Riding Tour says tonight they get the chance to qualify for the tour finals in November.
"They have to earn points and money based on competitions throughout the year to qualify in the finals," said Ray.
"They judge on how well you ride a bull and how hard the bull bucks," said Aguiar.
With only three qualifying rodeos left, Ray says tonight he expects riders from a variety of states, as far away as Kansas.
But all the riders will have one thing in common: hard day-to-day training.
"To win it, these guys have to practice all year long, get on a lot of practice bulls. It's a pretty big deal, you can't just decide to be a bull rider today and come and get on a bull and think you're going to win," said Ray.
The rodeo begins Friday in Palestine at the Anderson County Youth Rodeo Arena.
It begins at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. It costs $20 for adults, and $15 for kids 4-12 years old.
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