Bull rider B.J. Schumacher of Hillsboro, Wis., rides to a tie for third place Sunday during the fourth go-round of the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center. Schumacher leads the aggregate standings with 275.0 points after successfully completing three out of four rides and is second in the world standings with $150,143. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Producing the rankest, meanest, most athletic, snot-snortin' bulls has become a major rodeo industry.

The success of bull-breeding programs was evident over the weekend during the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center.

In Saturday's third go-round of the NFR, B.J. Schumacher was the only one of 13 riders to complete an eight-second ride -- and he did by the wink of an eye. On Sunday night, it got a little better for Homo sapiens when two of 13 riders stayed on for the duration. But another cowboy was taken to the hospital after getting stomped.

After four go-rounds, the score is bulls 33, cowboys 22. And that's after the cowboys led 19-10 after two rounds.

The latest casualty was Louisiana native D.J. Domangue, who was bucked off Flying Five Rodeo's Rapid Fire Xchange in 2.52 seconds.

No bulls have been hurt, but Domangue is the third rider to have been injured severely enough to have his NFR experience end for this year.

The crowd of 17,368 sat silently as Domangue was carried from the arena. He was alert and acknowledged the crowd by pointing skyward before being transported to University Medical Center for evaluation of his dislocated left hip.

The onslaught began Thursday night when the No. 2 rider in the regular season, Sonny Murphy of Herriman, Utah, was bucked off onto his head and suffered a broken neck. He was walking around the Thomas & Mack with a neck collar Sunday and will have to undergo surgery.

On Friday night, money leader and reigning world champion Matt Austin aggravated previous severe groin and abdominal injuries. He's been on crutches and will require surgery. On Sunday, he withdrew from this year's NFR.

According to Justin Sportsmedicine, 51.9 percent of all rodeo injuries (1,884 incidents) from 2001 to 2005 were in bull riding, with bareback coming in second at 21.82 percent. From 1986 to 1990, bull riders accounted for 43.85 percent of rodeo injuries.

Over the past decade, most injuries have been of the head or facial variety. Previously, most of the injuries occurred to the thigh and groin areas.

Schumacher said he empathizes with Austin and Murphy. Schumacher had to sit out last year's NFR with a broken shoulder blade.

"It's a bad deal. I know what they're going through," said Schumacher, a 24-year-old from Hillsboro, Wis., who is competing in his fourth NFR. "Everybody's been there and has to go through it."

Schumacher is one of the few bull riders this year who hasn't had to rush to the Thomas & Mack early enough to be taped or treated for injuries. He hopes that doesn't change.

Schumacher is a well-conditioned athlete, but like most bull riders, he is at a disadvantage against selectively bred bulls. Frozen sperm enables breeders to use DNA from the sports meanest animals, including the late Bodacious, to reproduce posthumously.

Schumacher won two of the first three go-rounds and finished second in the other before being thrown Sunday night. He has won $44,706 at the NFR and moved to within reach of Austin's season total of $157,717, which he trails by $7,600.

Schumacher was the only rider to cover his bull in the third go-round Saturday and won the event's nightly purse of $51,683, but only $16,022 counted toward the world standings.