"We breed well-performed bucking bulls to cows from bucking bloodlines. We buck out the cows using a dummy so we know they can perform, before they are used for breeding," Shane says.
The bulls can start performing at age 2 in the second division, but the open division bulls are between 2 and 10 years old.
Their longevity can be partly put down to care taken with their wellbeing, says Shane.
"The competition season is six months long - from November until March. Before the season I do a little fitness work with them, running them a bit when I'm shifting them, but it's more a matter of them being up to weight and well conditioned. They only have to exert themselves for eight seconds in the ring. Towards the end of the season we feed them extra and give them supplements. They are athletes, as much as the bull riders are."
After the rodeo season the animals are turned out on the farm's hills "looking at the view", Shane says.
Coming to Waipukurau for the show will be the bucking bull of the year, Madcap. Others to look out for will be Geronimo and Cat Scan.
"The riders like to get a good bull, because the better the bull's performance the more points the rider can get," says Shane.
But despite the antics in the ring, the animals are generally good to deal with.
"They get excited to be at an event because they anticipate getting into the ring and bucking. But on the farm they are easy to handle, as they are used to a lot of human contact."
- CHB A&P Show Bull Riding Event - Saturday, November 12 from 5pm to about 9.30pm. Bull riding entry prices: Adults $15, children 15 years and under $5, under-5s free, family pass (two adults and three children) $35.
