While bull riding may be one of the world's most dangerous sports, 13-year-old Bonnie Milgate from Mareeba has no concerns about getting on top of several hundred kilograms of bucking bull and hanging on for dear life.
Bonnie, who attends Saint Stephens in Mareeba, has been riding bulls competitively for the past 12 months and first got interested in bull riding after seeing her brother and father competing.
"I grew up with watching my brother do it, which inspired me to give it a go and it's lots of fun," she said.
"I really enjoy the adrenaline and when you ride [to the minimum riding] time it's like nothing else."
Bonnie is often the only female competitor and over the past 12 months she has in ridden in over 15 competitions.
In bull riding there is no female division, so regardless of your sex everybody competes against everyone else.
"When you're the only girl, you get a lot of cheers from the crowd and that is a great feeling," Bonnie said.
"It's fun getting out there and showing the boys how it's done.
"It's always been a men's sport; girls aren't supported when they try it.
At the moment Bonnie is riding in the mini bull event but one day she hopes to go professional and ride in the open events.
"I want to go as far as I can. That includes riding as a professional here in Australia and also overseas." she said.
The family business
Bonnie is following in the footsteps of her father Kyle Milgate, who is also her coach and trainer, and regardless of the high risk of injuries Bonnie says that she loves the sport.
"We have a small practice bull at home and dad shows me some moves and how to stay on," Bonnie said.
Mr Milgate says despite the dangers he is not going to stop his daughter from doing what she wants to do.
"I didn't encourage her to ride bulls; she was watching us practice at home one day and said that she wanted to get on one of our junior bulls and she surprised us all with her style," he said
"She has ridden [to] time a couple of times and she is really impressing us."
The world's most dangerous sport
Mr Milgate says he and Bonnie are fully aware of the dangers of the sport.
"The potential is there but there is no point worrying about something that may not happen," he said.
Chief executive of the Australian Bushman's Campdraft Rodeo Association (ABCDA) Craig Young admits that bull riding can be a dangerous sport but believes all safety precautions are being met.
"All competitors under 18 must wear a full-face helmet, safety vest and PPE (personal protective equipment)," he said.
"They ride mini bulls which are specially selected. At full maturity they can't be any taller than 1.2 metres at the hip.
"They can't be over certain weight and their temperament is paramount. The stock is very well selected for the age group."
When Bonnie gets to school on Monday after a competition, the girls at her school are often talking about what they did over the weekend, which may include shopping or going to parties.
"When I tell them I rode a bull over the weekend they are all a bit surprised, they all wonder how I do it," Bonnie said.
