'The toughest sport on dirt': Bull riders, spectators prepare for 2024 Cowtown Rodeo in New Jersey

PILESGROVE TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Cowtown Rodeo was started back in 1929. It is the longest-running PRCA rodeo in the country.

Thousands of spectators from all over flock to Pilesgrove Township, New Jersey, to get a glimpse of what Cowtown is all about.

The bull riders feed off the energy of the crowd and it is consistently a packed house.

Organizers say it's the fans that keep it going.

"We're going on now six generations but none of that could have been done without the fan base," says President RJ Griscom.

Spectators arrive hours before showtime, packing the lots and tailgating in anticipation of the high-intensity bull riding.

A crucial part of any rodeo is the rodeo clowns. Entertaining the crowd goes hand in hand with the safety of the riders.

As the bull riders get bucked off the animals, the clowns step in to grab the bull's attention to corral them back into their pens.

"It really is the toughest sport on dirt, it really is. It takes a special person to want to do it, I just love it" says bull rider Charles Hazy.

The bull riders say there is mutual respect between them and the animals that are part of the show.

They say it is a dangerous living but there is nothing they would rather be doing.

"There's nothing more in this world that I want to do, I love bull riding so much, it's my passion and my life and this is what I'm going to do with my life," says bull rider Blake Geibel.

Fans are now anticipating the start of the 2024 season, which kicks off on May 25.