A horse runs into the chute. A man climbs onto the horse’s back and gets situated in the saddle. The man nods his head.

The horse’s flanks are pulled tightly, and the rider holds on for dear life as the horse bucks and kicks wildly for eight long seconds. Or until the man falls off, whichever happens first.

Lawrence High School senior Ralley Smith attended the National High School Finals Rodeo in July, for the second time in two years. He qualified for the nationals in Farmington, N.M., by winning the state rodeo championship in the saddle bronc competition.

The saddle bronc, an event in which a participant rides a bucking horse, is known to be one of the most dangerous events in rodeo. This doesn’t bother Smith.

“I really wanted to do it,” he said. “I wasn’t scared at all.”

He said he’s still not scared, even after suffering an injury in June.

“A horse flipped over on me … and the saddle slapped across my chest,” he said.

Smith recovered quickly, and even his parents encourage him to continue riding.

“It would be a lot different if my mom didn’t grow up with it,” Smith said.

When Smith, 18, started riding bucking horses in rodeos, he followed a family tradition. His grandpa, uncle and even his mom participated in rodeos in their youth.

Smith joins a cousin in the third generation of his family’s rodeo history.

“(My cousin is) very good; and after watching him, I thought it looked fun, so I got into it,” Smith said.

He said his parents push him toward success.

“I definitely couldn’t do it without them,” he said. “They are 110 percent supportive of it.”

A young rodeo participant must rely on parental support, Smith said, because he has to travel to a different rodeo almost every weekend. Because of all the travel time, competitors become close friends.

“I’ll help other riders, give them advice,” Smith said. “We tell each other what to do to make each other do better. It’s different than any other sport.”

Smith attended the largest rodeo in the world last week in Farmington. The rodeo featured more than 1,400 contestants.

Before he left, Smith was confident.

“I’m going to win it,” he said.

Smith said when he arrived at the rodeo he realized other contestants were talented.

“All the guys are really good there,” he said. “Yeah, there was tough competition there.”

Unfortunately, Smith was bucked off his second horse during competition. He faced bitter disappointment, but he plans to attend the rodeo again.

“It’ll be there next year, and I’ll go back,” Smith said.