Although the title implies that there is a real choice in the matter, the fact is, either you've made the eight seconds and you are getting off on purpose, or you have lost your seat, can't correct, and the bull has made the decision for you. Out of curiosity, because I've always wondered how they land from five feet up, at velocity, and don't get hurt every time, I watched ten consecutive bull rides at slow motion and wrote down, as best I could, the landing details. Here are the ten "dismounts" I studied, followed by a short analysis.
1. As the rider slides off the left side of the bull, the bull turns right, bumps the rider with his left flank and sends him flying. He lands on his hands and knees, pushes himself up and runs for the fence.
2. The rider slides off the rear of the bull as it bucks, flies through the air, lands on his back with his upper left arm breaking the fall, rolls to his right, and runs for the fence. This was an 8 second ride.
3. The rider slides to the ground off the right side of the bull as it spins to the left. He lands on his right shoulder, rolls and runs. The bull goes after the bull fighters, getting right up on one of them. Everyone climbs the fence.
4. The rider slides off the left of the bull, gets his feet under him before landing, and runs for the fence.
5. The rider slides off the left side of the bull as it spins to the left. In this case he went into the well - which is when the centifugal force of the spin pulls you into its votex. The rider lands on his right side/arm, rolls to his left. By now the bull is coming after him, but is distracted off him by the bull fighters.
6. The rider slides off the right side a second after the bull bucks out of the chute, lands on his feet and runs.
7. The rider rolls off the right side while the bull is spinning left, slams onto his right side and arm, rolls and runs. This was an 8 second ride.
8. The rider rolls off the right side, lands on his legs, falls, rolls, and runs.
9. Same as #8, except that this one was an 8 second ride.
10. The rider flies off the left side of the bull as it kicks, breaks fall with his arms, rolls, and runs. Limps out of the arena. This was an 8 second ride.
Three things of note. First, the landings on the rides where the rider made the 8 second whistle were not all that different from the rides where the riders came off involuntarily. Second, breaking a fall with your arms seems to be an irresistible instinct. Rolling and running is also a theme, so ingrained that even when these guys are knocked out cold they try to get up and go for the fence.
And last, even though injuries are rampant in this sport and obviously there are many rides that turn out much less well than these did, out of ten random consecutive rides, there was one limp and no other apparent injuries. Five feet up, at velocity, hard dirt, ticked off bull. Go figure. Roll and run.
