As a champion rider, Judd Leffew of Nipomo is known for taking on the toughest of bulls, but lately his work has involved hogs.

In this case though, it’s the two-wheeled kind, not the four-legged sort.

In his latest Hollywood endeavor, Leffew plays Tim Allen’s stunt double in the movie “Wild Hogs.”

The film tells the story of four buddies — played by Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy, and Martin Lawrence — who embark on a cross-country motorcycle trip. The foursome winds up in a New Mexico town where the favorite pastime is entering a bull ring, slapping the beast on the backside, and running for their lives.

Travolta’s character is up first, and after making a successful getaway, convinces a reluctant Allen to go for it. Allen slaps the bull, only to be launched a couple of hundred feet across the ring. But the body the bull launches isn’t Allen’s — it’s Leffew’s. Without the magic of the camera, the bull hit Leffew, and then he was pulled by a cable operator through the air several hundred feet.

“I took the hit for old Tim,” said Leffew, who shot his scenes for the movie last summer.

In addition to the opening of “Wild Hogs” last week, Leffew celebrated the season finale of Country Music Television Inc.’s “Cowboy U”, which he is featured in, when it wrapped up its sixth season with a competitive rodeo that will net the winner $25,000.

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After three weeks of training under the auspice of Leffew and fellow professional cowboy Rocco Wachman, eight city-slicker contestants will face rodeo day, to include competitions in barrel racing, steer wrestling, wagon racing, shooting and bull riding.

This season of “Cowboy U” was shot in Colorado last summer. The second season of the show was shot at the Leffew ranch in Nipomo. Other seasons have taken place in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma and Hawaii.

Earlier this year, the Leffew family was featured on the big screen in “Jackass 2.” Leffew and his father — Gary Leffew, 1970 world champion bull rider — were featured in stunts filmed on their Nipomo ranch that included a bucking bull, a teeter totter and Judd Leffew dressed as a clown.

Leffew said his main role in the film was to distract the bulls after they hit stars Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera.

“So they didn’t get killed,” said Leffew.

The local bull riding champ is also currently appearing in a Budweiser beer commercial in which he shares a beer with a clown that saves him after he falls off a bull.

He also recently shot a commercial for Arby’s restaurant in which a group of clowns are so enjoying the sandwiches they’re snacking on that they’re completely oblivious to Leffew being tossed around in the background by a bull.

Leffew’s Hollywood ties started several years ago when he worked as a consultant on the award-winning HBO television series “Deadwood.” Seasons one through three of the show are currently being re-aired on HBO2. Visit www.hbo.com/deadwood for times.

Back at his Nipomo ranch, and now semi-retired from bull riding himself, Leffew said he has begun bull breeding in a joint business venture with his girlfriend, Katie Parker, who, as Fess Parker’s granddaughter, has her own fair share of cowboy blood.

He’s also participating in a bull riding camp, currently being held at his family’s Nipomo ranch. Another session of the camp will run April 15 to April 21.

The camp, where aspiring cowboys and cowgirls ages 14 and above can learn the tricks of bullriding from Gary Leffew, costs $175 per day. Call 929-4286 for more information.

To learn more about Leffew’s latest endeavors, visit www.leffewbullridingranch.com.

Emily Welly can be reached at 739-2220 or ewelly@lompocrecord.com.