DES MOINES, Iowa - He was a city kid who never grew up around the sport of bull riding. So it came as quite a surprise when, at the age of 28, Matt Owen decided to get on a couple of bulls.

His younger brother Nathan, five years his junior, had been riding for a few years when the older Owen thought he'd see what it was like.

"I felt if I can conquer a bull I can conquer anything," said Owen, who broke his ankle on the first bull. "I quickly decided to stay on the business side of things."

The Owens brothers had promoted local bull riding events around Iowa, until a bad check took them out of the business.

I felt if I can conquer a bull I can conquer anything. I quickly decided to stay on the business side of things.'

They grew up Osage, about two hours from Des Moines, and by 2002 they had begun selling core equipment for rough-stock events.  What started in their garage eventually grew to two stores and a truck.

Owen never intended to get involved with developing or manufacturing helmets, especially after hearing that a reputable company was working on a bull-riding-specific helmet.

Although he had ideas of his own, he lacked funding, and it wasn't until two years ago that he decided to partner with Carter Hall of Rank Bull. Hall had two separate companies - one that deals with bull riding apparel, and another that specializes in equipment.

The process started with calls to about 25 companies Owen thought might have an interest. That's how he met Chris Friscella - a composite specialist who works with carbon fiber and Kevlar for military applications. But the frame and design of the InviciBull helmet didn't come along until Owen met Dave Dennis, who has 20 years of experience in blunt-force trauma protection.

Austin Meier has been wearing the new InVinciBull helmet since the beginning of the 2012 season.

Since its debut in New York - Luke Snyder, Kody Lostroh and Austin Meier were among the first to try the new helmet - Owen estimates that 30 of the top riders in the world have committed to wearing it.

Matt Bohon and Reese Cates both made the switch, and others have either placed orders or are awaiting custom sponsor designs.

Owen, who now lives outside of Des Moines and is at this week's Built Ford Tough Series event at Wells Fargo Arena, said the core requirements he set out to achieve were jaw and facial protection. He wanted that protection to be repeatable and hold up for an extended period of time.

'We started looking at those things and said there has to be a better way. There has to be something we can create that would at least reduce the severe facial trauma and fractured skull.'

The key was to create a helmet that would not come off the rider's head. It also needed to be streamlined, sleek and lightweight.

Bull riders are notoriously choosy about their equipment, especially helmets, and in the past many riders elected to stay with the traditional cowboy hat because they didn't like the added weight of modified hockey or lacrosse helmets.

Even those who wore helmets from the beginning may not have gotten the protection they were looking for.

In the past, helmets were known to come off easily. The rider's jaw was exposed, and the facial cages weren't strong enough to withstand impact.

"We started looking at those things and said there has to be a better way. There has to be something we can create that would at least reduce the severe facial trauma and fractured skull,'" Owen explained.

"Our angle was never so much about concussions or the overall impact. It was about how do we make a better facemask, a better shell, and something a bull rider would actually wear."

That's where working with Dennis became crucial.

He had been involved in developing equipment used by special operations units of the military, and already had worked through $8 million worth of research and development. Owen and his group were able to pick up from that point.

No one believed they would achieve the needed results with such a sleek, lightweight product. In fact, Owen was told repeatedly that if it were possible, it would already have been done by higher-profile manufacturers.

"We did it," Owen said.

Military helmets are tested by registering impact at 10 feet per second onto a semi-anvil, whereas bull riding helmets are tested at 18 to 20 feet per second.

'We didn't build a helmet and stop. We didn't send it to China and have 6,000 units made and it is what it is. What you're seeing is probably the fastest evolution of a sports helmet, literally rider by rider by rider.'

There are also some added safety features already built into the design.

For instance, the chin strap will break free if a bull's horn were to be lodged under the bottom of the mask. If the impact on the facemask or cage is great enough, the track it slides onto will also break free - allowing it slide without having to push on the release.

The sleek design is free of any catching points for hooves, and results in glancing blows, which in turn lessens the impact.

Owen said they're not done yet.

One new feature they're working on is a special quick-release thumb-nut that will allow medics to remove the front of the helmet without moving the rider.

"I don't think we'd be here if it wasn't for the support of guys who were willing to break the mold," said Owen.

"We didn't build a helmet and stop. We didn't send it to China and have 6,000 units made and it is what it is. What you're seeing is probably the fastest evolution of a sports helmet, literally rider by rider by rider.

"I think this is just the beginning."