WODONGA (Vic) cowboy Jarrod McKane is only in his second year as a bareback rider and is battling it out with Tumbarumba (NSW) rider Ben Hall for the lead in the open bareback bronc ride in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association.
McKane made it to the lead in the bareback last month and is currently second behind Hall.
He won't be making the trip north for the Mackay Toyota Nebo Rodeo on Saturday. There are 34 entries in the open bull ride and 51 in the ladies barrel race at Nebo.
The Victorian cowboy doesn't come from a rodeo family but was introduced to the sport by Victorian bull rider Bryden Atkins.
"I started in the steer ride and then rode bulls. Now my main event is the bareback bronc ride," he said.
He will make two trips to Queensland in the next three months, the first for the Australian Professional Rodeo Association Junior National Finals at Emerald on June 21-22.
McKane was junior high point cowboy title winner in the APRA this season and will go into the junior finals placed fourth in the steer ride. He turned 18 last month so the finals at Emerald in June will be his last event as a junior.
He will also contest the bareback at the open rodeo at Emerald on June 22.
He works as a shearer in the Wangaratta and Chiltern areas in Victoria. McKane regularly shears 150 sheep a day and has shorn 200 in a day once.
McKane rates his winning ride at Chiltern on the Victorian long weekend this year as a career high.
"It feels really good when you get on a good horse," he said.
He scored 90 at Chiltern, one under the APRA record, to win the open and also won the novice bareback on the same day.
While Bryden Atkins got him into the sport, he attributes a lot of his success to the advice from bareback riders Brock Mulhall and Cody Angland. Both are in the top 15. His hero is champion American bareback rider Kaycee Feild.
This year, he will head to his second Mt Isa Rotary Rodeo after finishing second in the novice bareback and third in the average in the junior bull ride last year.
He is definitely contesting the bareback bronc ride at Mt Isa on August 8-11 and may go in the bull ride.
"I get on a few bulls for a bit of a laugh," he said.
His best score on the back of a bull is 78 to win the novice at the Man from Snowy River Rodeo at Corryong this year.
He will be in Queensland for rodeos on the first three weekends in August but isn't planning on a bit of shearing between rodeos up north.
McKane travels the rodeo circuit with girlfriend Molly Phibbs who hails from Chiltern and competes in breakaway roping and the barrel race.
Program:
May 25: Mackay Toyota Nebo Rodeo
May 31: Bundaberg Show Rodeo
June 1: Moranbah Rodeo
June 7: Bowen River Second Division Timed Events Rodeo
June 8: Bowen River Saturday Rodeo
June 9: Bowen River Sunday Rodeo
June 21-22: Junior National Finals Rodeo, Emerald
June 21-22: Emerald Ag Grow Rodeo
July 20: Taroom Rodeo
July 27: Richmond Rodeo
July 28: Hughenden Flinders River Timed Event Rodeo
