ROMA cowboy Lane Howlett will be one of the riders to watch in the Xtreme Bulls event at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club, Luddenham on Saturday.
Howlett competed in the Warwick Rodeo Australian Professional Rodeo Association National Finals in late October after qualifying seventh for the finals after the 2019 pro tour.
The bull ride at Luddenham is the final day of this year's series prior to the Xtreme Bulls National Finals on January 18 at Tamworth.
Howlett was second at this year's Cloncurry Rodeo on the Gill Brothers bull Spartan in his best performance for the season. He scored 85 to finish behind Mareeba cowboy Rohan Markham at Cloncurry.
There are 21 nominations for the bull ride including current APRA champion Will Purcell from Victoria.
NSW rider Troy Wilkinson rode three of his four bulls at the national finals rodeo in Warwick in October and will be one of the riders to watch at Luddenham.
Event organiser Simon Cresswell said the local authority in the Penrith area had been very supportive in the run-up to the bull ride.
"One of the riders in action will be series leader Dylan Weir," he said.
Howlett is a second-generation bull ride, his father Buddy Howlett rode bulls, broncs and bareback horses.
"I went in bareback as a junior and have been on one bucking bronc. I plan to stick to bulls. Horses are scarier; the bull ride is safer than the bronc ride," he said.
He believes a score in the mid 80s will be needed to win at Luddenham.
Next year, Howlett is eyeing off the Xtreme Bulls final and is hoping to qualify for a third successive Warwick Rodeo APRA National Finals in October .
He is currently working for rodeo stock contractors Gill Brothers at Upper Horton (NSW) and gets the chance each week to jump on some practice bulls.
The first Queensland rodeo for Howlett this season will be the New Year's Eve Rodeo at Mitchell and he then plans to head south for the Wangaratta (Victoria) rodeo in early January.
The biggest run in the APRA will start at Myrtleford in north-east Victoria starts on Boxing Day with nine rodeos in Victoria, NSW and SA centres in 17 days.
Upcoming rodeos:
December 26 - Myrtleford Rodeo, VIC
December 27 - Yarrawonga Rodeo, VIC
December 28 - Carrieton Rodeo, SA
December 30-31 - Smithton Rodeo & Stockmans Challenge, TAS
December 31 - Tallangatta Rodeo, VIC
December 31 - Mitchell Rodeo, QLD
January 1 - Tumbaruma Rodeo, NSW
January 3 - Finley Rodeo, NSW
January 4 - Wangaratta Rodeo, VIC
January 5 - K Ranch Rodeo, NSW