Thirteen-year-old Jack Collins of Muchea is enjoying a stint as Australia’s number one Junior All Round Cowboy on the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo
Association (ABCRA)’s leaderboard this month.
Points are accumulated by rodeo competitors throughout the season to qualify for the Australian Nationals – held in Tamworth each January – Jack is currently leading his division with 83 points. The Bullsbrook high school student is in year 8 and has been riding competitively for about 5 years. His favourite event just happens
to be the most dangerous – the bull-riding.
Junior cowboys must stay on the bucking steer for 6 seconds and are scored by two judges on their style and skill for a mark out of 100. Mum Julie has learned to stay calm during the buck-out, maintaining the philosophy that ‘broken bones heal’, But she’s had some practice. Husband Mick is an accomplished rodeo competitor and she herself competes in the ladies events. “When Jack started out he used to get hung up all the time,” she said, “That was scary!” But she needn’t have worried too much, once Jack mastered the art of jumping off the bull towards his strap hand he was able to jump clear most times. A stint over east last year under the guidence of Jared Farley, an Aussie-born rough-rider enjoying success in Canada, helped him fine-tune his style.
“He came back spurring his steer,” says the proud mum. Jack and his dad Mick have a collection of practise bulls at their Muchea home, picking them up from the saleyards or rearing them as poddy calves. Contrary to the unpopular image of mistreated rodeo animals, Julie says their bulls are quiet and bucket fed.
“They know the drill,”she says, “they’ll come out of the yards with a nice big jump and buck their 6 seconds them meander back out to the yard. They know what to do”
After the Mogumber Bullriding on 4th July, the next rodeo in our region will be held in the evening after the Bindoon Show. We are lucky enough to have some of the state’s most talented riders in our region, including some outstanding upcoming Juniors – don’t miss the opportunity to see them at their best on home ground.
Jack Collins . Photo Heather Chapman 
