When Colby Edgar went on a family trip to the United States last year little could he imagine that 12 months later he’d be back there and buckling up his chaps to showcase his skills on the world stage.
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The Tamworth cowboy will next month ride in the epitome of rodeo for juniors – the Junior National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
Edgar is the youngest of the four-strong mini-bulls team and will compete in the 10-11-years division.
The young sporting dynamo, who has also donned the blue of NSW on the hockey field this year, found out he’d made the team after returning from Wagga Wagga where he had been playing for Tamworth at the under-13s State Championships.
“I didn’t actually believe mum and dad at first. I thought they were just joking around,” he said.
The 12-year old started out competing in the under-8 poddy ride at the local Manilla Show when he was about four or five.
“Every year he looked forward to the poddy ride,” mum Janelle said.
Every year he was counting down for when he turned eight and could start in the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association (ABCRA) events.
In his first year Edgar qualified for the National Finals, and has done every year since.
After stepping up from the 8-under-11’s he is currently seventh in the 11-under-14 steer ride standings.
Edgar hasn’t competed in as many rodeos over the winter with hockey occupying most of his weekends.
He only started playing a couple of years.
As he explained it, he got bored from being out at the hockey fields watching his mum and older sister Lori play all the time, so decided to give it a go.
Suiting up locally for Workies in the junior boys competition, Edgar has quickly shown a talent for the sport.
After impressing for North West at the state carnival he was selected in the NSW PSSA side to play at the School Sport Australia Championships in Newcastle.
“It was a good experience,” he said.
“I learnt a lot playing against the other boys from the other states and how good they are.”
Edgar who is the school-captain at Oxley Vale, flies out for the states on December 1 and will be joined by Glen Innes’ Koby Usmar, Upper Horton’s Brendan Kelly and Chris Wilson (Hunter).
They will have two round rides, with the top riders going on to fight it out in the short round.
Mini-bulls is only a relatively new addition to the rodeo program.
The bulls are a maximum of 120cm but much thicker and stronger than steers.
Edgar has relished the challenge and has been the first cowboy to ride time on the top five bulls on the circuit.
He is also passionate about the breeding side of things, and has established his own stock contracting business.
“I’ve only got about five at the moment,” he said.
It has been ‘a work in progress’ over the past two years.
“I’ve had an interest in breeding for quite a while but I haven’t been able to do it until I was bit older,” he said.
