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PRESTON cowgirl Laura Marshall leads the rookie barrel racing standings as the Australian Professional Rodeo Association gears up for the Lillico Rodeo on February 15.

She is sixth in open barrel racing standings and a good chance to qualify for her first national finals.

The rodeo starts at 4pm on February 15 in Lillico and will feature the eight APRA championship events, including the bull ride.

After competing with four Tasmanian teams in national softball, Laura met her husband Gene Marshall at a rodeo.

“I had never owned a horse when I met Gene, I was brought up on a cattle and cropping farm at Preston and my father didn’t have a horse on the property,” she said.

“Gene was a bull rider and got me interested in the sport. I was sick of sitting on the sidelines watching and decided to have a go at the age of 21.”

She bought her first competition horse, Jack, and the pair combined in the barrel race and breakaway roping.

Laura now barrel races on DJ and has a roping horse named Harry.

Harry is so quiet he is also ridden by the couple’s sons, Nash, 4, and Jack, 3.

This season, Laura won at Burnie, Hobart and at the Deloraine Bulls, Broncs and Barrels.

Her ultimate goal is to finish in the top 15 in the APRA and qualify for her first national finals.

As well as Tasmanian rodeos, she plans to head to northern Victoria for the Corryong Man From Snowy River Bush Festival on April 4 and remain on the northern side of Bass Strait for the Easter run of rodeos the following weekend.

“There is $2000 prizemoney for the barrel race at Corryong,” she said.

Laura and Gene Marshall and their helpers run two rodeos a season in Tasmania, the first at Wynward and the second at Lillico on February 15.

“We have held our third Wynward rodeo and this will be the fifth at Lillico. The riders with the most prizemoney across the two rodeos in each event will win a trophy saddle,” she said.

More information or additional photos from APRA on 07 46618183

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