31 January, 2020
BRIGALOW RIDER GOES FOR RODEO TITLE
AFTER learning to rope as a junior in South Australia, Jane Ryan now lives in Queensland and is aiming to win her first Australian Professional Rodeo Association open title this year.
The new season started on October 1 and Ryan is now at the top of the standings in breakaway roping.
The Brigalow rider won an APRA pro tour title in 2015 in breakaway roping after finishing on top of the standings.
She is confident she has a good enough horse to guide her to an open title.
“I bought my roping horse Deadly five years ago when he was three,” Ryan said.
“He is the best horse I have competed on in breakaway roping.”
While she occasionally dabbles in barrel racing, Ryan is a breakaway roping specialist.
She is originally from Pekina in South Australia and is a member of the Willoughby family, one of the best known in rodeo in the state.
Each year, the top-15 in each event qualify for the national finals rodeo and it is likely Jane and her cousin Tom Willoughby will both feature in this year’s finals in late October in Warwick.
Jane won her first title as a junior and has won a rookie breakaway roping title in the APRA on top of her pro tour title.
She has also won in the highest paying rodeo in the association at Mt Isa in north west Queensland. At one time, she had the APRA record for fastest time in breakaway roping.
As for winning her first open title, Jane said she hoped for consistent form all season.
“Roping is getting tougher each year. The depth and standard of the girls in breakaway roping is phenomenal,” she said.
“I will do a fair bit of travelling and hope to have a bit of luck to win the title.”
Her season prizemoney will boost her chances to win the title.
Jane has driven from Brigalow to Brisbane for a flight to South Australia for a rodeo, a chance to catch up with family and friends and in quest of more prizemoney.
When she flies interstate for a rodeo, Jane will borrow a horse.
“The unwritten rule for borrowing horses is the horse owner gets at least 25 per cent of any prizemoney,” Jane said.
Early this season, she won three of the first six rodeos she contested, two in New South Wales and at Carrieton in South Australia.
She is planning to head to Victoria for three rodeos on the March long weekend.
“I am not a huge planner and take things as they come,” she said.
Her husband Aaron Ryan is a rodeo announcer, a position he filled for the timed events at the Warwick Rodeo APRA National Finals Rodeo last year.
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