“Age is only a number,” says Cootamundra’s veteran cowboy Bob Holder.
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The 85-year-old, along with his roping partner Brian Lawless, recently traveled up to Mount Isa to compete in the Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo.
Holder is Australia’s oldest competing professional cowboy and has been competing in rodeos since he was 14, that’s 71 years.
In comparison, Lawless is a spring chicken with his 30 years of competition in team roping.
Holder and Lawless have been competing together for 15 years and the pair’s experience is a recipe for success.
At the Mount Isa Rodeo, Lawless won the over 55s team roping event recording a time of 6.85 seconds, the fastest time of any age group.
Both Holder and Lawless were pleased with their performances.
“It was a real good run, it was excellent. I roped all six head of cattle,” Holder said.
Rodeos have taken the pair all across the country. Holder was planning on heading up to Darwin and Katherine to compete before those rodeos were cancelled.
Instead, he’s off to South Australia later in the year to take part in rodeos there.
After South Australia he has a break in competition until the end of the year.
There’s no time off though as rodeos are a family affair for the Holders.
Bob’s daughter Kerrie is a former Australian barrel riding champion and competed at Mt Isa as well.
Kerrie has a competition up in Tamworth and Bob will be there cheering her on before his South Australian competitions.
After Christmas, the season kicks off again in Victoria and then moves into New South Wales.
Holder plans on making it down to compete in those events and to keep riding the rodeo circuit.
It’s been a long and impressive career for Australia’s oldest competing professional cowboy.
Way back in 1959 he was one of only four Australian cowboys competing on the American rodeo circuit. He spent six months in the US competing in three or four rodeos at week.
He estimates that he rode 150 horses in that time.
Holder has maintained a strong connection the the US and has traveled back many times, often to Las Vegas to watch the National Finals Rodeo.
He was dismissive when asked if he planned on continuing to ride in the years to come.
“My word! I haven’t even started yet,” he said. There’s no stopping Cootamundra’s longest-riding cowboy.
