Bob Holder (born 1931) is a champion rodeo rider of

Cootamundra, New South Wales Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

, in 2019 reckoned as the world's oldest professional in the sport.(transcript of TV interview with Holder by Dominique Schwartz) for

The 7.30 Report ''The 7.30 Report'' is an Australian week-nightly television current affairs program, which was shown on ABC1 and ABC News 24 at from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, it evolved into ''7.30'', a revamped current affairs program. History ''The 7.30 Report ...

History

At the age of five Holder accompanied his father droving, and after some formal education became a successful real-estate agent with Elders Real Estate, Cootamundra, and lives in the district. Holder first entered a competition as a Novice at

Tumut Tumut () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut sits on the north-west foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is located on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri, Wolgalu ...

rodeo aged 14, winning the bronc ride. In 1953 he won the Novice class at the Wagga showgrounds in October 1953. In March 1954 he came fourth in both the NSW

bareback riding Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill. Proponents of bareback riding argue that riding i ...

and bullock riding championshlps at

Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,486. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...

. Holder won the Riverina bareback riding championship at

Narrandera Narrandera ( ) until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell and Sturt highways, adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River, and ...

a month later. In 1959 he was invited to appear on the American rodeo circuit, on a tour that culminated at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, one of the first Australian cowboys to be so honoured. In later years his specialty was

team roping Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer (typically a Corriente) and two mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header", the person who ropes the front of the steer, usually around the ...

as the "header", whose job is to lasso the horns of a

steer Steer, Steers or Steering may refer to: Animals * Steer or bullock, castrated male cattle * Ox, a steer used as a draft animal People * Steer (surname) * Steers (surname) Places * Steer Creek (West Virginia), a tributary of the Little K ...

while his partner (Brian Lawless, another Cootamundra resident) as "heeler" tackles the hind legs.

Recognition

On 23 October 2017 Holder was inducted into the

Australian Professional Rodeo Association The Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) is the national governing body for professional rodeo in Australia. Founded in 1944, APRA has been setting the standards for rodeo in Australia for over 60 years. The Australian Rodeo consis ...

's Hall of Fame. Holder's daughter Kerrie is a champion horse rider, specializing in

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur a ...

events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holder, Bob Rodeo in Australia 1931 births Living people Roping (rodeo) Bareback bronc riders Steer wrestlers