A RODEO bull enterprise is an obscure branch of the cattle industry, but for brothers Peter and Tim Kennedy, Nakadoo Rodeo Company, Coonamble, the work is every bit as tough as it is for a top-line beef or dairy operation.
The Kennedys are both veterans of the circuit themselves, and formed their rodeo bull and horse business 15 years ago after doing it as a hobby.
They have since risen to the top of the tree, and regularly supply bulls to both the Sydney Royal Show and the national rodeo finals in Tamworth.
Peter Kennedy said the effort involved in producing quality rodeo bulls was considerable – especially during the early years.
This was largely due to the lack of a specific breeding pool for rodeo stock.
“Basically, you get your good bulls, and you keep the good heifers, you breed from them,” Mr Kennedy said.
“Your percentages (of good rodeo animals) go up the more you breed.”
The Kennedys bucked out all their females to test them at an early age, using an electronic “bucking dummy” they purchased from the US.
Mr Kennedy said picking a good rodeo animal was a matter of intuition as much as genetics.
“You have to find an animal that enjoys bucking – which doesn’t mean they’re wild,” he said.
While some might think rodeo bulls are naturally aggressive, Mr Kennedy said the animals were trained from an early age and were well aware of how to behave at a rodeo and on-farm.
“You always have to be careful, because a bull is still a bull – but I can walk around our bulls at home and not have to worry,” he said.
As well as bucking the animals out on-property, the brothers also ran them up chutes and practiced herding them out of the arena.
The idea was to give them an idea of what to expect at a proper rodeo – so while the bulls would buck, they didn’t panic.
The younger bulls were also bucked out between rodeos to keep them in form.
The increased professionalism of the rodeo circuit had made such training and attention to detail necessary.
Mr Kennedy said gone were the days when bulls were plucked straight from a paddock and shoved into the arena.
“We also have meetings with animal welfare groups to make sure we can all be happy with what we’re doing,” he said.
Shattering another rodeo myth, Mr Kennedy said the animals usually had a longer life-expectancy than those bred for consumption or racing.
Bulls would start bucking in the junior competitions at two to three years old, and could go on until 15 years or older.
A bull that had proved itself a stayer in the rodeo ring was then an obvious choice to put out to stud, rather than slaughter.
Mr Kennedy said rodeo horses had even more longevity.
“A good rodeo horse can go until 25 years or older before retiring,” he said.
“They only do six or seven rodeos a year, and buck out for eight seconds at a time, and for the rest of their lives, they’re very well looked after.”
Horses are often bought as ex-pony club or ex-racetrack animals.
“If a horse is being a bit bad-mannered and bucking, people will often give us a call,” Mr Kennedy said.
“There’s some money in it for the good bucking animals.
“A good rodeo horse is worth $10,000 – there are some here I wouldn’t sell for $20,000.”
The brothers had a head start on the bull breeding as they had already kept “one or two” rodeo bulls on the property as practice and hobby animals.
“Brahman-dairy cross cattle are usually the best mix,” Mr Kennedy said.
“As a rule you don’t want any more than 50 per cent Brahman – but there are exceptions.”
