Roping legend comes to Warwick for rodeo weekend
THE most successful team roper in Australian Professional Rodeo Association history will be in action at the Warwick Rodeo this weekend.
Warwick cowboy Johnny Osborne and Moree rider Troy Caban are one of 44 teams in the event after winning the last APRA rodeo in the run-up to Warwick at Narrabri.
Osborne has won one of the biggest event prizemoney packets for an Australian competitor, $45,000 for the US Team Roping Championships with Jean Poythress more than a decade ago.
He said her success proved women could mix it equally with the men in team roping.
The most successful riders in all APRA events have a display dedicated to them in the Australian Rodeo Heritage Centre in Alice St.
Osborne has won seven APRA titles in team roping, the first as a 16-year-old in 1987.
His first two titles were as an individual based on most money won for the season before finals started.
He won two with Jeff Miller, who now lives at Tamworth, and three with Griffith cowboy Heath Litchfield.
Osborne and Litchfield also held the APRA record of 4.9 seconds which has since been broken by Victorian pair
Terry Evison and Aaron Bookluck.
Osborne and Caban will compete in the first round of team roping this weekend and Osborne believes they need a time of less than 10 seconds to make the final on Sunday.
In team roping, Osborne is the specialist heeler and Caban the header.
Caban's wife Wendy is the current APRA and Mt Isa all-around champion and one of the favourites for the barrel race and breakaway roping this weekend.
There are 583 nominations for rodeo events, including 60 for open bull ride and 54 for second division bull ride.
