MICHAEL Maher attributes the experience gained on three trips to America as a factor in a career-best performance at the Mt Isa Rodeo.

Maher came up through the ranks in Warwick and won the first round at Mt Isa with a score of 81 on the Matt Adams horse Ice Tea.

He scored 84 on the horse Jane, in round 2 to win the round and the aggregate from Walcha cowboy Carl Green who was second in each round.

The 84 at Mt Isa was two points below the best score of his career, 86, at Lake View, Oregon, United States.

"Riding in America gave me the experience with a variety of horses," he said.

"Matt has a good pen of horses, equally as good as the pen of Garry McPhee."

Maher said his win at Mt Isa signalled a return to form.

"I had an ordinary year before Mt Isa," he said.

"This is my first win in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association for a while."

He missed the past two Mt Isa Rodeos as he was competing in America and said he noticed the larger crowd compared to 2011.

Maher won enough money at Mt Isa to qualify for next year's National Finals Rodeo and hopes to go one better than his second place behind South Australian star Glen Kent three years ago. Maher and Kent shared the average but everyone wants the title.

Yesterday afternoon, Maher and fellow Warwick cowboy Mark Collins were at Chinchilla on the way home after sharing the cost and driving with three cowboys from Mitchell.

He will leave home in Warwick at 4.20am today to work on a building site in Toowoomba. He now has his sights on the Warwick Rodeo on October 23-26.

"I have won second division in Warwick but it would be great to win the open at my hometown rodeo," he said.