Brendan eyes the prize
BRENDAN Kenny has high hopes he can win some money on his 11-year-old gelding, Territory Style, at the Warwick showgrounds this week.
The Springsure primary producer is in town to compete in campdrafting and team roping on the one horse.
His wife Nikki had competed on Classy 49s in the ladies campdraft this week. Both had an early score in the 80s.
Brendan scored 84 on Territory Style in round 1 of the Supafloats Canning Downs Campdraft yesterday in his first run in campdrafting at the Warwick Rodeo.
To compete at the Warwick Rodeo, a rider must have a horse with an open win and Territory Style produced that win with Brendan's cousin Pete Comiskey on board at Alpha.
Brendan describes himself as a team roper who loves to do a bit of campdrafting.
He won the 2009 Australian Professional Rodeo Association team roping title in combination with Ebenezer rider Mark Knox.
The team roping win helped Knox secure the all around cowboy title.
Brendan has won at Mt Isa twice, once with former Warwick roper Jeff Miller and this year with Nilma North (Victoria) rider Aaron Bookluck.
He has nominated for Warwick with Bookluck, a team which hopes to win the APRA title.
As a team roper, Brendan has five seconds in 10 Warwick rodeos.
He once rode bulls and bareback horses and contested the rope and tie but now is a team roper who specialises as the heeler.
At 14.2 hands, he reckons Territory Style is the perfect size for a heeler horse.
Brendan and Nikki have a nine-month-old son, Cooper Roan. "Nikki rode a horse up to eight months pregnant," Brendan said.
Their son is already sitting on the saddle and his doting Dad reckons he likes it.
He is one of only two campdrafters at the Warwick Rodeo who compete as timed event cowboys in the APRA.
It is more common for campdrafters to ride rough stock events, Muttaburra cowboy Ben Hall being a case in point.
If Brendan makes it to the campdraft and team roping finals on Sunday, it won't worry his horse.
"Territory Style is very versatile," he said.