13-Year-Old Cowgirl Scores $10K for Texas Rodeo Finals

Inside the Kalkadoon Arena in Queensland's wild northwest, courage gets measured in eight-second bursts on the back of a bucking bull.

Thirteen-year-old Lareece Daley-Kennedy knows that feeling well. The Kalkadoon and Pitta Pitta cowgirl has been throwing herself onto mini bulls and steers across regional Australia, building toward something bigger.

Now she's heading to the world stage. Lareece earned invitations to two youth world finals in the United States after a string of strong performances, including a third-place finish at this year's Mount Isa Rodeo.

The Mount Isa Rodeo, the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, nearly disappeared in 2024 when it fell into voluntary administration. Local residents rallied to save it, bringing it back before a record crowd.

This year, the revived rodeo made history again by committing $10,000 to send Lareece to compete in Oklahoma and Texas. It's the first time the board has directly backed a young rider this way.

"Blew me away, made me cry actually," said her father Nathan Kennedy, a former rodeo competitor himself. "It's got us over the line."

Lareece took up riding after hearing stories about her dad's rodeo days. "I just wanted to follow my dad's footsteps," she said.

The sport has taught her resilience the hard way. Last year at Cloncurry she landed on her neck after being thrown. Earlier this year she got winded on her first steer ride but still finished second.

Her secret to lasting eight seconds? "Just lock your knees in and your legs and just hold on."

The Ripple Effect

Lareece isn't the only young rider making waves. Cloncurry brothers Dallas and Ashley Murphy, aged 10 and 14, swept the mini bull titles at this year's event.

Nineteen-year-old Cade Ferguson became the rodeo's all-round cowboy just weeks after winning world champion in bull riding at an Oklahoma competition. These victories are proof that rural Australian kids can compete with the world's best.

Mount Isa Rodeo vice-chair Marcus Curr said supporting young riders has become central to the organization's mission. "A lot of kids in the bush don't get to play cricket and football as much as city kids do," he said. "So rodeo is a big part of their life and their culture."

The board now runs an annual junior clinic where about 50 children, including kids from remote communities, learn safety, technique and competition skills. Smaller regional rodeos give them places to practice before stepping into the big arena.

"It's about investing in opportunities for kids and having Mount Isa Rodeo being a part of Australia developing some of the best cowboys and cowgirls in the world," Curr said.

For Lareece, one of those world-class opportunities waits in Texas and Oklahoma, where she'll represent her community and her culture on an international stage. When asked what she loves most about bull riding, her answer is simple: "Winning and holding on."