Bob Holder (born 1931) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

from

Cootamundra, New South Wales Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

. In 2019, he was reckoned as the world's oldest professional in the sport.(transcript of TV interview with Holder by Dominique Schwartz) for The 7.30 Report.

History

At the age of five, Holder accompanied his father droving, and after some formal education became a successful real-estate agent with Elders Real Estate, Cootamundra, and lives in the district. Holder first entered a competition as a novice at the

Tumut Tumut () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut sits on the north-west foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is located on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri, Wolgalu ...

rodeo aged 14, winning the bronc ride. In 1953, he won the Novice class at the Wagga showgrounds in October 1953. In March 1954, he came fourth in both the NSW

bareback riding Bareback riding is a form of equestrianism, horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill. Proponents of bareback riding arg ...

and bullock riding championships at

Condobolin Condobolin is a town in the west of the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Lachlan River. At the , Condobolin had a population of 3,185. History Prior to European settlement, the area was inhabited by the Wiradjuri pe ...

. Holder won the Riverina bareback riding championship at

Narrandera Narrandera ( ), until around 1949 also spelled "Narandera", is a town located in the central Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The town lies on the junction of the Newell Highway, Newell and Sturt Highway, Sturt highwa ...

a month later. In 1959, he was invited to appear on the American rodeo circuit, on a tour that culminated at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

; one of the first Australian cowboys to be so honoured. In later years, his specialty was

team roping Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a Cattle#Terminology, steer (typically a Corriente) and two equestrianism, mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header", the person who ropes the fr ...

as the "header", whose job is to lasso the horns of a

steer Steer(s) or steering may refer to: Animals * Steer or bullock, castrated male cattle * Ox, a bovine (usually a steer) used as a draft animal People * Steer (surname) * Steers (surname) Places * Steer Creek (West Virginia), a tributary ...

while his partner (Brian Lawless, another Cootamundra resident) as "heeler" tackles the hind legs.

Recognition

On 23 October 2017, Holder was inducted into the

Australian Professional Rodeo Association The Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) is the national governing body for professional rodeo in Australia. Founded in 1944, APRA has been setting the standards for rodeo in Australia for over 80 years. The Australian rodeo consist ...

's Hall of Fame. Holder's daughter Kerrie is a rodeo cowgirl, specializing in

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holder, Bob Rodeo in Australia 1931 births Living people Roping (rodeo) Bareback bronc riders Steer wrestlers People from Cootamundra