Rough rider shares rodeo tradition

But that’s something professional bull rider Troy Dunn knows only too well.

Born in May 1967, Troy is the second youngest of five children to Rob Dunn and wife Marcia.

By the age of nine he was itching to join his dad in the chutes, entering in the Capella rodeo’s potty calf ride.

Eight years on Troy was ready to step up competing in his first open bull ride at the Emerald rodeo.

“I’d been on bulls before, but this was my first contracted bull that I was allowed to ride,” Troy said.

It wasn’t long before Troy was proving his worth in the local rodeo ranks taking home his first win in the open bull ride at Comet River.

By 1987 he had started to rodeo professionally, going on to win the APRA Australian Title and All-round award in 1989.

With the dream of being world number one, Troy packed his bags and headed for Canada.

It wasn’t long before the young up and comer qualified for his first PRCA National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, USA.

By 1995 Troy’s career had taken a turn for the better delivering consistent performances throughout the year and at the PBR World Finals he earned the honours of securing his first of two World Finals Championships.

But as if that wasn’t enough to achieve in one year, Troy also tied the knot with central Queensland beauty Jackie Head, who he met at a Rocky quarter horse sale some years earlier.

In 1997 he went on to win the PBR Touring Pro Title, recording the highest marked ride for the year.

The second World Finals title would come two years later, highlighted by his memorable ride on champion bucking bull Red Wolf for 95 points in the final round.

After a stellar season on tour in 1998, Troy had a convincing lead going into the PBR World Finals but a rough ride saw him exit the arena with a dislocated hip in the first round of competition.

But the lead he had accumulated through the year and going into the finals was enough to see him win the prestigious 1998 PBR World Championship, a feat to this day no other Australian has been able to accomplish.

It was here Troy fulfilled his career dream to stake his claim on the World Championship Gold Buckle.

“It was probably more of a relief,” Troy said.

“I had won everything else and I knew I had it in me, I just hadn’t got it done yet.”

In 1999, he returned to base himself in Australia despite regularly visiting the US to compete in select competitions.

Troy continued to qualify for the PBR World Finals for the next five years.

At age 38, Troy announced his retirement qualifying and competing in his last PBR World Finals appearance in 2005.

He knew it was time to get out, having lost all craving to ride a tonne of enraged, bucking bovine flesh for eight seconds.

The last mile was proving to be the hardest with Troy being knocked out for the first time in his professional career, just six weeks before his final ride.

‘‘Everyone gets knocked out, but I had never been knocked out,’’ Dunn said.

‘‘The bull turned around and I got in there too much and we collided heads.

‘‘I was out for about 10 minutes.

‘‘During my recovery, I got this mad notion in my head that I was going to die in the world finals. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake this notion.

‘‘I had heard of other people who had died, where they had a premonition.’’

Death is not as common in bull riding as you would think, but is a real possibility.

The most common forms of death in bull riding come from the rider being bucked off and the animal’s hooves stomp on their chest.

Troy’s one-eyed devotion to the sport never left him never to consider backing out, despite briefly considering wearing a helmet earlier in his career.

‘‘You’ve always been a cowboy’s cowboy and worn a hat,’’ fellow rider Brendon Clark said.

‘‘You’re not going to wear a helmet while you’re travelling with me.’’

During the finals, Troy would leave his family in their room at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, believing it ot be the last time he would see his wife or two children, Tyrah and Lathan.

His only protection was a Bible verse he had sought out, written down and kept in the pocket of his jeans; ‘Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.’

Entering into the last ride of his career Troy knew he was in contention to win the round leaving the sport with a $20,000 pay check.

‘‘This was it. I got on him. I was ready for it and was resigned. I learned to trust in the Lord and put my life in his hands,’’ Dunn said.

‘‘I jumped on the bull, and he turned around and kicked back, made a couple of rounds and then came back to the chutes.

‘‘The gate was open where I had come out and he bucked back to the chutes and back in.

‘‘The bull was jumping and kicking and I leant off to grab the top rail where all the boys were.

‘‘He was going out and he took my feet so I was lying flat and looking up.

‘‘I remember distinctly looking up and seeing all my buddies’ faces. I thought ‘this is it’.

‘‘If the bull had carried turning around, the back feet were going to get me in the chest. That’s what gets people, the back feet.

‘‘It was happening fast at the time but it is slow motion now, thinking back.

‘‘I hit the ground and it hit the air out of me. Then, I looked up and saw the bull heading away.

‘‘I thought I haven’t got any air but I’ve got my bloody life.’’

The event saw Troy recognised for his lifelong standing achievements in the sport of professional bull riding and was presented with the PBR Ring of Honor.

It was around this time that the PBR announced they were expanding globally, opening offices in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia.

Troy was made President of the Australian PBR circuit after opening office in 2006.

He captained the Australian Team at the first ever PBR World Cup, held at the Gold Coast in 2007 and continued as their leading man till 2010.

Today, Troy’s time is shared between raising beef cattle and bucking bulls on his 3000 acre property at Bloomsbury, 86km north of Mackay.

He continues to hold the presidency position at PBR Australia furthering his passion for PBR and the future of bull riding in Australia.

Troy runs regular bull riding schools both at his property and away.