Queensland rodeo prodigy takes on world’s best at mini-bull riding championships in Texas

They say they make them tough in Queensland and for 12-year-old mini-bull rider Ronan Miosge, that sentiment rings true.

“I’ve got my throat stood on and broke my shoulder at Mount Isa,” he recalled.

“It’s definitely a good sport if you know what you’re doing and you’ve got to have a bit of strength and a bit of anger in ya.”

The kid from Sarina, south of Mackay, has been bucked off bulls since he was 8 and competing in rodeos in Queensland and New South Wales.

This year, he found himself in US state Texas, putting his “tough guts” to the test at the world championship miniature bull riding finals.

His mum, Rowena Miosge, applied for Ronan to compete at the world championships and he ended up on a plane to the Lone Star state.

“Texas is pretty different than Queensland. It’s just another world over there,” he said.

The young gun ranked 30th in the world for his age group but said he would have done better without a distraction.

“I was riding my bull, looked up in the stands and saw this cute girl and just fell off,” Ronan said.

Proud older brother

Ronan is following in his brother Boyce Miosge’s cowboy boots, who got into bull riding four years ago.

The 20-year-old says Ronan has already surpassed him in skill.

“My little brother is way better than me,” Boyce said.

“I know he will be a world champion one day, so I guess if I’m not on them I’m at least behind him and can say I made it.”

Along with his sister, Sha-Tarne Miosge, Boyce supported his brother in Texas and said he wasn’t going to miss out on the action, even if it was from behind the chute.

“It was good seeing him over there and get accepted into that sort of thing; it’s just a big step for the younger fella,” he said.

It’s all about adrenaline

“What it feels like to be on a bull is a bit hard to describe and I think that’s why people like it, but it’s not for everyone,” Boyce said.

“It’s just it’s a whole other feeling, there’s nothing you can compare it to because you’re on something that could definitely kill you.”

Boyce said the biggest fear in bull riding is simply sitting down on the bull.

“You put your hand in, they tighten it up on you, you slide up, dig your feet in, open that chute, and it’s pretty much game time,” he said.

A mini bull history

Mini bull contractor and founder of the Australian mini bull championships, Matthew Doak said Queensland had been the first to include mini bulls in rodeos, but it was also catching on in the Northern Territory.

“The hardest thing was trying to convince the rodeo associations in Australia to take it on because it was something new,” Mr Doak said.

Mini bulls have now debuted at the Mount Isa and Warwick rodeos, two of Australia’s largest, pointing to a promising future for the fledgling sport.

Mr Doak said the high animal welfare is a selling point to break into the mainstream rodeo scene.

“They still are animals, but you’ve got a fair idea on what they’re going to do, because they’ve been bucked and trained on what to do, so they suit the kid’s abilities,” he said.

“It’s now grown and now every sort of rodeo association in Australia’s using them, and there’s probably 10 contractors all over Australia.”

Bred to be suited to seven to 14-year-olds, Mr Doak said the bulls were fully grown and a mix between smaller breeds, including Dexters and Miniature Brahmans.