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A MOTHER who gave rodeo away for the birth of her two children is aiming to win her first open title in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association.

Tamara Knox, of Ebenezer near Rosewood, has been back competing for the past 18 months and finished third in breakaway roping at this year’s National Finals Rodeo at Caboolture.

She will be one of the riders competing at the Cloncurry Rodeo on August 1-2 and Mt Isa on August 8-10 and is the early season leader in breakaway roping.

Tamara competed at Taroom last weekend but won’t be at Richmond for the annual rodeo this Saturday. (July 26)

Her first love was dancing and she competed successfully to the age of 12 when she was injured and told by a doctor she could end up in a wheelchair if she kept dancing.

Tamara’s uncle Don Butterfield and grandmother Maureen Butterfield were involved in rodeo and she was soon competing as a junior.

“I started at age 12 and only stopped for the birth of our beautiful daughters Sydnee who is six and Charlee who is two and a half,” Tamara said.

“I absolutely love competing in rodeo.”

She recalls knowing husband Mark from when they were at the same rodeos at ages 12 and 13.

Mark won the APRA all around, rope and tie and team roping header titles in 2009 but gave travel away for the past 18 months so Tamara could chase a rodeo dream.

After winning the APRA rookie breakaway roping title in 2003 and making three open finals in the early 2000s, Tamara put her open title dreams on hold until her 2013 comeback.

The couple finished fifth in team roping at Nebo in May and will team up in the same event on the Northern Run.

Tamara will be the header and Mark the heeler in an event where he is equally adept at both roles.

“I hope to win an open breakaway roping title in the next couple of years,” she said.

The odds are the husband-and-wife team will both qualify for next year’s National Finals Rodeo.

Every top rider has a top horse and for Tamara it was Elvis in the 2000s and now No Socks.

Both horses were bred by Garry and Anna McPhee in Victoria.

Tamara said she had owned 13-year-old mare No Socks for three years.

“I made the finals on her in May,” Tamara said.

While she spent a lot of time on the road with No Socks last season, Tamara flew south for some events and rode a horse owned by Christie Bavistock from New South Wales.

She has fond memories on her time riding quarter horse gelding Elvis.

“He set my career up in breakaway roping,” she said.

“Mark also won a lot of money on Elvis.”

Away from family and rodeo, Tamara works from her home as a bookkeeper after working in property management for 11 years at Bremer Valley Realty in Rosewood.

Rodeo Program: July 26 Richmond; August 1-2 Cloncurry; August 8-10 Mt Isa; August 16 Katherine (NT); August 23 Darwin (NT); August 30 Mataranka (NT).

More information from APRA on 07 4661 8183

STANDINGS LEADERS (After first two months of season):

All around Shane Kenny (Emerald)

Saddle bronc Jason Crawford (Dingo)

Bull ride Roy Dunn (Proserpine)

Bareback Jamie Howlett (Roma)

Rope and tie Shane Kenny (Emerald)

Steer wrestling Kacey Kenny (Emerald)

Team roping header Jordan Austin-Iker (Alton Downs)

Team roping heeler Brenton Bell (Gracemere)

All around cowgirl Jill Lyons (Gracemere)

Barrel racing Jill Lyons (Gracemere)