Lewiston rider heads to Carrieton rodeo with record in the bag

LEWISTON rider Candy Michaelis has recorded the fastest time in 35 years of ladies roping and now wants to add a victory at Carrieton to her season performances.

Candy is one of a large number of riders from South Australia nominated for the Carrieton Rodeo on December 27 at the Carrieton Recreation Grounds.

It will be her first competition in the Australian Professional Rodeo Association since breaking the association record for ladies breakaway roping with a time of 1.75 seconds at Kapunda earlier in November.

She has won an APRA rookie title in the barrel race and twice qualified for the finals but it is her new discipline of breakaway roping she is now starring.

“There were good cattle and a good box (yard set up) at Kapunda,” Candy said.

“Breaking the record has certainly made me focus more on breakaway roping.”

The move to breakaway roping was predominately due to her competing on a new horse in barrel racing.

“I compete on a horse my husband Kym trains for roping,” she said.

Candy broke the record riding a registered quarter horse, Isle B Mr Hollywood, a horse affectionally known as Cooper.

“He is 13 years old and I have used him for my first five rodeos as a breakaway roper,” Candy said.

Kym heads off Cooper in team roping and has featured in APRA finals on Cooper.

She also has high hopes for her new barrel racing horse, four-year-old gelding JB Infamous, nicknamed Hussler, a horse by the stallion TA Tame who was imported to Australia by Tamworth sisters Carla and Katina Matthews.

“Carrieton will be my first major rodeo on JB Infamous, he has done well in small rodeos and seems to be a talented horse,” she said.

While Candy is predominately aiming to make the APRA finals next year in breakaway roping, she won’t say no if she also makes the season deciders in barrel racing.

Away from rodeo, Candy is a business development manager for Civil Train in Adelaide and Kym runs a concreting business. Their two children also compete in rodeo. Three of the family will compete at Carrieton.

The rodeo at Carrieton is the second on the Christmas Run which starts at Myrtleford in Victoria on Boxing Day.

All eight APRA championship events will be held at Carrieton, including saddle bronc, bull and bareback bronc rides.

PROGRAM: December 26 – Myrtleford Golden Spurs Rodeo (Vic); December 27 – Carrieton (SA); December 31-January 1 – Alton Downs Double Dip (Qld); January 1 – Tumbarumba 71^st Rodeo (NSW); January 2 – Yarrawonga (Vic); January 8 – Finley (NSW); January 9 – Beechworth (Vic) and Carrick Bull Ride and Rodeo Spectacular (Tas).

More information APRA 07 4661 8183.