The Australian Professional Rodeo Association was formed in 1944 by Basil Gollan, Danny Edwards and R.M. Williams and was originally named the Australian Rough Riders Association.
Today the APRA is the national governing body for professional rodeo competition and is the oldest national rodeo organisation in the world. The head office of the APRA is in the Rose and Rodeo city of
Warwick, Qld.
The Australian Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) is dedicated to the development and control of professional rodeo competition in Australia. The richest and most prestigious rodeos are those forming the national circuit which culminates at the National Finals Rodeo each year to determine the Australian Champions.
APRA members compete year round with their prize money earnings going toward the National Standings. The top 15 in each event at the completion of the rodeo season then compete at the National
Finals.
Championship points events include:
The origins of Australian rodeo are in the outback with the stockmen and drovers who pioneered the overland stock routes and the huge sheep and cattle stations of the north. No other sport can claim such a strong link to the day to day skills and practices of the working stockmen and drover. Riding a rough horse before starting a days work, or working with wild cattle in the rough and ready bronco yards of an outback station was and still is a part of everyday life.
Australian rodeo can be traced back some 150 years to informal matches between renowned horse breakers or rough riders and outlaw buckjumpers. Most stations boasted a horse that can’t be ridden and any man who claimed he could ride a bit was sure to be put to the test.
The best rough riders went on to make a living from exhibitions and from rodeo competition. Today, their successors take their chances week after week on the highly competitive professional rodeo circuits in Australia, Canada and the United States.
Rodeo is a traditional part of Australian outback life and its sporting heritage. It is also one of the social and sporting highlights of the year for many rural and regional communities, raising millions of dollars for community projects and charities.