MOREE cowgirl Wendy Caban will be one of the riders to watch when the Australian Professional Rodeo Association concludes its season at Alstonville on April 25.

A new APRA rodeo, Alstonville is ideally placed to attract many of the top riders from each of the eastern states.

Many riders will be heading to the Northern Rivers in quest of prize money to qualify for the Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships later this year.

Only the top-15 in each event will qualify for the championship finals.

Caban and Willow Tree rider Nichole Fitzpatrick will head a strong contingent of New South Wales cowgirls set to compete at Alstonville.

At Easter, Fitzpatrick was a barrel racing winner at the Great Western Rodeo in Victoria and Caban was placed in Queensland.

While Fitzpatrick is the current APRA all around cowgirl titleholder, Caban has won the most titles in the past seven years among the women of professional rodeo.

One of the most successful cowboys in the past decade has been Kyogle bull rider David Kennedy and he could be a starter at Alstonville. Kennedy has won an APRA title.

Meldale (Qld) cowboy Sam Champ won at Roma at Easter and will be one of the bull riders to beat at Alstonville.

The Alstonville rodeo will be a full championship points rodeo so fans will be able to watch three rough stock events, saddle bronc, bull ride and bareback bronc ride, rope and tie, steer wrestling and team roping as well as the cowgirls barrel race and breakaway roping.

The top-15 at the end of the season on April 30 will need to hold their form for the championships in Warwick on October 22-25.