‘I work to get money so I can go to rodeos’: Black River’s junior bullriding champion

The best junior bullrider in Australia is putting Black River on the map. See what it takes to reach the top at 16-years-old.

Dallon Finch with his horse Cheux: “I've had her since she was three. Dad broke her in for me. Every barrel race and breakaway title I have, I've won on her”.

Black River teen Dallon Finch was only 16-years-old when he became North Queensland’s best all-round cowboy and Australia’s best junior bull rider.

It’s a phenomenal achievement, but for Dallon, he’s simply keeping up with the family.

When asked how long he’d been riding rodeo, Dallon said “since I was about three”.

His father, Australian bronc riding champion Ronnie Finch, said his son has been “living in that gooseneck since he’s been born”.

Australian Cowboy of the Year Ron Finch with soon-to-be-named steer wrestling Horse of the Year Oakey and son Dallon, 14 months.

Goosenecks are the trailer of choice for travelling horse folk, with enough room for a bedroom upfront and horses down back.

And to be a rodeo champion, you need to travel … a lot.

Dallon collected the North Queensland win in September by riding on the weekends and going to school during the week.

Once the all-round cowboy buckle was handed over, he dropped out of Year 10 and headed south to take a shot at the Australian titles.

Dallon Finch, 16, from Black River.

“Up here I rodeoed all last year and won the NQ title. Then I was able to go to NSW and my NQ points became NSW points, and I did all their finals,” the 16-year-old said.

“I stayed down there for five months, doing rodeos every weekend, staying with some

family friends.”

Dallon Finch, 9, from Townsville competing in the Bartlett Park Rodeo, Kelso.

These southern rodeos included Warwick, Rockley, Geurie and K-Ranch in Sydney.

It all paid off in January at the Australian finals, where Dallon became Australia’s best U18 bullrider, surrounded by the hype of the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

“I think it’s a great achievement,” father Ronnie Finch said.

“When did the last Australian champion in any sport come out of Townsville? Although, I don’t really support bullriding. Real rodeo is doing both ends of the arena, you need to win both.”

But Dallon has that covered too, doing team roping, breakaway and barrel racing when he’s not being thrown off bulls.

The horse disciplines are done with the help of his quarter horse mare, Cheux.

Black River bull rider Dallon Finch with Cheux at the 2022 Mount Isa Mines Rodeo.

“We’ve had her since she was three. Dad broke her in for me and every barrel race and breakaway title I’ve won, I’ve done it on her,” Dallon said.

To be an all-round cowboy, you need to win across multiple sports the whole year.

To be Australia’s best junior bullrider, you need to be the most determined kid in the country.

Every win across the country translates into points, and those points are added to a scoreboard run by the Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association (ABCRA).

Dallon Finch, 6, after his poddy calf ride at the 2012 Bartlett Park Rodeo.

The top scorers qualify for the ABCRA finals, where they battle it out.

“Whoever has the most points at the end gets the buckles,” Dallon said.

This weekend, Dallon is off to the Chillagoe Bushman’s Carnival in his bid to build up points again and defend his titles.

“I work to get money so I can go to rodeos. I go to my brother’s place in Woodstock every Thursday afternoon because he’s got rodeo bulls,” he said.

”It’s about being able to call yourself an Australian champion.”

Originally published as ‘I work to get money so I can go to rodeos’: Black River’s junior bullriding champion