Most rodeo contestants have multiple generations in their family to show them the ropes of the sport, but for 35 year-old world champion bareback rider Anthony Thomas he had to learn all on his own.
When Thomas ran away from his home in Perth, Australia at 12 years old, he was sent to the Tardun Christian Brothers Agricultural College – an agricultural boarding school in the countryside. It was there, he was first exposed to the idea of becoming a bareback rider.
“That is where I found my place and the talent I had with wild horse and cattle,” Thomas said. “It really was a gift from God, because as a kid who grew up and was now in the middle of the woods in Australia, how would I have known I was good at this?”
Thomas worked with wild horses and bulls, among other animals at the cattle station on his school’s grounds. It was his duty to corral them and break them in – tame them – by riding the animals. He felt akin with these wild horses, as they reminded him of his past.
‘The horses were wild and dangerous, they would bite, kick and strike us,” Thomas said. “A wild horse’s first natural reaction is to use its body to defend itself when its unsure. They are rough and I came from a rocky background too, so I felt a natural connection with those horses.”
When he first started rodeoing in Australia; he rode bulls, saddle broncs and bareback. In 2011, Thomas won his first world title, then went to Canada for a while to compete, awaiting his American visa.
“America was always the goal for me, it’s like the golden level of rodeo,” Thomas said.
Thomas achieved that goal in 2013, when he came to the United States. He has since settled locally, in Fulshear, where he trains on average five days a week.
Before coming to America, Thomas stopped bull riding; shortly after he got here, he also halted his participation in saddle bronc events.
“I understood that riding in two events, put wear and tear on me, both physically and financially,” Thomas said. “As much as I loved saddle bronc riding, doing both was very taxing on the body.”
He decided to progress by only competing in bareback riding. With the relationship he had with wild horses in his past, he felt he could anticipate their every move.
“I have success in this because of my understanding of horsemanship,” he said. “I know which way the horse will jump and in what directions it will go, and I know how I need to position my body to be in sync with the horse.”
In bareback riding, a rider uses a “rigging” made of leather – specified to PRCA requirements – and attaches it to the horse. The contestant will have to hang on to that rigging for a minimum of eight seconds, while the horse bucks and attempts to throw the rider off.
One of the most important elements of this event, is the competitor’s spurring technique – or the degree to which his toes remain turned out. Not only is the rider judged on his run time, but his technique also plays a large part in his round’s final score, according to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Although Thomas continued riding only in the bareback event to reduce additional injury; injury cannot be avoided all together. In September 2022, he was competing in British Columbia and a horse “hung him up,” as he twisted his arm while still holding onto his rigging. The incident tore up his shoulder, resulting in a total shoulder reconstruction surgery, he said.
Thomas was out for four and a half months, but returned west of RodeoHouston, to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. On his first horse back, he was bucked off and stomped on. The force of the horse’s leg broke his MCL – a ligament that is injured when putting pressure on the outside part of the knee.
Thomas is still battling pain from this injury, wearing a brace and walking with a slight limp between competing at RodeoHouston. He said it is not uncommon for those who do rodeo to compete while injured.
“If you’re not competing, you’re not winning and you’re not making any money. We abuse our bodies way more than any other professional athlete,” Thomas said. “People can’t understand why we put ourselves through riding with injuries, but we have to. We do this because we don’t get paid leave and aren’t provided health insurance. If you’re not riding when you’re hurt, you’re not paying the bills.”
Despite the pain and the inability to ride one of his scheduled nights, Thomas loved being back at his “hometown rodeo.” He said that each competitor has a favorite rodeo, and RodeoHouston is his.
“It just is special to me because I am the only guy from here that is competing, so I get to represent my city and I consider this home, I met my wife at RodeoHouston, we have a daughter, I have a beef business; really, everything I have is here in Houston.”
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
