Growing up in one of those leafy and historic cities dotted around the United Kingdom, Josh Boothby probably never thought he’d be organising and competing in one of the toughest sports out there: rodeo riding in the sunny central west!

Yet that’s exactly where the Geurie Rodeo Committee vice-president finds himself now with the 2026 Geurie Golden Spurs Rodeo coming up this Saturday, September 5.

Everyone is invited to come along and enjoy the unique ambiance, colour, noise, thrills, and spills, of this local celebration of traditional country competition and community.

Josh explained that for many of the organisers of this totally volunteer-run event, rodeo riding is not so much a pastime, as a lifelong obsession.

“I grew-up in Leicester (England) and, when I came here, my wife’s family did it, that’s how I got involved; it’s a social event, that’s very much part of its appeal,” Josh revealed.

“Once you get hooked, it almost becomes an addiction, it’s a passion – a costly passion – that people can spend 52 weekends of the year competing in,” he added.

Despite its rough-and-tumble reputation, the sport, he emphasised features surprisingly-few serious injuries.

“It seems a bit catch-and-kill, but it‘s actually a pretty safe sport, you’re riding trained horses and chasing trained cattle,” Josh explained.

“They don’t send you out there on any old horse, and competitors usually have had years of practice.”

With a bull-riding show also held recently in Dubbo, Josh said that this rodeo will be a very different sort of affair with a far greater range of events.

“We’re affiliated with the Australian Bushmen's Campdraft & Rodeo Association, and will basically have a full program of rodeo events.

“It’ll be a big itinerary, including bull-riding, bronc riding, saddle bronc, team roping, barrel racing, rope-and-tie, breakaway roping, steer wrestling, and steer undecorating,” Josh revealed.

For the tiny and idyllic community 30km south-east of Dubbo, the event is one of the great social occasions of the year with everyone getting involved.

“We make money out of it for the community, and we’ve got over $30,000 in prize-money to give away, there’s a lot of locals involved in it.

“We’ve got people managing the arena, the front gate, organising events, we all pitch in and, as soon as one year finishes, it takes about 10-months to organise the next,” he said.

As well as his own participation, other members of the organising committee will also be putting on their chaps and cowboy hats to take part in some keen competition.

“We’ve got our president, Greg Frewin, who was the Australian Champion, and multiple other vice presidents in events like rope-and-tie. I myself do team roping and our secretary competes in steer undercutting and breakaway roping,” Josh said.

Entry for spectators, he added, is cheap as chips, ranging from family passes for only $60, adults $25, children $15, and kids under five, free.

“You can buy tickets from 123Tix or just pay at the gate on the day,” Josh said.

“This is serious competition; in the end, everyone wants to be in the running to become Australian Champion,” he concluded.

For more information, go to: www.facebook.com/GeurieRodeo2016/.