Rodeo ain't what it used to be.
The days of being bucked off, bouncing and banging the body, then jumping up to dust-off without looking injured are long gone.
Today's cowboy knows he needs to ride to win, and to win, he needs to be physically and mentally ready.
Today's cowboy, the elite cowboy, now prepares to ride, looks to prevent injury and seeks support for training and rehabilitation.
Pro-rodeo in Australia today is a modern sport. And this modern sport is in a period of significant growth and development - from competitor numbers to affiliating committees, as well as the offering of professional services - including rodeo-focused sports therapy.
"With any professional sport, sponsors and stakeholders have expectations. They're contributing to the sport and they want the sport to be the best it can be and see competitors performing at their peak," Briahna Larkins, of Breeze Sports Performance, said.
"Without the support of professional services like this, competitors can't give their best - it's just how our bodies and minds work.
"I want to make sports therapy readily accessible for rodeo competitors. I don't want to see anyone in a position of compromised performance."
Briahna started her sports therapy journey as a youngster, riding horses and subsequently enduring the injury and recovery cycle that sometimes follows, so her focus quickly shifted to how best to get herself back from injury.
After completing her sports therapy degree, Briahna went straight to work with Melbourne Storm, followed by several leading AFL clubs throughout Australia, and has now made the move to start her own sports therapy business, focusing on professional rodeo.
"I love all sport, and with my NRL and AFL roles, I just fell in love with watching what could be achieved for athletes," Briahna said.
"I have plenty of professional rodeo competitors as friends, I've seen friends go overseas,and I've witnessed first-hand what American rodeo does for the competitor and they just receive such a high level of care and support - the level of care that our AFL and NFR players are receiving. And I looked at our industry and realised we're not doing that.
"I just really want to see improvements. I want to see more young people competing, I want to see those starting out looking up to seasoned competitors who are getting treatment, working on their physical care. Starting younger, educating them. I want to see our top professional athletes working with treatment and seeing how they can improve."
Briahna will be attending this year's Ariat Australian Professional Rodeo Association National Finals Rodeo with her sports therapy business, Breeze Sports Performance, providing support to the Top 15 competitors attending to win an Australian champion title.
Tickets for the Ariat APRA NFR are on sale now - rockhamptontickets.com.au
