Jane Ryan - Current Australian Breakaway Roping Champion

This week we caught up with our Queensland gal pal and current Australian Breakaway Roping Champion, Jane Ryan.

Jane has just returned from a month on the rodeo road with her two daughters, three horses and one dog! Whilst on the road, Jane was affectionately crowned Brigalow’s 1.2 million dollar an hour Cowgirl after her and 11yo firecracker gelding ‘Deadly’ roped their calf in a super speedy 2.15 seconds. This won them the Curry Merry Muster and a whopping $7,200!

That works out to be an hourly rate of $1,205,575.00 per hour!! WOWEEE!

Jane is a woman of many talents. Roper, Barrel Racer, Campdrafter, Mcleods Daughters stunt double and Tiny Human wrangler (#supermum), we chatted all things rodeo, horses and Jane was kind enough to share her wisdom on making that perfect run.

When did your love of horses and rodeo begin?

I was fortunate enough to be born and bred into a rodeoing family and my dad was also a horse breaker. So I was basically raised in the thick of the horse and rodeo industry in South Australia. I am basically that old adage, was it nature or nuture? I’ll never really know, but regardless my love for horses/rodeo runs true.

Who's your go to pony and tell us their most annoying quirk as well as their best attribute?

A 14hh petite, socially awkward weirdo named Deadly, he literally nearly is a pony haha. He’s won and done more for me than I could ever have asked for and I’m truly blessed to be his person.

He’s the definition of quirky, he’s sensitive (emotionally and physically), terrified of basically everything, and he hates being touched and petted on. But he’s incredibly fast. And athletic. And he has more heart and try than anything I’ve ever ridden.

We don’t focus on his flaws, I just make sure I give him the confidence to do his job and he gives it back to me ten fold. Every single time.

Name your top three favourite events!

To compete in… I’m a breakaway roper at heart, then campdrafting (because I love chasing cattle) and then barrel racing. But if we’re training horses, I truly love riding on a barrel horse.

Tell us the name of your first horse and a little bit about them.

When I was maybe 4, I woke up on Xmas morning to find that Santa had left a pony tied on the back lawn. He was a plain straight brown type with an even plainer head. But he was safe and went wherever I pointed him. I had a heap of fun on him for years!

As the current Australian Breakaway Roping Champion, tell us a little about your prep both in the box and mentally.

I don’t get ready very early and I don’t give my run a lot of thought much before the moment. I’m an over thinker, I notice everything about everything that is happening and it can be more detrimental than not most times so I’ve learnt to not give my run anymore space than it actually needs in my mind. In the actual moment right before I rope I break my run down into a couple of really simple steps.

(Ride into position, swing square over the target, let it go).

The simpler they are, the easier they are to follow and that gives me confidence. And then I believe the secret for me has been being able to focus through the chaos. The arena, the livestock and the people are such an ever-changing, unpredictable environment that you need to be able to react to what’s happening around you and maintain your focus without getting distracted and flustered.

What is your favourite part about Barrel Racing?

Going fast! I’ve always been a speed junkie. Always will be.

Tell us your tips for making an epic run.

Smooth is fast. So is riding quietly. Stay in your own lane. Don’t be distracted by what everybody else is doing or runs that have already been made. You do you to the best of your ability. And then see where that puts you in the race. And be brave enough to take risks.

Ride with confidence.

If you could tell your younger self one thing what would it be?

I would tell teenage me to not be so shy, there’s not enough time to waste years being shy and timid. Get out in the world and ask questions, ask for help. Really pay attention to those who are winning or successful and figure out what makes them that way. I would tell teenage me that the foundation and the start that my parents gave me was good, (and I am SUPER grateful and appreciative), but don’t waste time treading water thinking it’s good enough.

And lastly, what would you say to someone who wants to give barrel racing a crack?

Just enter! Start where you are, with what you have and go from there. Get help, go to clinics, ask questions. And don’t worry about people watching you. There’ll be people there watching, BUT chances are, they’re not actually watching you. Life is for living, get amongst it.

You can follow Jane’s journey via her instagrams @mrs_jane_ryan & @plainjaneroping

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