NAIDOC Week: Hope Vale bull-riding brothers set to tackle the States
The rich, red soil of a remote Aboriginal community in North Queensland is a field of dreams for four exciting bull-riding brothers.
Jyren and Kaileb Kyle and Tyson and Lynton Ford have been taming four-legged beasts since clambering aboard their first poddy calves at the tender age of three.
The fearsome four hail from Hope Vale on the Cape York Peninsula, the stamping ground of Indigenous rugby league legend Matt Bowen.
The brothers from the small town are keen to grab some headlines themselves by making it big in one of the world's toughest sports.
Hope Vale's bull-riding brothers (from left) Jyren Kyle, 15, Kaileb Kyle, 13, Tyson Ford, 11, and Lynton Ford, 9.
Two of them are already on their way, with Kaileb, 13, and Tyson, 11, gearing up for their first international competition in the United States in September.
They have qualified to ride with the Borghero Mini Buckers at the International Mini Bulls Association World Finals in Utah.
Kaileb will compete in the 12-14 years age group and Tyson in the 10-12 years, climbing aboard bulls that weigh more than 400kg.
Mini Buckers founder Danny Borghero runs rodeos in the north and has been keeping a keen watch on the young duo, quickly identifying their most valuable trait.
'They're all try,' he said.
'A lot of bull riders today, once things start getting a bit tough, they quit… but those two little boys just never quit.'
Danny expects the pair to stand tall at the world finals, saying they should 'very easily' make it into the short go (the top 10).
He's also making some exciting predictions on their future prospects too.
'They can be Australian champions the way that they're starting their career,' he declared.
'If they stay on the right track, they have every opportunity to do that.'
Kaileb Kyle shows the form that has him being touted as a future Australian champion. Picture: Evan Morgan
Danny said the boys' family was doing everything it could to help them realise their goals.
Mum Ashleigh Oberleuter said bull-riding was a 'family affair', with the boys following in the footsteps of their father, grandfather and uncle.
They have clocked up thousands of kilometres ferrying the boys to rodeos, expanding the circuit as they got older.
They also enrolled Jyren and Kaileb at St Brendan's College in Yeppoon, some 1400km away, because of its renowned rodeo program which has produced super stars such as Brady Fielder.
Tyson will join them there next year and, no doubt, Lynton will be there when his time comes.
Tyson Ford is heading to the United States.
Ashleigh said growing up in such a small community, the boys were not exposed to a lot of sports but she could not see them doing anything else anyway.
Bull-riding was a natural fit for them and they loved doing what their dad did before them.
While Jyren has been described as a 'very handy cowboy' and Lynton is showing the same promise as his older brothers, it is Kaileb and Tyson who are most intent on finding success in the arena.
Ashleigh said the world finals was a fitting reward, and the boys could not wait to represent their culture and community on such a grand scale.
'The PBR is right up there on their list and anything in the higher level of bull riding in between is what they want to be doing,' she said.
Kaileb Kyle is part of the St Brendan's rodeo program. Picture: Evan Morgan
'They're competitive but more with themselves. They always want to do better.
'If there's a bull that's bucked them off, they just want to ride him.'
Kaileb said his riding had flourished under mentor Bill Oram at St Brendan's, something which had further fuelled his desire to ride in the PBR.
The involvement of his brothers was also a key motivator.
'It's really exciting for me watching them ride, being able to give them tips that I learnt at St Brendan's and teaching them a thing or two.
'We have each others back in the arena and when we ride together, we gee each other up.'
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