Forbes Rodeo delivers thrills and spills

The Forbes Rodeo has come and gone for another year, bringing all the action in the ring back to town with plenty of thrills and spills on Saturday 26 September. This was the first year the rodeo was hosted in the Forbes Multipurpose Equestrian Centre (MEC), with Forbes Rodeo president Daniel Molloy saying in a post to Facebook it was a fantastic facility for the town and for an event like the rodeo. "A very special thank you also goes to Forbes Shire Council for the absolutely splendid and spectacular MEC," he wrote. Daniel also thanked the Rodeo's sponsors, along with members of the community for their support. He also highlighted the hard work and dedication the rodeo committee put in to make the event special. "Forbes Rodeo is more than just a day at the rodeo,” he said. “It is about community, mateship, supporting local people and businesses, showcasing our great sport and creating an event that people look forward to every year." Brendon Crawley claimed a second-place finish in the open bareback along with fifth in the steer wrestling. Forbes Rodeo's Troy Read said to bring the rodeo to Forbes takes a lot of effort and man-hours from a small committee and they can't do it without the support of their sponsors. Visitors to the rodeo were able to watch all the action in the ring with competitors taking part in barrel racing, steer wrestling, saddle bronc, bareback, team roping and the ever-popular bull ride. While the main action in the ring was on Saturday, the rodeo also hosted two events on Friday including the Southern Zone junior rodeo, along with the junior and novice barrel races. There was some fierce competition across the ring, with the 2026 Paddy Molloy memorial all around cowboy buckle awarded to Brendon Crawley. He earned the buckle with a second-place finish in the open bareback along with fifth place in the steer wrestling. In the barrel racing, a standout was Bianca Miller who claimed the ladies barrel race win with a blistering time of 16.667 seconds aboard Running Red Lights. She also took out the Novice Barrel Race with a time of 17.026 on Flamin Hot N Famous. Bianca was awarded the 2026 Bruce Sayers memorial ladies barrel race buckle. Koby Read claimed second in the novice bull ride. Troy said they had a quality field of competitors at this year's rodeo including nationally acclaimed riders Henry Watkins, Jack Rowlandson, Cooper Woods, Tim Mcauley and Tommy and Mick Knight. Forbes was also well represented locally across the competitions with Sam Klingner, Josiah Klingner, Chet Read, Tim Childs, Jeriah Gunn and Koby Read all taking to the ring. Among the top results was a second place for Koby in the novice bull ride. "We had the quality there. We were impressed with the turnout of competitors," he said. "It's a big show and it will only get bigger." The rodeo stars were cheered on by a really strong crowd which took full advantage of the cover provided by the MEC. "It was the best crowd ever," Troy said. The Forbes Rodeo is set to return in 2026, with the date yet to be decided.