Female bull rider just loves rodeo
MEET Trish Ericson, the
bull riding truckie.
The 26-year-old hung up her chaps two years ago but the excitement of the sport has lured the Atherton cowgirl back to the arena.
The break did nothing to diminish her talents and last weekend, on her second ride since returning, she came second in the open bull ride at Herberton.
"I used to be a cleaner at the mine in Mt Garnet but when I got a job as a truck driver I was worried I’d lose it if I got injured," she said.
"In that time I could hardly go to rodeos.
"I missed riding and the guys at work told me to live my dreams because I could just as easy get run over.
"I came out of retirement at the Mt Garnet bull ride (three weeks ago) and it’s great to be back."
Ms Ericson rode her first bull when she was 14 and now she has returned she plans to work hard on the Far North Queensland circuit and live out her dream while she can.
"I just love it," she said.
"I love the smell (of the bulls), the excitement, the adrenalin that goes through you and the people you get to hang around with.
"There are not many women riding in Australia, and none that I can think of up here, but most people don’t mind having a woman ride.
"Some love it and others totally dislike it because I’m a female bull rider. Most of them realise I’m not there for the cowboys, I’m there for the bulls."
Ms Ericson’s enthusiasm for the sport is impossible to hide and it’s a bit surprising she maintains the passion considering the number of serious falls she’s had.
"I’ve broken four vertebra in my neck and was in intensive care for two weeks after landing on my head," she said.
"I’ve broken both my ankles and three ribs and a bull tore half my ear off but I have never been carried out of the arena.
"I have always walked out."
Apart from bull riding being an unusual sport for a woman, Ms Ericson also has a rather unusual fan and supporter who has encouraged her every step of the way.
"Mum knows I enjoy it and she is always there barracking for me," she said.
"My Dad wanted me to grow up prim and proper and he used to say no daughter of mine is going to get on a bull, but I just love it."
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Rough rider: Despite a long list of injuries, Trish Ericson is living her dream of being a bull rider. Picture: Murray anderson-clemence EXTREME PHOTOGRAPHY
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