HE’S ridden bulls in the centre of Madison Square Garden, broken ribs while on the American PBR circuit and performed a celebratory dance in front of thousands in Las Vegas.
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Although Ben Jones’ career highlights are many, the biggest thrill the cowboy from Goulburn receives comes from teaching up-andcoming bull riders.
Fifteen budding cowboys from across Australia converged on the Goulburn Rodeo Grounds at the weekend for the Ben Jones Junior Bull Riding Development School.
They began with a rundown of technique, progressed to the mechanical bull and finished with rides on bucking bovines trucked-in from the paddock of George Hempenstall at Yass.
The trainees face planted the dirt on occasion and suffered a bruise or two, but the rough-andtumble that’s a part of the sport and some early morning Sunday rain couldn’t dampen the first junior development school of its kind held in Goulburn.
“People think that I get a bigger high out of riding bulls, but I’ve got just as much of a high out of doing this, helping the kids, seeing how far they’ve come forward in two days,” Jones said.
“Goulburn, the whole community, from the Hensley family to the Willoughby family, everyone on the Goulburn [Rodeo] committee got behind me. They’ve done anything and everything that I could have asked for.
“I want to thank the town, mostly because without them I couldn’t have had it.”
The 32-year-old, who finished 14th in the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series of 2011 and earned $156,495 prizemoney over the course of the US-based tour, gave special mention to his pal Hempenstall. Corey Rolfe was the sole Goulburnian of the development group.
The class should place Rolfe in good stead for the Goulburn Rodeo, scheduled for February 18. Nearby riders who attended included Braidwood’s Wayne Crisp, Dean Polgaise from Bowral and Kevin Bridgeford of Murrumbateman.
Bull fighters Brenden Allen, Cameron Parkinson and Josh Birks scrambled to ensure the cowboys-in-waiting avoided injury. When - and if - the riders were turfed they were dusted- off by Jones and talked through the pros and cons of their performance.
The professional bull-rider will remain in Australia until Christmas. On Boxing Day he’ll return to the USA. In 2011 his goal was to finish the year ranked number one.
Through a combination of uncompromising bulls, talented riders and a few broken ribs, Jones fell short. His ambitions for 2012 remain the same. “It’s a new year, a big year,” he said.
Jones will begin his charge for the number one ranking when the Built Ford Tough Series commences at Madison Square Garden on January 6.
