Rodeo has taken Neil Muscat far, literally.
The Northwest Ranch Cowboys Association bull rider from Queensland, Australia, has not only seen pretty much all of his home country through his chosen career, he’s also found a home in America in Wall, S.D., the heart of cowboy country.
“It’s taken me everywhere. It’s allowed me to travel. I’ve been doing it for nearly 19 years now, so in my younger days in Australia I got to travel all over the country rodeoing, and then of course it allowed me to come to another country and do what I love, so it’s allowed me to see and do things that most people don’t ever get to do in their life,” he says of rodeo.
In particular, Neil has always been drawn to bull riding and from the time he started, he’s never looked back.
A young Neil took up the sport around the age of 12. He’d grown up on a farming and ranching operation in northeast Australia and gravitated naturally to rodeo. His hard work and talent earned him a full ride scholarship to attend Sheridan College and compete in college rodeo in Wyoming in 2006.
Rodeo hasn’t just brought Neil new horizons; it’s brought him love. He met his wife Sorrel while rodeoing in college, and the couple married in 2010. Her family ranches in South Dakota, so that’s how they ended up there. They just recently had their first baby, a girl named Brecken.
As if a brand new baby weren’t enough work, Neil works on the Shearer Ranch, Spear U Angus, one of the largest Black Angus producing operations in the area, so these days, Neil keeps busy with working the ranch and fits in rodeo whenever he can.
“I’m kinda getting a little long in the tooth,” Neil laughs and adds, ”I’m about to be 31 so I don’t go to as many as I used to. I used to go to everything, whatever I could get to, but I’ve slowed down a lot.”
Neil says that like many Australians he’s pretty laidback. He isn’t exactly a fan of towns and crowds, though he does enjoy seeing friends in the rodeo community when he gets to.
But fitting to his personality, when he’s not working or riding bulls, you’ll likely find Neil (if you look hard enough beyond his camouflage) calling coyotes as he spends time enjoying the solitude and wide-open spaces comforting to any cowboy, whether that cowboy is living on a ranch in South Dakota or across oceans down under.
story by Lindsay Whelchel Before there was the sport of rodeo, there were cowboys getting on wild horses. Saddle bronc riding was derived from necessity […]
TERMS:
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September 15, 2016
BAREBACK
1 Garrett Shadbolt $6,403.57
2 Jim Bob Ellsworth $3,843.03
3 Mike Fred $2,745.72
4 Joe Wilson $1,443.86
5 Andrew Hall $455.48
6 Kenny Feidler $238.62
7 Clint Nelson $71.33
SADDLE BRONC
1 Miles Kreeger $3,178.01
2 Wyatt Kammerer $2,812.59
3 Chet Smith $2,416.11
4 JD Anderson $2,100.22
5 Jake Foster $1,637.21
6 Seth Longbrake $1,501.65
7 Eric Gewecke $1,334.78
8 Rhett Fox $1,058.44
9 Dillon Schroth $871.49
10 John Thelen $772.68
11 Logan Nielsen $735.80
12 Jordan Hunt $645.18
13 Travis Schroth $638.12
14 Wyatt Schuelke $622.85
15 Lane Schuelke $600.84
BULL RIDING
1 Allen Auer $3,284.24
2 Jade Nixon $1,817.30
3 Lane Gambill $1,738.10
4 Clay Hindman $492.37
5 Jake Foster $416.52
6 Neil Muscat $389.79
CALF ROPING
1 Trey Young $5,169.18
2 Troy Wilcox $4,431.03
3 Jason Schaffer $3,844.11
4 Lee Sivertsen $3,504.07
5 Matt Peters $2,278.02
6 Prestyn Novak $2,249.99
7 Sam Boldon $2,246.22
8 Colton Musick $1,887.55
9 Carson Musick $1,779.15
10 Haven Meged $1,671.51
11 Jess Woodward $1,671.45
12 Brock Belkham $1,511.19
13 Billy Boldon $1,385.44
14 Rob Black $1,341.30
15 Dallas Louden $1,288.85
STEER WRESTLING
1 Clint Nelson $4,392.41
2 Eli Lord $3,337.55
3 Brett Wilcox $2,964.42
4 Miles Spickelmier $2,891.74
5 Kalane Anders $2,617.98
6 Bryce Dibbern $2,157.82
7 Kody Woodward $1,950.23
8 Sam Olson $1,643.24
9 Bryce Baker $1,128.81
10 Billy Boldon $789.60
11 Del Pete Day $785.32
12 Brandon Spencer $768.10
13 Jess Woodward $703.25
14 Jeremy Stadheim $685.72
15 Ryne Baier $656.30
MEN’S BREAKAWAY
1 Scott Lammers $5,768.66
2 Mark Fulton $4,798.98
3 Mike Nelson $4,189.42
4 Steve Klein $4,085.05
5 John Hoven $3,192.67
6 Mark Schumacher $2,864.27
7 Tim Nelson $2,442.74
8 Rob Black $2,283.76
9 Bart Ness $2,161.54
10 Lyle Wilcox $2,102.14
11 Darrell Barry $2,100.62
12 Gary Zilverberg $1,975.21
13 Glen Hostutler $1,759.76
14 Kelly Eggl $1,724.22
15 Gerald McInerney $1,607.64
BARREL RACING
1 Jill Moody $4,870.42
2 D’Ann Gehlsen $4,242.15
3 Lexus Kelsch $3,882.25
4 Makayla Kroeplin $3,507.22
5 Annie Fulton $3,371.73
6 Kaylee Gallino $3,346.54
7 Wanda Brown $2,942.34
8 Samantha Jorgenson $2,835.64
9 Alyssa Lockhart $2,334.61
10 Brandee Wardell $2,276.36
11 Ceri McCaffery $2,004.73
12 Anna Jorgenson $1,893.87
13 Madison Rau $1,813.81
14 Cathy Roesler $1,676.40
15 Lacy Maher $1,286.22
LADIE’S BREAKAWAY
1 Syerra Christensen $6,526.16
2 Ceri McCaffery $4,924.61
3 Kaycee Nelson $4,846.37
4 Peggy Garman $4,639.59
5 Samantha Jorgenson $4,396.22
6 Carole Hollers $3,979.50
7 Hanna Brown $3,490.32
8 Brooke Nelson $3,123.20
9 Sidney Carey $3,034.60
10 Anna Jorgenson $2,965.92
11 Whitney Knippling $2,633.82
12 Tawny Barry $1,880.54
13 Teddi Schwagler $1,840.39
14 Jordyn Schaefer $1,827.89
15 Kayla Nelson $1,807.58
GOAT TYING
1 Lacey Tech $6,517.22
2 Tearnee Nelson $3,308.40
3 Amy Tierney $2,861.92
4 Tawny Barry $2,828.73
5 Shayna Miller $2,708.14
6 Carlee Johnston $2,278.28
7 Katie Lensegrav $2,028.60
8 Jacey Hupp $1,196.46
9 Kaycee Monnens $1,041.30
10 Shania Johnston $919.63
11 Tarin Hupp $763.08
12 Shelby Winchell $513.03
13 Alyssa Lockhart $508.35
14 Lexy Williams $394.80
15 Katie Schuelke $380.63
TEAM ROPING HEADER
1 J.B. Lord $3,689.26
2 Tucker McDaniel $3,684.22
3 Bart Ness $3,514.25
4 Tyrell Moody $3,368.35
5 Troy Wilcox $2,920.03
6 Clay Edgar $2,819.44
7 Eli Lord $2,665.67
8 Colton Musick $2,648.18
9 Tim Nelson $2,594.73
10 Chris Arnold $2,573.21
11 Scott White $2,315.65
12 Levi Hapney $2,221.66
13 Wade Nelson $2,218.32
14 Justin Collins $1,978.91
15 Elliot Gourneau $1,820.69
TEAM ROPING HEELER
1 Levi Lord $4,201.54
2 Jeff Nelson $3,882.94
3 Parker Murnion $3,558.39
4 Rory Brown $3,368.35
5 Jesse Dale $3,105.23
6 Carson Musick $2,648.18
7 Jade Nelson $2,594.73
8 David Hinman $2,266.54
9 Clint Cobb $2,221.66
10 Wylee Nelson $2,218.32
11 Robert Murphy $2,110.64
12 Melvin Arneson $2,048.94
13 Prestyn Novak $1,978.91
14 Jake Nelson $1,864.11
15 Paul Griemsman $1,753.35
MIXED TEAM ROPING
1 Ashly Price $4,911.96
2 Syerra Christensen $2,888.83
3 Kaycee Nelson $2,482.11
4 Hanna Brown $1,922.97
5 Samantha Jorgenson $1,824.85
6 Tearnee Nelson $1,612.01
7 Amy Tierney $1,562.22
8 Brenda White $1,451.69
9 Danni Jo Hinman $1,326.07
10 Anna Jorgenson $1,280.29
11 Denise Nelson $1,221.84
12 Brooke Nelson $1,183.77
13 Kayla Hutchison $1,086.35
14 Deanna Steele $927.61
15 Trina Arneson $900.47
LADIES ALLAROUND
1 Syerra Christensen $9,414.99
2 Samantha Jorgenson $9,056.71
3 Kaycee Nelson $7,328.48
4 Ceri McCaffery $7,157.82
5 Anna Jorgenson $6,140.08
6 Tearnee Nelson $5,999.53
7 Hanna Brown $5,413.29
8 Amy Tierney $4,875.09
9 Annie Fulton $4,739.35
10 Tawny Barry $4,709.27
11 Carole Hollers $4,366.56
12 Brooke Nelson $4,306.97
13 Katie Lensegrav $3,786.18
14 Whitney Knippling $3,515.18
15 Sidney Carey $3,460.09
MENS ALLAROUND
1 Clint Nelson $6,139.23
2 Joe Wilson $1,740.01
3 Eric Gewecke $1,456.75
4 Wyatt Schuelke $1,414.86
LADIES ROOKIE
1 Peggy Garman $4,639.59
2 Kaycee Monnens $2,166.99
3 Jacey Hupp $2,163.56
4 Sawyer Gilbert $1,159.15
5 Jami Derflinger $543.20
6 Callie Shepherd $391.10
7 Hanna Hostutler $321.92
8 Jessica Applegarth $278.88
MENS ROOKIE
1 Kalane Anders $2,617.98
2 Haven Meged $2,145.75
3 Robert Murphy $2,110.64
4 Jade Nixon $1,817.30
5 Wyatt Schuelke $1,414.86
6 Jon Peterson $871.50
7 John Thelen $772.68
8 Lane Schuelke $600.84
9 Grey Gilbert $155.25
10 Dalton Burgener $142.59
2016 NRCA APPROVED RODEO ENTRY
INFORMATION
The Association that is underlined is the rule book the rodeo is using. All rodeos under the SDRA rule book will use the Midwest Rodeo Entry System as follows: Internet Entries Open: Fridays 12:00a.m. thru Mondays @ 8:00p.m. MDT Call-in Entries Open: Mondays from Noon to 8:00p.m. MDT Internet Call Backs: Tuesdays 1:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m. MDT Telephone Call Backs: Tuesdays 1:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. MDT NO DRAW OUTS AFTER CALL BACKS For more specific details go to sdrodeo.com All other entry systems will be posted in the entry information as usual.
