MANY THRILLS AND SPILLS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 January 1948, Page 4

MANY THRILLS AND SPILLS

JKUTHORPE'S RODEO ATTRACTS LARGE CROWD Buckjumpers and professional roughriders' were the csntra. rttractions at Skuthorpe's Circui ind .*Rodeo, which was held m Levin last night. " The crowds which flocked tr RUgby Park expected plenty of ;hrills and they "were not disappointed. From the commence.nent of the first act the performers provided some of the best • entertainment seen in this' town for lorne years. In- the most reaiistic ro'deq style, every b\ickjumper's mount came charging out like a runaway train. ■ Bucking, fishtailing and kickmg wildly, nearly every one of the "32" horses attached to the show threw thei'r riders after the first seven or eight seconds, From 20-year-old Dick Ausling, holder of two rough-riding championships", to Lance Skuthorpe, star and proprietor. of the rodeo, every rider knew his job. Legs moving backwards and forwards to show that they were not holding with their. feet, and only one hand "gripping leather," each performef gave a very polished entertainment. The oldest of all the horses attached to the show, and the toughest of the lot, the 23-year-old "Aristocrat," was ridden by a young ■ New Zealander, Frank Bruce, from Ruatoria, who stayed on the veteran for eight • and ahalf seconds. A prize of £20 was "offering to anyone who could stayon AVistocrat. f or 15 seconds, but it seems that rough-riding is ohe of the few occupations that Levin does not cater for. Aristocrat is the toughest* of all the buck-jumpers aird is well-known all over the length and breadth of Australiajf Four mules provided a great deal of fun in their attempts to unseat, some of the local youths who were riding them. It was quite evident that the mules had been ridden by unfamiliar people fcefore as they ran across the ring, only to stop suddenly and bring the unsuspecting victim to ' the ground. Dressed ino typical Australian cowboy style with leather chaps, slouch hat, high-heeled boots .and open-neck shirt, the rough-riders -earn all the applause they get. Rough-riding is not Qnly a major sport .in Australia, but a big business. There are riders who have done nothing else for years but travel to various rodeos and carnivals. They do not have to work; the%noney is all in rough-riding. Two organisat'ions look after rough-riders in Australia, the Australian Rough-riders' Association and the Australian Bushmen's Carnival Association. The firstnamed protluces a monthly journal called "Hooves and Horns," which keeps ull members posted as to what is doing in the rough-riding world, and what prizes are offering. at the various catnivals. There has never been anything parallel to this in New Zealand. where roughriding has become a lost art. A highly skilied performance was given by the^Shipway twins as they whirled through the air on the horizontal bars. Turning over on the bars, the brothers gave an ' exhibition of the double somersault and as a climax, two-and-a-half turns in mid-air. No nets or mattresses are used and these versatile acrobats give a really fine performance* The circus is very proud of its clowns, chief attraction being "Oscar." Another great act 'is the "Mighty Mirthful Muldoon." The Muldoon act has not been seen in New Zealand for 10 years. The original Muldoon died many years back, and for a long time no one attempted to copy him. The present Muldoon has been successful in raising the act almost to the standard of th? original. Piling tier upon tier of boxes and tables up into the air until they reach nearly 25 feet in'height, he climbs to the top of this none-;too-secure pillar. Appearing to overbalance, he "falls" the 25 feet and lands unhurt upon the ground; This sensational performance requires a great deal of skill to be carried off successfully and the audience usually do not realise the danger behind the clown's foolery. , Skuthorpe's Australian Circus and -Rodeo will be showing at Otaki tonight and Wellington for the next few days.