Duncan Elks, 24, won the four-day bullriding event at the ABCRA national finals in Tamworth, with a first, two seconds and a third. He also won the national title awarded to the person who earns the highest amount of prize money in Australia over the preceding year.

Mr Elks, who enters at least one, and sometimes two, rodeos every week, had accumulated $20,000.

"Every weekend, I'm getting on a bull somewhere," he said.

He doesn't ride the stock at Chiswick - he has his own practice pen on a property at Enmore, where he and a mate keep a few bulls.

"Because I'm a bigger sort of a cowboy, I tend to handle the bigger bulls better than some other riders," Mr Elks said. "They score the bull out of 50 and the rider out of 50. It goes on how good the bull bucks and how good you ride."

After being runner-up for the national title in 2008, and spending three months riding bulls in the United States in 2009, Mr Elks decided to set his sights firmly on winning the top place.

"This year I really chased it. I set it as a goal, something I wanted to do, and now I want to head back over the States and do a few more rides over there and see how I go."