Ringo shines as a saddle bronc

Kerry LaValley, from Canada, rides Ringo in the open saddle bronc event at the Waimate rodeo yesterday. Photo by Sally Rae.

The rodeo horse - who narrowly escaped a one-way trip to the knackers' yard - made his saddle bronc debut at the Waimate rodeo yesterday, ridden by Canadian cowboy Kerry LaValley.

For the rest of the year, Ringo leads a quiet life, grazing around the Waimate district and generally living the life of Riley.

On hand to watch his debut was Larry Tisdall, who previously competed on Ringo in team roping events.

Ringo took Mr Tisdall to the national finals and won him a rookie title.

But then the horse started getting stirred up by the noise of the loudspeakers at rodeos and he became "a little bit uncontrollable".

After putting up with Ringo's behaviour for a season, Mr Tisdall decided to retire him from the sport.

Ringo was "as rough as guts" to ride and he thought that even if he gave the horse away, he would probably end up being sent back.

It was about a week before Ringo was due to go to the abattoir in Gore that Mr Tisdall got talking to another rodeo enthusiast, Graeme Purvis, who suggested he call Colin Booth at Waimate.

Mr Booth, who is in charge of the Waimate Rodeo Club's string of horses, was in Oamaru within a week to look at Ringo and took him away.

Yesterday, a delighted Mr Tisdall said the result was "way better than being dead".

He had gone around to the horse yards at the rodeo and Ringo was "looking magnificent".

"I'm rapt.

"They [the horses] certainly get looked after," he said.

Mr Tisdall had just started in rodeo when he bought Ringo for $300 as an unbroken 3-year-old.

He broke him in and got him roping and the pair learnt together.

Ringo used to squeal when Mr Tisdall rode him out of the box roping and he was not surprised to hear plenty of sound effects when his old mate bucked out yesterday.