Upper Horton's Eddie Gill scaling back national rodeo circuit

Sometime in the last century the family swapped circus tents for the rodeo arena, and has been travelling around the country with their bucking stock ever since. The family also runs catering and amusements.

It's a lifestyle Eddie wouldn't trade for the world.

"It's not that we're not smart people and we couldn't do something else, it's just that we really enjoy our relationship with our livestock," he said.

"To be able do something that you actually enjoy in life and be paid for it is a huge bonus."

Last week the Gills Brothers supplied roughstock for the Australian Professional Rodeo Association's National Finals Rodeo in Gracemere.

They supplied around 60 head of their own horses and cattle and contracted another 60 or so head.

This week they were travelling over 1300km to Penrith in Western Sydney for Xtreme Bulls.

Eddie described the travelling as a "holiday" that was full of reward, lavishing in seeing an animal they bred go on to be highly decorated.

This year some of Gill Brothers best stock were once again recognised for their stellar performance by some of the nation's best cowboys.

APRA's Bucking Horse of the Year went to Moves Like Jagger, and Extreme Broncs Australia's Bucking Horse of the Year went to Whiskey Boy.

"They are the best bucking horses in the country. You can't get better than that. If they were in America that'd be going to Las Vegas in a months' time," Eddie said.

He said the 17-year-old Moves like Jagger was one of the best bucking horses he'd ever bred, even though he had a rough start with a bulging eye problem once thought would signal his demise.

"He's honest, he gives everyone a fair shot, and that's what the cowboys love about him.

"You might be going alright at two seconds, but if you get near eight seconds, he's pretty well going as hard as he can to throw you off."

He said that while once upon a time bucking horses were most likely rogue horses, they were now purpose bred or imported from prominent US or Canadian bloodlines.

These days, Gill Brothers breeds around 90 per cent of their own bucking stock.

Their bull Kickstart also won APRA's Bucking Bull of the Year.

Eddie said livestock that made good bucking stock had common sense, were not prone to "doing silly stuff", and had good temperament.

It's not clarified exactly which breeds went into their own breed of bull, but Eddie said they had high Brahman content.

Eddie admitted although he loved what he did, he was at the stage of scaling it back a bit.

He had been considering leaving Darwin off the annual rodeo circuit pilgrimage.

"It's just a long slog now and I guess the older you get start not wanting that long slog," Eddie said.

He made it clear he loved being on the road, but also longed for simple days driving the buggy down to the paddocks at his Upper Horton property while being greeted by his horses.

The 2400 acre property, plus a smaller leased block, runs about 250 horses, 180 cows, 100 bulls, and about 50 mini-bulls for the grand kids to ride.

Eddie described the property as usually very good country with plenty of feed, however the prolonged dry period had started to hit home.

"We're heading in a bad way. We just started feeding last week."

It's clear in the way Eddie talks about his animals just much care goes into what he does.

This hit home when he retold the story of a blind horse that lived another 10 years after his retirement from the rodeo circuit.

"We went blind 10 years before he passed... we had him running with a mare who would just lead him everywhere."

He said the meatworks or knackeries were off the table for his animals which became part of his family.

"I've nearly been divorced 15 times because they come first," he said.