The tween rodeo sensation breaking down stereotypes
They told her "girls couldn't ride bulls", but 12-year-old Bella Brinner wasn't going to cop that.
She might still be in primary school, but the daring Queenslander competes in a sport that would scare the chaps off most folks: mini bull riding.
During the specially-modified rodeo event, youth riders cling on for dear life as a near-half-tonne bull tries to buck them off.
READ MORE: Struggling families signing away shares of their properties
They told her "girls couldn't ride bulls", but 12-year-old Bella Brinner wasn't going to cop that. A Current Affair
"If you're gonna do bull riding, you're gonna get hurt a lot, so you sign up for it," Bella told A Current Affair.
The tween rodeo sensation is one of very few females taking the event by the horns, breaking down the decades-old stereotypes in what is traditionally a male-dominated event.
"Just because she's a female, you shouldn't treat her any different," Bella's big sister Mia, a former rider herself, declared.
READ MORE: Family speaks after grandmother's murderer sentenced
She might still be in primary school, but the daring Queenslander competes in a sport that would scare the chaps off most folks. A Current Affair
Though she dons her signature hot pink safety gear each time she rides, Bella has already had her fair share of injuries.
"I've had a horn through the chin. I fractured my shoulder. I got ran over. I landed wrong on my collarbone and it fractured," Bella told us as she showed off her scar.
Despite the risks, Bella is dreaming of taking her successes overseas to the highest international competition at the home of rodeo.
She'll be one of 14 young Australian riders wanting to travel to the Youth Bull Riders World Finals in Texas in 2026, but in order to attend they must raise $75,000 - unless a big corporate sponsor comes in to help.
"I'm just hoping that we can spread the word, start going to events, and I'm hoping that big companies like Ariat or Ringers Western come along and want to support these young Aussies in the future," Bella's dad Tony said.
You can find more details about how to support the riders by going to the Red Dirt Australian Rodeo website.
We’d love to hear from you
