There's a fair few things that Paul McCulloch loves about ranch sorting.
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For one, the challenge but also the fact "it's such a family sport".
Those two things will collide when McCulloch and his daughter Sophie compete at the Cinch Ranch Western Sorting Bowl National Championships this weekend.
Split into two events, the McCullochs will compete at the West Sorting Bowl in Las Vegas where $100,000 will be up for grabs over two days.
Paul expects the competition to be tough but said he'll "give them a run for their money" and enjoy the opportunity no matter what.
"We'll see how we go," he said.
"That's where the sport came from, America, so it'll be great to go over there and take my daughter with me to ride.
"We've worked hard so I think it'll be a great holiday, a great experience to ride over there with the best and see what we can take home."
The McCullochs got into ranch sorting - which sees a two-rider team sort numbered cattle - about four years ago.
They'd previously competed in campdraft but, with the popularity of the sport, found it hard at times to get a spot in competitions.
They quickly took to the new sport and really knuckled down this year despite there being less events in Australia due to covid.
That didn't stop Paul getting noticed, though, and he was sent an invitation to compete in Las Vegas.
"This year I wanted to focus on the cattle. Try and read them better and keep the horses fit. It makes the job so much easier," the horseman said.
"It's been hard this because of covid. You'd do something, then you'd have to turn the horses out and then bring them back in. It's hard on the horses and it's hard on yourselves.
He added: "But all the hard works been paying off now to go to the other side of the world."
Paul and Sophie left Australia on Monday will be in the US for about 10 days and it won't all be work over there.
The pair plan to do some sight-seeing as well.
It won't be Paul's first trip overseas for sport either, he has travelled to Thailand twice with his son Josh who attended Muay Thai training camps.
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