They rode, they roped, and they delivered a sodden but spellbound crowd what had been advertised - a great day of skills, thrills and spills.
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The 185 competitors at the Moruya Rodeo on New Year's Day had travelled from as far as Quilpie in Queensland - 1540 kilometres to the north-west - and they didn't let persistent afternoon rain spoil the show.
For eight hours the crowd saw events including barrel races, saddled and bareback horse riding and bull riding, performed by a young-looking lot of courageous men and women, including some from Bungendore and Crookwell.
Stephen Mapp, 26, took out one of the team roping events, where he roped the steers' horns and his partner roped the back legs. He also took part in steer wrestling - more dangerous again - where the contestant dismounts his speeding horse, grabs the steers' horns with their bare hands and uses strength and technique to throw the creature on its side.
As one might expect of a cattle wrestler, Mr Mapp, from Singleton, was not bothered by the wet earth.
"It doesn't matter at all," he said.
"It's all good, the horses hold up to it."
The quietly-spoken rider makes his living as an underground fitter in coal mines, but has enjoyed following the rodeo pro-run.
"We do 50-something events a year," he said.
Also well travelled were the GGG Extreme Trick Riders, known outside the ring as Christy Connor, her sister Melissa Connor and friend Amy Craig.
The three women combine their exceptional horse skills with gymnastics and acrobatics in jaw-dropping movements which involve them standing on the saddle of a moving horse one minute and speeding centimetres from the ground the next.
The Moruya crowd - boosted undoubtedly by some curious, holidaying city folk - won the praise of the riders, each in their mid-20s.
"It's an awesome crowd - the city crowd really pumps us up, which is great," Melissa said.
Christy, who has been performing for about five years, said the group - recently joined by her sister - went to rodeos, ag shows, corporate events and charity events.
"You sort of focus, sometimes you don't hear the crowd, but today we did," she said.
The drive and discipline appears to have worked, with serious injuries also avoided during her career.
"I've had a lot of bruises and bumps, done a few ligaments," Christy said.
Moruya Rodeo committee secretary Gaye Davidge said the 2014 event was the town's 46th consecutive rodeo, with impressive crowds again for a locale with a postcode population of less than 4000 last census.
"Last year [a dry year] there was 2500 to 3000 people - this I'd be saying would be pushing 2000," Ms Davidge said.
"The tourists can still do their beach thing in the day and come here afterwards."
