Richardson Enjoying Being Home and on Top of PBR Australia Standings

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – February was a second homecoming of sorts for Lachlan Richardson when he stepped off the plane at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

It had been over a year since Richardson, who was set to ride for Team Australia at the 2020 Global Cup USA, packed up his bull rope in Oklahoma City in February 2019 in what would be his final appearance on the Unleash The Beast.

In many ways, Richardson grew up during his seven-year stay in the United States.

Richardson became a mainstay on the premier series after winning his debut event in Uncasville, Connecticut, on April 29, 2012, at 18 years old, and he went on to qualify for the PBR World Finals seven consecutive times.

Richardson had decided last year that it was time to head back home and ride solely in Australia.

The veteran was prepared to settle down and spend more time with his family. Unlike other riders in the United States who can visit their families throughout the season, that is a rarity for the international riders from Australia and Brazil in particular.

“I just like being home,” Richardson said this past February inside AT&T Stadium. “I just like it better. It is home. I get to ride bulls and work and be with family, my wife and stuff.”

Richardson is tied with Jared Farley for the fourth-most World Finals qualifications among Australian-born riders. Brendon Clark owns the PBR record with 10, and Richardson, who is still only 27 years old, had a good chance of breaking Clark’s record before heading home.

The decision to leave the United States was not really a hard one, though, for Richardson. He was planning to get married and was ready to settle down in North Queensland, Australia, with his now-wife Georgia.

“There were still goals that I had when I first started that I probably never will be able to accomplish, but I did a lot of what I wanted to do,” Richardson said. “It is what it is. A new chapter. I am happy to be doing what I am doing. I bought a house.”

Richardson then let out a laugh, “I guess I have sort of grown up, I guess. If that is possible.”

Lachlan & Georgia Wedding film from Lauren Duncombe on Vimeo.

There is still plenty for Richardson to accomplish inside the arena back home in Australia, where he is currently the No. 1 bull rider in PBR Australia.

Richardson had begun the 2020 PBR Australia season 5-for-8 with a victory and two Top-5 finishes before PBR Australia began to postpone events because of the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.

“I want to win a PBR Australia title, and I am still going to rodeo hard, so I will do enough to win that rodeo title,” he said. “I did about 12 rodeos last year, so I will probably do a few more in between.”

Richardson fulfilled a childhood dream last year by winning the 2019 Australian Bushmen’s Campdraft and Rodeo Association championship for the first time.

“It was good,” Richardson said of winning a title in the association he competed in as a kid in the junior ranks. “Obviously, I could have probably done it earlier, but I had other stuff to do over here in the U.S. But it was good to come home and do it.”

Lachlan’s older brother, Cliff Richardson, won the event average title, too. He was crowned the 2018 ABCRA champion a year earlier.

In Arlington, the Richardson brothers helped lead Team Australia to a second-place finish at the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy. The Australians came up 9.25 points short of their first Global Cup victory.

Lachlan went 1-for-4 in Arlington with his lone ride being 88.5 points on Trail of Tears.

Team Australia coach Troy Dunn said during the Global Cup media day that he can tell Richardson has also matured inside the arena.

“He has that hard, seasoned, old-pro mentality at the moment,” Dunn said. “Loco has been there and done it.”

Richardson still can qualify for the 2020 PBR World Finals (Nov. 4-8) if he earns the PBR Australia invite to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals (Oct. 31-Nov. 1). He could then win the Velocity Tour Finals and earn a wild card berth to the World Finals.

The current No. 24-ranked bull rider in the world is no longer eligible for a Top-35 world ranking qualification spot seeing as he turned down the opportunity this year to compete on the UTB once he was seeded on tour.

For now, though, all of that remains on the backburner with COVID-19 being top of mind for Richardson and the rest of the world.

Richardson said that he would continue to work on his wife’s family ranch in North Queensland and patiently wait for the PBR to resume competition in Australia.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.