Leanne Caban and Akka Dakka compete at Mt Isa. Photo: Stephen Mowbray.
When it comes to barrel racing, simply put, Leanne Caban is a rockstar of the sport.
Caban has been winning titles since 1990, her list of accomplishments and national victories are almost endless.
Her horse Morns Akka Dakka Roc - is also a bonafide star - winning APRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year for four consecutive years and helping Leanne to dominate the sport of Barrel Racing on the Australian Professional Rodeo Circuit for the past four years.
From 2022 to 2025 they have won the APRA Pro Tour Barrel Racing Titles and the APRA Barrel Racing Titles as well as a few All Round Cowgirl Titles from 2022 to 2024.
It’s an incredible feat for both horse and rider and while it’s a long way to the top, Caban and Akka Dakka aren’t ready to slow down just yet.
“Competing means more to me as I get older because I consider it a privilege,” Caban told Pryde’s.
“Knowing that I’m still physically able and I have horses in my paddock like Akka Dakka I will certainly keep enjoying it as much as I can. Barrel Racing and Roping has been a passion for a long time.”
Caban has been a mainstay in the rodeo and barrel racing communities for decades. Her love of horses started when she was five-years-old doing pony club, but her passion for the sport was ignited when she took out a loan to buy her first horse after finishing school.
“I took out a loan to buy my first horse, and he was incredible,” Caban said. "His name was Wollombi Fabian aka Trash.
“Being fresh on the rodeo scene and not coming from a rodeo family, I really didn’t know what I had in that horse back then.
“I was there for the fun of going to the events, meeting new people and hanging out with friends. I just got lucky that Trash was the horse that set me on a path of a lifelong love of the sport and he helped me claim an Australian Record in barrel racing along the way.
“With Akka Dakka it was an incredible journey as well after buying him in 2010 as a yearling, then going through the training process. He was starting to become the horse I knew would be great when in 2020 he underwent surgery for Kissing Spine.
“After 12 months of rehab he came back stronger and better and hasn't looked back. He’s something very special."
Caban plans to take Akka Dakka on the Northern Run again this year in a bid to once again try to secure a spot at the National Finals. She has been doing the Northern Run since 1990 and a tradition she hopes to continue for many years to come.
“We’ll have about eight or nine weekends in a row over July, August and September where there is a competition every weekend,” she said.
“They are definitely must do events on the calender, especially when I have a good team of horses to take. There have been girls who have won the barrel race at Mt Isa on horses that are up to 22-years-old and I competed and won in the Breakaway Roping on my great old gelding 'Gattling' when he was 26 years old.
“Akka Dakka himself is 16 now but I have never rodeo'd too hard on him. I wanted the longevity and it has paid off. Obviously the last four years have been really good for me.”
When she is not competing, Caban runs clinics and gives back to the rodeo and barrel racing communities.
“I could be away with clinics a lot more if I wanted to focus on that but for now I will just find a balance with all the competing, training and teaching,” she said.
Caban has been an ambassador for Pryde’s for a number of years and is proud and committed to giving her horses the best nutrition.
All her horses are fed Prydes EasiGoing as a base feed and then there is also EasiSport and EasiResponse which also gets her horses in top condition.
“The majority of our rope horses get the EasiGoing as a base feed. It helps provide what they need to keep them fit and healthy,” she said.
“A couple of them get EasiSport if they are hypersensitive or prone to tying up.
“I use the EasiRide on the younger horses starting out in their training program to keep them level headed but still give them the required nutrition to hold condition.
“My main competition horse, Akka Dakka is fed the EasiResponse. I like it, because it is extruded which is important to me for digestive health and it gives him the level of energy required to be fast and athletic.”