Dave Appleton went from being a PRCA All-Around Champion, bareback rider and saddle bronc rider to one of the best western sports commentators on television.
When he hung up his chaps, Lonestar Park was opening in the mid 1990’s and they were looking for someone capable of telling fans the basics of horse racing.
“I started doing a little paddock show about three or four times a night explaining the basic nuances of what took place in racing and stuff like that. Then that morphed into starting to do telecasts on horse racing and then the rodeo stuff,” Appleton said.
He narrowed it down to one thing that he says makes him good at television and that is talk. He makes it easy for viewers to understand what is happening and it draws them into watching western sports. Taking it back to Appleton’s horse racing roots to kick off his television career lit a fire.
Appleton could be considered a trailblazer for Australian cowboys coming to America and leaving their mark. Racking up miles and memories along the way, Appleton has gone down in rodeo history.