PECOS, Texas – Trav Windham and Morg Livingston were handy cowboys working cattle ranches in west Texas.

On July 4, 1883, the two joined other hands from area ranches to see who was the best, and the first rodeo competition took place on land that now houses the courthouse and law enforcement buildings. The celebration continues 130 years later with the annual West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26-Saturday, June 29, at Buck Jackson Arena.

“The cowboys like coming because of the tradition,” said Joe Keese, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo. “We do lot of things at our rodeo that are to the cowboys’ benefit, and I think they like that.”

It’s been that way for better than a century. When the first competition took place, it was supposed to be a match to test the talents of Windham and Livingston. When word spread, other cowboys helped make the world’s first rodeo.

“When that day came, there were horses, wagons, people walking – coming from all directions to see what was going to happen,” said a historical tidbit on the rodeo’s website, PecosRodeo.com.

“We’re very blessed to be part of the tradition of the West of the Pecos Rodeo,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic ProRodeo, the firms that will produce the Pecos rodeo. “This is truly one of the great rodeos.”

It goes back to that day 13 decades ago, when Windham won steer roping by roping and tying his steer in 22 seconds, according to the historical piece. Livingston later beat Windham in a matched roping, and reports indicated that cowboys by the name of Pate Beard and Jeff Chism walked away with the honors.

The West of the Pecos Rodeo has been held annually every summer since 1936 and became sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in the early 1970s. Since then, it has been recognized as one of the best events in ProRodeo and features hundreds of the top cowboys in the land.

“Pecos is special to me because it’s the rodeo where I filled my permit,” said Trevor Brazile, a 17-time world champion from Decatur, Texas. “It has every event, which a lot of rodeos don’t have. It was the first rodeo, and they stayed true to so many traditions, from the long scores to the walking fresh cattle – a lot of rodeos don’t do that anymore, but you have to give those calves time to get out, then you have to have keep your horse situated. Most of the horses are used to just going, so it’s really a showcase of those great horses.”

Brazile is a walking history of the sport himself. He owns a record 10 all-around gold buckles and has earned world titles in each of the events in which he competes: team roping-heading, tie-down roping and steer roping. He is just the second cowboy in ProRodeo history to have qualified for the National Finals in all four roping disciplines, including a 1998 trip to Las Vegas in team roping-heeling.

“It’s a fun rodeo to compete at and a fun rodeo to watch,” Brazile said. “At this rodeo, it’s wild.”

Justin McDaniel left eastern Oklahoma early Thursday afternoon for a leisurely drive to Weatherford, Texas, that should take less than five hours.

It wasn’t long before the 2008 world champion bareback rider realized that he was heading in the right direction, but to the wrong rodeo; he wasn’t going to the Parker County … but, instead, was up Thursday night in Coleman, Texas.

That’s a two-hour time difference. Instead of a comfortable drive that got him to the arena in plenty of time to relax and prepare to make his ride, McDaniel pushed his James Hodge Ford into the “Cowboy Lane” and tried to turn a seven-hour drive into six.

He made it just fine, then spurred Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Black Friday for 87 points to take the early lead in the rodeo.

McDaniel is a five-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but he’s got a lot of ground to make up if he’s going to qualify for a sixth time; the Porum, Okla., cowboy is not in the top 50 in the world standings, according to ProRodeo.com.

But he’s got the drive (pun intended) to chase the gold buckle again.

I’m quite proud of the PRCA today.

A couple of staff members, Julie Jutten and Kent Sturman, were preparing for an annual trek from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Casper, Wyo., to take in the College National Finals Rodeo. They’re doing more than visiting.

According to Cindy Schonholtz, she and Jutten visited Wednesday about the pending need for hay in the Colorado Springs area for all the horses that had been evacuated from the wildfires in the area. They were proactive and put a PRCA Trailer to use; they are going to retrieve hay from Wyoming, take it back to Colorado Springs and help feed hundreds of displaced horses.

Susan Kanode, the media director for the college finals, jumped on board. She put out news around Casper that anyone wishing to donate could leave hay at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds.

My hope is that the PRCA trailer won’t be enough to haul all the donated hay and that someone is willing to haul the remaining donations as part of their donation to the cause.

As of 11 a.m. Central Time on Thursday, the Black Forest fire has destroyed 360 homes and more than 10,000 acres. Nearly 10,000 people have been forced to flee the area near Colorado Springs.

BIG SPRING, Texas – It takes a lot to put on a high-quality production.

Any exposition – whether it’s on Broadway or a community theater; whether it’s the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo or the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo – needs flair and enticement that is a true showcase for audiences.

In Big Spring, the organizers of the annual rodeo lean on the talented crew from Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, which will produce the 80^th edition of this west Texas gem, set for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22, at the Big Spring Rodeo Bowl.

“I think the best thing about Pete is his production,” said Ace Berry, chairman of the volunteer rodeo committee. “He does have a really good bucking stock string, really nice broncs and bulls.

“I think his production is the main thing. He just puts on a really good rodeo.”

Berry is just one chairman who thinks that way. There are several others among the 34 rodeos in 13 states the Carr crew produces.

“Pete Carr purchased Classic Pro Rodeo earlier this year, and that makes him the biggest and best stock contractor in rodeo right now,” said Loydd Williams, chairman of the Bridgeport, Texas, rodeo committee. “When you put those two companies together, it’s going to be tough to beat in terms of bucking stock and the overall production of rodeo.

“This is not your 1960s stock contractor. This is a great production that fans will love from start to finish. Pete Carr and his crew have made our rodeo better.”

While every rodeo performance features a livestock-based competition and has its own challenges, all the behind-the-scenes work is done to make the action in the arena seem flawless.

“We try to have the theatrical portion of our show not interfere with the competition side,” said John Gwatney, a production supervisor for the Carr firms. “We try to run a good, fast, clean performance without interfering with the competition.

“That’s where we’re different from other rodeo companies. If we’re not ready, the cowboy has to wait. When it comes time for that cowboy to compete, we’ve done everything we can to make that animal ready for that cowboy, so all he has to do is nod his head.”

The work has been noticed.

“It was the professionalism, the production,” said David Petty, chairman of the Claremore, Okla., rodeo. “It was a well-oiled machine. One of the things small rodeo committees are struggling with is we must have a product to keep people coming back, and Carr Pro Rodeo brings that product that entices people to want to see that show. Once people do see it, the chances of them becoming a regular at the rodeo are higher.”

It’s one thing to witness that kind of show; it’s another thing to be part of it. Even the greatest cowboys in the sport like what they see in a Carr-produced rodeo.

“I like a good rodeo with good production, because it gets your motor going and you seem to ride better,” said Bradley Harter, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Weatherford, Texas. “It helps when you have a good rodeo with good sound, and you know you’re going to get that at all of Pete Carr’s rodeos.”

CROSBY, Texas – Southeast Texas is home to some of the greatest stars in professional rodeo.

That status will grow even stronger during the Crosby Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22, at Rock’n C Arena. In addition to the hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls who will take part in the competition, the rodeo also will showcase some of the greatest animal athletes in the game.

The rodeo will be produced by Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, two of the elite livestock contractors in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

“Pete has such an array of horse now that no matter where he goes, he will have it to where everybody has a chance to win money,” said saddle bronc rider Heith DeMoss, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Heflin, La.. “It’s a riding contest instead of a drawing contest, and that’s what Pete’s got in his mind to do. I’m behind him all the way.”

Whether they’re champion buckers like Big Tex, Real Deal, Good Time Charlie, River Boat Annie, Wise Guy or Dirty Jacket, Carr animals have been recognized by the cowboys as the very best in rodeo.

“I love Pete Carr rodeos, and that’s one of the reasons his name came up first on my list,” said bareback rider Clint Cannon, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo from Waller, Texas. “He always brings good horses to rodeos. He runs a good show.”

Carr productions feature an electric atmosphere, filled with outstanding bucking horses and bulls. The key is that as owner, Pete Carr does what it takes to get the best livestock in the sport – whether purchasing a seasoned veteran or maintaining a formidable breeding program on the ranch in east Texas.

“I’m excited about where we have come and where we are going in regards to our breeding program,” Carr said. “Over the years, I’ve gone out and acquired the best animals I could find because I wanted to produce the best rodeos possible.  Now with the breeding program we able to start working in some of our young up and coming featured animals and pick up some stars along the way. ”

The biggest names in the sport have noticed that, too.

“For years, a breeding program was just putting a stud out there in the pasture, then bucking all those colts,” Cannon said. “In the old days, it was a numbers game just like the military. You’d send as many as you could to the beach, then you win the war. In rodeo, you buck all your horses and see what bucks best.

“Now they’re putting attention to detail. They develop them into athletes.”

When Carr colts grow up, they have the genetics and the tender, loving care to become the next generation of superstars.

“Pete sure enough has a bunch of great horses,” said bareback rider Will Lowe, a three-time world champion from Canyon, Texas. “You dang sure know you’d better be ready when you get on one of Pete’s horses.”

BIG SPRING, Texas – Bradley Harter rides bucking horses for a living.

But there’s much more to his business than lifting on his rein and spurring; he studies horses and rodeos, all the while looking for the best match-ups possible. He knows he must finish at or near the top of the leaderboard if he’s going to make any money.

“Whenever I look at the list of rodeos, I make my plan, and I’ll go out of my way as long as I have a chance to draw quality stock,” said Harter, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Weatherford, Texas. “Every chance we get to go to rodeos Pete Carr does, we’re going to do what we can to make it.”

Carr owns Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, which will provide the livestock for the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22, at the Big Spring Rodeo Bowl.

“For every rodeo he does now, it makes it better for everyone,” Harter said. “It multiplies your chances to win money, because you know you’re getting on good horses. It used to be if you entered a rodeo, maybe there were three NFR horses there. That’s not the case at Pete’s rodeos, especially now.”

This past spring, Carr acquired Classic Pro Rodeo, a company that was established more than 20 years ago.

“I’m combining two of the best crews in rodeo to form one of the greatest rodeo companies,” Carr said. “I’m excited about the new opportunities that are ahead for the company. I want committees to know we have a lot to offer them. We’re going to have unprecedented resources for all the rodeos, which will benefit everyone involved: committees, sponsors, contestants and spectators.”

The contestants are seeing the benefit, too.

“Since he put two of the best rodeo companies together, that’s the kind of rodeo you want to go to,” Harter said. “When you combine them, they’re the best rodeos you’ll go to all year. I’m going to go where the best rodeos have the best horses for me to get on. It just gives us more of a chance every time we compete.”

The Carr firms boast of some of the greatest bucking animals in ProRodeo. Combined, the companies had 31 animals selected to perform at the NFR.

“Pete’s got a heck of a string put together,” said Wade Sundell, a four-time NFR qualifier from Boxholm, Iowa. “There are not a lot of people that can match him anymore.”

Sundell won the $50,000 round at RodeoHouston in March with a 90-point ride on the Pete Carr’s Classic horse Big Tex. In May, he won the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Okla., with, scoring 83 on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Social Call.

“It’s awesome when you have a good horse underneath you, because you know something good is going to happen,” he said.

That’s what Carr will bring to Big Spring, and that’s why the biggest names in the sport will be part of the Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo.

CROSBY, Texas – The last time a Carr bucking horse performed in this part of Texas, Big Tex matched moves with Wade Sundell for 90 points to win RodeoHouston, just 30 miles southwest at Reliant Stadium.

That kind of greatness returns to the metro area for the Crosby Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22, at Rock’n C Arena. The rodeo will be produced by Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, two of the top livestock contractors in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

“That’s one of the coolest horses to have for $50,000,” said Sundell, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Boxholm, Iowa. “He’s just so big, and he’s showy.”

That’s also an adequate description of the Carr firms since Pete Carr purchased Classic this past spring. By combining two top-tier companies, Carr has made moves that are changing the face of ProRodeo.

“Pete’s got a heck of a string put together,” Sundell said. “There are not a lot of people that can match him anymore.”

A major ingredient in the Carr program is the production of a rodeo, in which Carr and his crew work hard to put on the best show possible for fans while trying to put on the premier competition for contestants.

“I’m combining two of the best crews in rodeo to form one of the greatest rodeo companies,” Carr said. “I’m excited about the new opportunities that are ahead for the company. I want committees to know we have a lot to offer them. We’re going to have unprecedented resources for all the rodeos, which will benefit everyone involved: committees, sponsors, contestants and spectators.”

That attention to detail is a big part of the changing tide in ProRodeo.

“Pete Carr is one of the premier stock contractors in the world,” said saddle bronc rider Heith DeMoss, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Heflin, La. “Pete taking it another step further is amazing to me. It’s just going to make it better for everybody.”

“Pete has such an array of horse now that no matter where he goes, he will have it to where everybody has a chance to win money. It’s a riding contest instead of a drawing contest, and that’s what Pete’s got in his mind to do. I’m behind him all the way.”

DeMoss won the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo on Pete Carr’s Classic’s Spur Strap, so he knows the kind of horse power it takes to be successful. He’s not the only bronc rider who touts the athletic animals now owned by Pete Carr.

“It’s awesome when you have a good horse underneath you, because you know something good is going to happen,” Sundell said.

This is about giving spectators with the best entertainment value while serving the committees with elite performances and providing contestants with the best opportunities.

PECOS, Texas – There are numerous things that define an athlete. From muscularity to the ability to perform maneuvers deemed magical, athletes come in a variety of forms.

Take Dirty Jacket. He’s 9 years old, and his muscles twitch with anticipation. In an instant, he can pivot 45 degrees and leap two feet into the air.

“There’s not another one like that horse,” said bareback rider Jared Keylon, a 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Uniontown, Kan. “Just the sheer ability to stand flat-footed and jump that high in the air is incredible. Just his athleticism alone is so impressive.”

The Carr Pro Rodeo bronc will be part of an exciting field of awesome athletes that will perform at the West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26-Saturday, June 29, at Buck Jackson Arena.

Keylon experienced Dirty Jacket’s force during the final round at the 2013 Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, where he matched moves with the big bay gelding for 87 points to share the final-round win with four-time world champion Bobby Mote of Culver, Ore.

“That horse is as good an athlete as any cowboy going down the road,” Keylon said. “When I nodded my head, it felt like we leaped 10 feet off the ground.

“That was the coolest horse to mark out in the world, because he shoots straight up. The way he’s built, he almost cradles you, almost saddles you up under the rigging. He almost spurs himself with the way he bucks. It was awesome.”

Keylon isn’t the only man who feels that way. Dirty Jacket has bucked four straight years at the NFR, ProRodeo’s grand finale. In 2012, he was runner-up to the reserve world champion bareback horse and was recognized as the Texas Circuit’s Bareback Horse of the Year.

So far in 2013, he guided two other NFR qualifiers – Ryan Gray of Chaney, Ore., and J.R. Vezain of Cowley, Wyo. – to titles. Gray shared the final-round win in Fort Worth, Texas, with an 88-point ride, while Vezain posted an 88 to win the championship in San Antonio.

“I had always wanted to get on him, but I seemed to draw around him a lot of times,” Gray said, explaining the random draw that matches cowboys vs. livestock in rodeo. “I was pretty tickled to have him, especially in the short round at Fort Worth.

“He’s electric and explosive. He’s pretty rider-friendly, but he’s also fast and electric at the same time. He’s a pretty impressive horse. He’s just gotten stronger, which makes him even better now.”

Strong and athletic is exactly what bareback riders want in their dance partners. Vezain earned more than $17,000 in San Antonio, 64 percent of which came on the back of Dirty Jacket.

He had a great big rare out of the chute,” said Vezain, the 2012 Canadian Rodeo Cowboys association bareback riding champion. “He sent my feet, and everything got rolling from there. That is on the list of the top five bareback rides I have ever made.

“I knew I had a chance to be 90 points, and that’s the best feeling going into the short round. That was a true blessing to have that big bucking horse in the short round.”

WEATHERFORD, Texas – It is one thing to do what your momma tells you. It’s quite another when she dares you.

Enter Andy Stewart, a professional rodeo announcer for nearly two decades. He began calling rodeos, imitating announcers of the day long before he purchased his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association card in 1995.

“When we were home watching videos of our team roping or rodeo videos, I would imitate the announcers,” said Stewart, of Collinston, La. “When my brother and I would rope the dummy, I’d announce it.

“On a dare from my mother, I started doing some small play days and horse events. I didn’t know what I was doing, but apparently I had the gift of gab.”

It’s a gift he shares with others 43 weeks a year all across this land, calling rodeos and bull-riding events. This year he returns to Weatherford for the Parker County Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 12-Saturday, June 15, at the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Arena.

“This is a cowboy’s rodeo,” said Stewart, who began working in Weatherford a dozen years ago handling the sound production; this year will be his eighth straight announcing the rodeo. “It’s a great facility, and it gets great crowds. All the animals buck good there, and the rodeo just has a lot of nostalgia.

“The committee’s very Western-oriented, and the people there love a good rodeo. It draws top-name players from all over the country. We have four performances that are just outstanding.”

So is Stewart. He’s been nominated for Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Announcer of the Year each of the last three seasons. He’s one of the most sought-after play-callers in the game.

“I’m probably as big a rodeo fan as there is in the world,” Stewart said. “I enjoy the camaraderie of the cowboys, the lifestyle. Rodeo is a true a sport there is. There are not big contracts. These guys are doing what they do because they love it, and they’re not guaranteed a dime to do it.”

He spent much of his year either traveling or living away from home, but he’s chasing his dreams. There’s a blessing, he said, in being able to make a good living doing something one loves.

“I do this because of the people and the lifestyle,” he said. “You’re not going to find a better bunch of people. I have so many friends and extended family all over the country because of rodeo.

“The people are what make rodeo so special. Rodeo offers me the opportunity to go to a lot of places I don’t normally go and see a lot of things I don’t normally see.”

In Weatherford, he will experience one of the top rodeos in the land produced by the top livestock producers in the game, Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo and Carr Pro Rodeo.

“Having a good production at a rodeo is probably the most important factor, and it’s nice to know that when you work with a company that’s professional, their main goal is to produce a high quality rodeo,” Stewart said. “It makes my job easier, and it’s a lot of fun to be involved with that.”

WEATHERFORD, Texas – There’s a lot of cowboy among the 910 square miles that make up Parker County.

It’s about to get a little more Western with the Parker County Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 12-Saturday, June 15, at the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Arena. This is Cowboy Country, and hundreds of the top athletes in rodeo will converge on Weatherford for the four-day event.

There are 552 contestants who are scheduled to compete representing dozens of ProRodeo world championships and hundreds of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifications. These are the elite cowboys and cowgirls in the sport, and they’ll be matched with the award-winning livestock of Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo and Carr Pro Rodeo, the producers of the annual event.

“It’s in the heart of Cowboy Country,” said announcer Andy Stewart, now in his eighth year of calling the action in Weatherford. “You have got to bring you’re a game, because they’re rodeo savvy there.”

The Carr crew will do that. The two firms are established and have been recognized for years as the elite among livestock producers. This spring, Carr made put everything together by purchasing Classic.

“I’m combining two of the best crews in rodeo to form one of the greatest rodeo companies,” said Pete Carr, the owner of the outfits. “I’m excited about the new opportunities that are ahead for the company. I want committees to know we have a lot to offer them. We’re going to have unprecedented resources for all the rodeos, which will benefit everyone involved: committees, sponsors, contestants and spectators.”

In 2013, the firms will produce 34 rodeos in 13 states and have some of the greatest animal athletes in the sport. That’s a big reason so many top names plan to make their way to Parker County in mid-June.

“Pete’s got a heck of a string put together,” said saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell, a four-time NFR qualifier from Boxholm, Iowa. “There are not a lot of people that can match him anymore.”

Sundell has done awfully well on Carr animals this year. He won the rodeo in Claremore, Okla., by matching moves with Carr Pro Rodeo’s Social Call for 83 points over Memorial Day weekend. In early May, he placed second in Guymon, Okla., after an 85 on Carr Pro Rodeo Miss Congeniality; still, his biggest win of the season came when he won the $50,000 round at RodeoHouston on Pete Carr’s Classic’s Big Tex after a 90-point ride.

“It’s awesome when you have a good horse underneath you, because you know something good is going to happen,” he said.

But the animal is just half the equation; it takes a solid performance by the man on the beast to make for a winning score. That’s what fans will experience in Weatherford.

“It draws top-name players from all over the country,” Stewart said. “We have four performances that are just outstanding.”