EAGLE, Colo. – Cort Scheer has worked his way up the saddle bronc riding world standings.
That’s no easy task, even for the best in the game. It’s a tougher task for Scheer, who missed a good portion of the 2011 ProRodeo season after suffering a torn knee ligament, just a few months removed from his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification.
Scheer is firmly in the top 10 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s saddle bronc riding money list, and he has a chance to move up this week at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28.
You see, Scheer is matched with Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cool Runnings, a Carr Pro Rodeo horse that is quickly becoming the talk in saddle bronc riding. In fact, Jake Wright recently matched moves with Cool Runnings to win the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Ariz., posting an 88-point score worth $3,437.
“That horse has been pretty good all year long,” said Pete Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock firm that provides the bucking animals in Eagle. “Cort’s got that horse on Wednesday night, but Ryan Elshere has Cool Runnings on Friday, and I think they’ll both do well.”
Wright, one of four brothers that are scheduled to compete Saturday night, has drawn Miss Congeniality, a mare that has been selected to perform at the NFR each of the past two years. Before she became of the Carr string, she was selected as the horse of the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Other bronc riding matchups include Deuces Wild vs. Cody DeMoss and Sam Spreadborough, and Corner Guard against Rusty Allen.
The Carr bulls will be tested by some of the top cowboys in the game. Black Ice will be matched against Trey Benton III, a top-five bull rider who leads the PRCA rookie standings, and Kanin Asay, a four-time NFR qualifier. The Mexican will be tested by Tony Mendez, who has been atop the bull riding game for many years.
Other bull riding matchups include Morning After and Cody Rostockyj – Jacob O’Mara rode Morning After for 89 points to win in Window Rock on July 6 – and Craig Jackson vs. Missing Parts.
Tom McFarland leads a list of top-flight bareback riders who are scheduled to compete in Eagle. McFarland, a four-time NFR qualifier, is matched against Carr’s MGM Deuces Night, one of the most recognized broncs in ProRodeo.
So far this year, MGM Deuces Night has guided cowboys to event titles in Houston, Texas; Guymon, Okla.; and Pecos, Texas, and contestants have had soaring scores – reigning world champion Kaycee Feild scored an arena-record 93 points to win RodeoHouston in March; Steven Dent had a PRCA-best 91 on the 7-year-old bay/paint mare west Texas in late June; and J.R. Vezain was 89 in Guymon in early May.
Other key match-ups include Real Deal matching moves with 2011 NFR qualifier Brian Bain; Miss Hollywood vs. Vezain and three-time world champion Will Lowe; PRCA rookie standings leader Richie Champion will try Grass Dancer, the horse that guided Ryan Gray to a world record-tying 94 points in Eagle just three seasons ago; and Caleb Bennett vs. Outa Sight, a 7-year-old paint mare that hasn’t bucked in more than a year – she was selected to buck at the 2010 NFR.