A bad clutch fan left three cowboys improvising Wednesday afternoon in the Arizona heat.

Bareback riders Richie Champion, Taylor Price and Bill Tutor had the clutch fan go out on their van, so after riding in Prescott, Ariz., on Tuesday night, they decided to get the van fixed. Champion stayed in Prescott, which is two hours northwest of Phoenix, while the other two made their way to Window Rock, Ariz., for Wednesday night’s performance.

“Richie didn’t have a great horse in Window Rock, so we decided to go ahead and get it fixed while we had a guy that could fix it,” Price said.

It’s probably a good idea. The trio will leave Window Rock tonight to compete in two rodeos on the Fourth of July, Red Lodge, Mont., and Cody, Wyo. They’re up in Oakley, Utah, on Friday; and St. Paul, Ore., and Molalla, Ore., on Saturday.

They tried to use the traditional methods, then found an alternative.

“We went to Enterprise, and they were out,” said Price, the No. 2 man in the rookie bareback riding race from Huntsville, Texas. “We tried to call Hertz, and they didn’t answer. We tried a few other places in Prescott, and they didn’t answer, but the U-Haul place had one.”

So Tutor and Price loaded their riggings and bags into the back of the rental truck for the nearly five-hour drive to the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo.

When it comes to Cowboy Christmas, it’s about making a living by any means possible.