EAGLE, Colo. – The cool mountain air that surrounds this picturesque community serves as a refreshing outlook for some of the greatest athletes in rodeo.
That includes the animals that are part of the exciting Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 19-Saturday, July 22, at Johnette Phillips Arena on the Eagle County Fairgrounds. Nothing says that better than the bucking athletes from Pete Carr Pro Rodeo.
Over the years, world records have been established in Eagle. Scores are typically higher because the animals perform so well here. But there’s more than that that goes into producing a world-class event, and that’s where the seasoned Carr crew comes in.
“We love having Pete here, and we’ve been really happy to have the best stock in the world at our rodeo,” said Hanna Albertson, chairwoman of the fair and rodeo’s advisory council. “We know what Pete’s going to bring each year, and it’s the best of the best.”
No other stock contractor in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association has had more animals selected to buck at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the last four years. All of them have bucked at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, and they’ve made their mark.
But so has the hard-working Carr crew that makes everything happen.
“I feel very honored that we have such a world-renowned stock contractor in Eagle,” Fair Manager Tanya Dahlseid said. “He’s been a great help to us every year. I firmly believe he’s made this event very spectacular.”
Spectacular comes in the frame of amazing animal athletes in action inside Johnette Phillips Arena. Eight years ago, Washington cowboy Ryan Gray tied a PRCA record with a 94-point ride. The past two years, bareback riders have won this rodeo on Carr’s great MGM Dirty Jacket.
In 2015, Richmond Champion scored 90 points on MGM Dirty Jacket to win the title. A year ago, Coloradoan Joel Schlagel earned the championship with an 89-point ride on the two-time PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year.
“There’s literally not another horse like him,” Champion said two seasons ago.
Actually, there are, and Carr has a bunch of them. Over the years, three other Carr horses have earned Bareback of the Year titles: Real Deal, Big Tex and MGM Deuces Night. More importantly, there are dozens of other top-caliber animals that will be part of the mix in Eagle.
“During the week of our rodeo, Pete and his crew come in and take over in a good way,” Albertson said. “He gets things to where everyone wants it. It’s extremely helpful, and I think that’s one of the reasons we have such a successful rodeo.”