Monthly Archives: August 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Every move made inside the American Royal complex is specifically designed for the association’s mission. As the foundation that holds the footing for everything involved in the American Royal and its fall festival, the mission is to promote and celebrate the excellence in agricultural progress and develop future generations of leaders  Continue Reading »

STILLWATER, Okla. – Michelle Gilles is a horse trainer and a competitor. She also is a wife and mother, and no matter where she goes, she does so with her family involved. Whether it’s working her business at their home near Lubbock, Texas, or on the road at competitions, it’s certainly family time. “A family  Continue Reading »

COLT STARTING CHALLENGE TO HAVE ITS FINALS IN VEGAS DURING COWBOY FANFEST STILLWATER, Okla. – There is tremendous excitement centering around the unique Colt Starting Challenge USA. The new venture features horse trainers showing off their natural horsemanship skills over a two-day contest. The word is getting out, and the popularity of the events is  Continue Reading »

Over the last couple of days, I’ve had two dear friends contact me about Lazy Johnny Jackson, a character on Facebook. To set the record straight, I am not Lazy Johnny Jackson, though I do follow his posts. For those not in the know, LJJ likes to stir the pot. In fact, he follows professional  Continue Reading »

COMPETITION WILL BRING TOGETHER TOP HORSEMEN WORKING WITH NOVICE ANIMALS STILLWATER, Okla. – For centuries, training horses has been a major part of ranch work worldwide. The key, all horsemen say, comes in the early stages of a colt’s development. “The funnest time of training horses is the first few days,” said Victor Sundquist, a  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in the August issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of the WPRA. It is republished here with the approval of the WPRA. The reality of Cool Rowdy was that nobody wanted him. Not the Engessers, who owned him, and not anyone else for that matter. The family  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in the August issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of the WPRA. It is re-published here with the WPRA’s approval. Like a lot of circuit cowgirls, Fonda Galbreath has a full-time job, leaving her little time to compete in ProRodeo. That means traveling shorter distances in order  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Trevor Brazile owns 19 world championships and a countless number of individual rodeo titles. J.R. Vezain doesn’t own any gold buckles just yet, but he’s got all the talent, drive and, now, the ride equipment to make a move for that elusive title. During Saturday’s final night of the Lea County Fair  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Dirty Jacket is a special bucking horse, and nobody in ProRodeo knows that better than bareback rider Bill Tutor. “If you do your job right, he’s taking you to the pay window every time if not winning it,” said Tutor, a second-year pro from Huntsville, Texas. “I finished second in Eagle (Colo.)  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – The rodeo trail can be rugged. Cowboys, cowgirls and their equine partners spend hours, even days, driving cross country chasing their gold-buckle dreams. It’s a tough life, but one most wouldn’t trade for the world. They’re competitors, and the rodeo road leads to championships. Across the Plains, many seek the coveted title  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – In his seven years in ProRodeo, Tuf Cooper has earned two tie-down roping world championship gold buckles and six qualifications to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He hasn’t, however, done very well at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. “I placed fourth in the first go-round last year, and that was the  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Quite simply, steer wrestler Ty Erickson is having the best season of his young professional career. On Wednesday at Jake McClure Arena, Erickson put on a dominating showcase to take the lead in the first and second rounds and the two-run aggregate; he knocked down his first steer in 3.9 seconds during  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Having momentum in any sport is vital to success, and Tim Bingham is in the middle of a hot streak. On Tuesday night, Bingham dominated the Lea County Xtreme Bulls at Jake McClure Arena, winning both go-rounds and the coveted title. He also pocketed $11,577. “When things are working out, it happens  Continue Reading »

Steer roping: First round: 1. J.P. Wickett, 13.1 seconds, $1,869; 2. Bryce Davis, 13.3, $1,625; 3. Rod Hartness, 13.5, $1,381; 4. Chet Herren, 13.7, $1,138; 5. Will Gasperson, 14.0, $894; 6. Trey Wallace, 14.1, $650; 7. Roger Branch, 14.5, $406; 8. (tie) Shay Good and Casey Sisk, 14.7, $81 each. Second round: 1. Trevor Brazile,  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Wade Sundell has ridden a lot of great bucking horses in his seven year saddle bronc riding career. On Sunday night, the Iowa-born cowboy added another storied bronc to his victory list, dancing across the arena dirt with Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman for 92 points to win the championship round and  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Richie Champion is just 21 years old, and he has won nearly $1.2 million riding bucking horses over the last five months. It’s been so hectic, he took a few days off the ProRodeo trail and ventured to his home in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. He needed to handle the  Continue Reading »

We’re down to the final two nights of Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Tonight is the final preliminary round, and we will know the 12 qualifiers for Sunday’s short round. Freelance photographer Fran Ruchalski provided some outstanding photos. You can see more HERE. As a teaser, chick this one out:    

The first round of timed events are complete at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Here are the payouts: Steer wrestling: 1. Bray Armes, 4.0 seconds, $2,611; 2. Tom Lewis, 4.3, $2,271; 3. Brandon Volker, 4.4, $1,930; 4. (tie) Casey Martin and Tom Duvall, 4.5, $1,419 each; 6. (tie) Jeff Miller, Timmy Sparing and Richy Coats,  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Patrick Smith is not one to mince his words. “I’m not one to whine or griper or complain, but it’s been a little while since we’ve just drawn some good ones in a row,” said Smith, a two-time world champion heeler from Lipan, Texas. “We’ve been on a bit of a  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Jesse Wright has a little payback on his mind. A year ago, the Milford, Utah, cowboy posted a 90-point saddle bronc ride during the championship round of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Moments later, his older brother – two-time world champion Cody Wright – scored 91 points to win the round  Continue Reading »