Monthly Archives: June 2024

PECOS, Texas – Six months ago, team roping heeler Zane Pratt was recovering from a serious injury His right thumb got caught up in a coil of his rope. He suffered a broken thumb. It could have been worse. He had to get it fixed, then rehabilitated. It took time to get back to team  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – Don’t be upset with Scott Snedecor for being a little greedy. With two West of the Pecos buckles already in his trophy case, he made a statement during Friday’s third performance that he’d like to win another. After making two solid runs during the morning session of competition, he secured his fastest  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – There was something about the rural way of life that appealed to Tim Lehmann and Casey Connally. They had quite separate lives, but there was a form of unity founded in the Gunnison Valley and with the annual Cattlemen’s Days. They died mere days apart last November, and what they did for  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – This time of year is a busy one for cowboys and cowgirls that make their livings in rodeo. It’s the start of the summer run, when they leave their homes and venture off to lands known and unknown chasing their gold-buckle dreams. For most Texans, it a chance to escape the heat,  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – Three years ago, Haley Sage arrived at the West of the Pecos Rodeo with a new mount. “I raised him,” she said of Pretzel, a 10-year-old gray gelding. “He’s by our stud. I trained him, too, and the first rodeo I ever rode him at was Pecos.” Now in their fourth year  Continue Reading »

Estes Park offers major attractions for the sport’s top cowboys, cowgirls ESTES PARK, Colo. – The heat of rodeo competition and the heat of summer collide during a lucrative series of events that surround the Fourth of July holiday. Hundreds of contestants will have a chance to cool their minds and bodies when they make  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – Organizers of the largest annual community event have been working diligently to include all facets of Cattlemen’s Days in one location. With that means making some changes, including the dates and general location of the Cattlemen’s Days carnival, set for Wednesday, July 3-Saturday, July 6, on the east side of Fred Field  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – For decades, the annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration has been known for its livestock shows, 4H exhibits, the Watershed team ropings and barrel races, the carnival and, of course, the PRCA rodeo. The organizers of this year’s festivities have added something new to the mix: the Cattlemen’s Cowboy Golf Scramble, which will take  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – The crowds that attend this community’s annual rodeo pack themselves in over four nights each June. The same can be said for the cowboys and cowgirls who want to compete at this historic event. This year’s West of the Pecos Rodeo features than 500 contestants who have entered the rodeo for a  Continue Reading »

BIG SPRING, Texas – Jace Bland’s heritage resides inside the Rodeo Bowl, though he had never competed in the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo before this year. His grandfather, Rich Anderson, served on the board for the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo. On Saturday night during the final performance of this year’s extravaganza,  Continue Reading »

BIG SPRING, Texas – It’s been 20 years since River Boat Annie burst onto the rodeo scene as one of the sport’s top bucking horses. She was a standout, the one the cowboys wanted to try. Known for her power, she was the driving force for many contestants on their way to championships. In 2007,  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – For a great number of rodeo fans, the overall experience of competition and family-friendly entertainment makes for a great event. For others, they want to see the action. The better the contest, the more they like it. They’re eager to witness high-flying dismounts and body-bruising wrecks. They want 90-point rides and lightning-fast  Continue Reading »

BIG SPRING, Texas – The timing of breakaway roping’s growing popularity coincided with Jenna Caldarola’s love for the game she plays. She competed at Odessa (Texas) College, then transferred to another rodeo school, Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. There, though, she focused on her classes and opted out of competition. Becoming a nurse takes  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – Over the course of its history, the West of the Pecos Rodeo has had dozens of world champions claim the crown. Dirty Jacket ranks right up there with all of them, and he has a legacy of shining the brightest in Reeves County. Six times in his lifetime, the powerful bay gelding  Continue Reading »

CLARENDON, Texas – They almost pulled it off. Two Clarendon College cowboys put on a whale of a show during last week’s College National Finals Rodeo and left their mark on everyone in Casper, Wyoming. They came up just a few points short of claiming the men’s team title, but they’re pretty excited about being  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – Success as an athlete doesn’t always translate into the victories all dream about.  For Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s contingent of five contestants competing at the College National Finals Rodeo last week, there was some great success but only a trio came away with the actual awards. All-around cowboy Jacob Haren of Callaway,  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – The loss of a loved one is always tough. Folks in the Gunnison Valley were dealt a heavy blow during some of the coldest months of the year. Brett Redden and Dale Irby, both vibrant parts of the community and longtime supporters of the Cattlemen’s Days celebration, died a few months ago,  Continue Reading »

BIG SPRING, Texas – The good news is out. Hundreds of ProRodeo’s stars are aligning for this week’s Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at the Rodeo Bowl. Among them are nearly three dozen cowboys and cowgirls who have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo or the National  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – It’s been four years since Anthony Lucia received the phone call that changed his life. “I had just gone full bore into announcing late the summer before, and to get that telephone call to be the announcer of the West of the Pecos Rodeo was special, to say the least,” said Lucia,  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – John Harrison didn’t become a rodeo entertainer for the accolades, but that hasn’t stopped his colleagues from handing them out. Harrison comes from a rodeo family and has been involved in the sport all his life. He’s been an entertainer longer than many in the game, first as a respected trick rider  Continue Reading »

Volunteers are the spark that ignites the rodeo’s engine ESTES PARK, Colo. – Rooftop Rodeo isn’t just a community event. It’s a regional happening that reaches people globally, and it takes place for six straight summer nights – at 7 p.m. Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds.  Continue Reading »

Oklahoma rodeo company growing rapidly LEEDEY, Okla. – The first few months of any life feature incredible growth. From infancy to toddler, forms change shape as the foundation develops. From babies and foals to ideas and dreams, the day-to-day gains are magnificent. Will and Dusta O’Connell have experienced it two-fold over the last year. Their  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – In ProRodeo, there are just some trophies that cowboys are eager to show off. Obviously, the most prestigious is the gold buckle, awarded each year to that season’s world champions. Beyond that, there are only a handful that truly stand out, whether it’s the storied silver from the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days  Continue Reading »

BIG SPRING, Texas – It’s been three decades since Pete Carr hung up his spurs and established himself as a businessman. As a youngster growing up in Dallas, he developed a passion for rodeo and life as a cowboy. He eventually traveled the country as a bareback rider, chasing his dreams while riding bucking horses  Continue Reading »