GUNNISON, Colo. – This was the perfect night for the Hildreth family to celebrate.

First, Jace and Coy posted the fastest team roping run of Saturday’s third performance of the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, stopping the clock in 5.3 seconds to finish in a tie for eighth place, with $1,129 per man.

A few minutes later, the boys stood behind a contingent of the Cattlemen’s Days board as they honored their dad, Kelly, as the Committeeman of the Year. While it’s an award for the calendar year, most people who understood realize it was recognition of a lifetime of work done for the community’s biggest annual event.

“That’s so special and a huge thing for Dad,” said Jace Hildreth, the oldest of the sons by two years. “He’s done it forever. He’s been a huge part of this, and he’s done a great job, too.

“He was one of the guys that got the (timed-event) boxes moved down here (to the south end of the arena). We grew up with him putting a lot of time and effort into this since the days we were little kids. We spent a lot of time down here working, helping him. He’s been active in this rodeo for as long as I can remember.”

The family is proud to call Gunnison home, and they kept a little of the rodeo’s cash here, too. Cattlemen’s Days features hundreds of contestants from across the country, so catching a check for the local boys is a big deal.

“We grew up doing it and practicing together,” said Coy, the team’s heeler. “He’s headed for me, and then vice versa. We’ve got our run down pretty good.”

It showed on a special night in front of a third straight packed crowd. Organizers were calling it a record attendance for the first two nights of rodeo, and the final performance was just as full.

“No, we haven’t had this big of a crowd at the Watershed (Team Roping), but we’ve entered this rodeo before,” said Jace, the header. “It’s been several years, and it’s definitely an advantage to having a hometown advantage. It’s also nerve-wracking to have that many people you know around.”

Team roping is the most popular participation event in rodeo, so there are other opportunities for the Hildreths than the PRCA. Still, competing during Cattlemen’s Days offers opportunities. The two realize they have something special in the home-raised horsepower.

“We’ve always done it, and in the early spring or winter, my brother comes and said, ‘Let’s go to some rodeos this summer,’ ” Coy said. “I thought, ‘Yeah, we’ll go,’ but I didn’t think much about it. The next thing I know, here we are going to them.”

“It’s one of those years we both had good horses,” Jace said. “We’ve been roping a lot and roping good. When you have a good horse, it makes you want to go. You feel like you have a chance. Both of our horses are brutal, so why don’t we?”

Cattlemen’s Days is a lifetime pursuit for Jace and Coy Hildreth, and the rewards came Saturday night.

Cattlemen’s Days
Gunnison, Colo.
July 11-13
Bareback riding: 1. Ben Kramer, 82.5 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Jungle Cat, $2,659; 2. Taylon Carmody, 81.5, $2,039; 3. Kelton Maxfield, 79.5, $1,506; 4. Jacoby Campbell, 79, $975; 5. (tie) Matthew Tuni and Bodee Lammers, 78.5, $532 each; 7. (tie) Briar Dittmer and Boyce Kraut, 78, $310 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. Cody Pratt, 4.2 seconds, $2,443; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.6, $2,124; 3. (tie) Colt Honey and Marc Joiner, 4.7, $1,646 each; 5. (tie) Jacob Edler and Trey Nahrgang, 4.8, $1,009 each; 7. Tait Kvistad, 4.9, $531; 8. Cayden Schulz, 5.3, $212.

Team roping: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Cody Lansing, 4.4 seconds, $2,952; 2. Wawa Ben Jr./Brandon Ben, 4.5, $2,605; 3. (tie) J.C. Yeahquo/Ross Ashford and Jaxson Hill/Jessen James, 4.6, $2,084 each; 5. Cody Carter/Blake Bentley, 4.9, $1,737; 6. (tie) Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson and Cole Eiguren/Breck Ward, 5.1, $1,476 each; 8. (tie) Tyson Charley/Pace Blanchard and Jace Hildreth/Coy Hildreth, 5.3, $1,129 each; 10. (tie) Blake Walker/Gabe Williams and Gabe Williams/Faron Candelaria, $347 each.

Breakaway roping: 1. Haiden Thompson, 2.0 seconds, $3,290; 2. Sierra Spratt, 2.1, $2,797; 3. Samantha Haardt, 2.4, $2,303; 4. (tie) Amanda Terrell, Grace Perez, Rheagan Cotton and Erin Johnson, 2.5, $1,398 each; 8. (tie) Kassie Kautzman and Shai Schaefer, 2.6, $617 each; 10. Bailey Bates, 2.8, $494; 11. Libby Winchell, 3.0, $411; 12. (tie) Dana Mildenbeger and Jessie Miller, $165 each.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 86 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Orange Crush, $2,786; 2. Cauy Pennington, 85, $2,136; 3. Michael Story and Jackson Ford, 83, $1,300 each; 5. (tie) Blake Starrett and Roper Kiesner, $557, 82.5; 7. Gus Gaillard, 81, $371; 8. (tie) Ross Griffin and Ira Dickinson, $139 each. 

Tie-down roping: 1. Andrew Burks, 8.8 seconds, $2,488; 2. Lane Webb, 8.9, $2,510; 3. Booker McCutchen, 9.3, $2,175; 4. Hagen Houck, 9.7, $1,841; 5. Ace Reese, 10.1, $1,6736. Riley Pruitt, 10.2, $1,506; 48 (tie) Matt Peters and Cooper Andersen, 10.6, $1,088 each; 10. Darnell Johnson, 10.9, $669.

Barrel racing: 1. Katelyn Scott, 17.63 seconds, $2,557; 2. Alex Odle, 17.89, $2,173; 3. Shali Lord, 17.93, $1,790; 4. Mackenzie McCuistion, 17.98, $1,534; 5. Kiersten Pettus, 17.99, $1,278; Makenzie Mayes, 18.02, $895; 7. Kailee Murdock, 18,08, $639; 8. (tie) Taryn Boxleitner and Delaney Siebert, 18.28, $479; 10. Shy-Anne Jarrett, 18.31, $384; 11. Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi, 18.34, $320; 12. Jamie Olsen, 18.35, $256.

Bull riding: 1. Canyon Bass, 86.5 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hatari, $4,706; 2. Colton Byran, 75, $4,090; no other qualified rides (all totals include ground money).