LOVINGTON, N.M. – It wasn’t choreographed, but Gary Gilbert was certainly involved in a dance just before his steer wrestling run Wednesday night.

It was during the first performance of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, and his horse, Pop Rocks, was more interested in performing pirouettes in the timed-event box. Gilbert settled his partner down, then put the hammer down, stopping the clock in 4.0 seconds. It was the fastest run of the night and of the second round so far, and it pares well with his first-round leading 3.7-second run.

“The horse was sore the last month after a wreck in Pecos (Texas),” Gilbert said of the 9-year-old sorrel gelding. “I didn’t take him to the vet initially. Then did, so he hasn’t been anywhere. I’ve been busy working at home, but I should have practiced to where he had some confidence. I guess he probably thinks it’s still hard, so it took me a little bit to get him set.

“He worked good this morning, but since I didn’t practice, I didn’t get to build him back up.”

Once everything calmed down at the starting block, the two blasted into the arena chasing the brindle steer. Once Gilbert caught the cow, he knocked it on its side despite not finishing the run quite as well as he would have liked, missing the nose and just throwing the animal to the ground with just its horns.

“He just stopped and caught me, and it set me back a bit,” said Gilbert, 39, of Paradise, Texas. “I knew I needed to be fast, so I just tried it.”

Originally from South Dakota, he left home two decades ago to attend Eastern Wyoming College before transferring to West Texas A&M in Canyon. He’d never planned to stay in the Lone Star State, but he’s still there. Every dollar he can get out of Lovington can help him toward his 2025 goals.

“If I predict it, I don’t think I win worse than third (in the aggregate),” he said. “I should place in both rounds. I guess the hard decision is if I’m going to go to Hermiston (Oregon) or not.”

There are dozens of rodeos this week, and there are a handful that are considered tour rodeos. Lovington is one, and so is Hermiston. Both also offer big purses, so this is a good chance to gain some ground in the world standings. Still, it’s a day’s drive, and the cost of diesel and other expenses add up.

Gilbert has a few goals he wants to accomplish, namely to finish high enough in the standings to get into some of the biggest winter rodeos like Houston and San Antonio. He has some ground to make up, though. He’s outside the top 50, and only the best 40 from this year get into Houston in 2026. He wants to gain enough ground to secure his spot in those lucrative events.

Runs like he made Wednesday will go a long way toward that. He and Pop Rocks will also get to work on how to better work in the timed-event box.

“I started him when he was 7, but then I took a year off because I was hurt,” Gilbert said. “He’s finding it, but it’s been slow. He’s been good. He’s just a cool horse.”

He’ll make the perfect dance partner after all.

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 7-10
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Richmond Champion, 85 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Cat Ballou; 2. Orin Larsen, 84; 3. Jacek Frost, 82; 4. Weston Timberman, 81.5; 5. Cole Reiner, 78; no other qualified rides.

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 3.7 seconds; 2. Riley Duvall, 4.0; 3. Grady Payne, 4.4; 4. Brandon Harrison, 4.6; 5. Jake Shelton, 5.0; 6. Zane Cline, 5.2; 7. Marc Joiner, 5.6; 8. Jay Williamson, 6.8. Second round leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 4.0 seconds; 2. Jake Shelton, 4.4; 3. Marc Joiner, 4.6; 4. Shane Frey, 4.8; 5. Grady Payne, 5.0; 6. Cody Cabral, 5.3; no other qualified runs. Average leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 7.7 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Jake Shelton and Grady Payne, 9.4; 4. Marc Joiner, 10.2; 5. Riley Duvall, 4.0 seconds on one run; 6. Brandon Harrison, 4.6; 7. Shane Frey, 4.8; 8. Zane Cline, 5.2

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Blane Cox, 9.0 seconds; 2. Chet Weitz, 9.5; 3. Paden Bray, 9.7; 4. Joel Harris, 9.8; 5. Cole Clemons, 9.9; 6. Kincade Henry, 10.2; 7. Ty Harris, 10.6; 8. Hayden Ford, 11.2. Second round leaders: 1. Kincade Henry, 8.2 seconds; 2. Ty Harris, 8.7; 3. Blane Cox, 9.9; 4. Cole Clemons, 10.3; 5. Paden Bray, 10.6; 6. Landyn Duncan, 11.1; 7. Tanner Green, 12.0; 8. Hayden Ford, 13.0. Average leaders: 1. Kincade Henry, 18.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Blane Cox, 18.9; 3. Ty Harris, 19.3; 4. Cole Clemons, 20.2; 5. Paden Bray, 20.3; 6. Tanner Green, 23.8; 7. Dean Holyan, 28.5; 8. Jake Shelton, 29.2.

Breakaway roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Cheyanne McCartney and Hali Williams, 2.3 seconds each; 3. Timber Allenbrand, 2.4; 4. (tie) Jessi Everett and Macy Young, 2.6 each; 6. Janae Todacheenie, 3.2; 7. Jayden Rodriguez, 3.3; 8. Maddy Deerman, 3.4; 9. Georgia Shields, 4.7; 10. Bailey Bates, 12.5. Second round leaders: 1. 1. Haiden Thompson, 2.3 seconds; 2. Cheyanne McCartney, 2.7; 3. Hali Williams, 2.8; 4. Bailey Bates, 3.0; 5. Jade Mitchell, 4.8; 6. (tie) Martha Angelone and Maddy Deerman, 12.3. Average leaders: 1. Cheyanne McCartney, 5.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Hali Williams, 5.1; 3. (tie) Haiden Thompson and Bailey Bates, 15.5; 5. Maddy Deerman, 15.7; 6. Timber Allenbrand, 2.4 seconds on one run; 7. (tie) Jessi Everett and Macy Young, 2.6; 9. Janae Todacheenie, 3.2; 10. Jayden Rodriguez, 3.3. 

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Isaac Diaz, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Uptuck; 2. (tie) Shorty Garrett and Cooper Thatcher, 84.5; 4. Levi Mines, 77; 5. Slade Keith, 70; 6. 7. Cayden McFadden, 69; Oistin Charleston, 68; no other qualified rides

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 5.3 seconds; 2. Jeff Flenniken/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.6; 3. Cory Kidd V/Will Woodfin, 5.8; 4. Chet Weitz/Faron Candelaria, 5.9; 5. James Arviso/Logan Moore, 6.0; 6. Cash Duty/Trae Smith, 6.8; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathon Torres, 11.8; 8. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 15.3. Second round leaders: 1. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 5.1 seconds; 2. Cash Duty/Trae Smith, 5.7; 3. Jeff Flenniken/Buddy Hawkins, 6.3; 4. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 10.4; 5. Cory Kidd/Will Woodfin, 10.5; no other qualified runs. Average leaders: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Buddy Hawkins, 11.9 seconds on two runs; 2. Cash Duty/Trae Smith, 12.5; 3. Cory Kidd/Will Woodfin, 16.3; 4. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 22.2; 5. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 5.1 seconds on one run; 6. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 5.3; 7. Chet Weitz/Faron Candelaria, 5.9; 8. James Arviso/Logan Moore, 6.0.

Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Jarett Holliday, 15.6 seconds; 2. Mike Chase, 16.8; 3. Cash Fretwell, 17.7; no other qualified runs. Second round leaders: 1. Ivan Bigsby, 12.6 seconds; 2. Trenton Johnson, 12.9; 3. Mike Chase, 16.5; 4. Ryan Willberg, 17.5; 5. Joseph Allen, 21.2; 6. Cash Fretwell, 26.0. Third round leaders: 1. Cash Fretwell, 13.4 seconds; 2. Ivan Bigsby, 13.6; 3. Ryan Willberg, 14.3; 4. Jarett Holliday, 15.2; 5. Joseph Allen 15.6; 6. Trenton Johnson, 22.9. Average leaders: 1. Cash Fretwell, 57.1 seconds on three runs; 2. Ivan Bigsby, 26.2 seconds on two runs; 3. Jarett Hollliday, 30.8; 4. Ryan Willberg, 31.8; 5. Mike Chase, 33.3; 6. Trenton Johnson, 35.7.

Barrel racing leaders: 1. Avery Ledesma, 17.78 seconds; 2. Tara Seaton, 17.80; 3. Ruby Lightfoot, 17.93; 4. Jamie Olsen, 17.94; 5. Cindy Smith, 18.25; 6. Fallon Taylor, 18.41; 7. Natasha Sanchez, 18.76; 8. Megan Albrecht, 20.05; 9. Pat Little Soldier, 29.28; no other qualified runs.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Qynn Andersen, 85 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s James Brown; no other qualified rides.