About: Ted

GUNNISON, Colo. – Bucking horses run in the blood of the Hayes family from Hayden, a community of 1,900 in northwest Colorado. Kaitlynn Hayes was just 9 years old when she got the idea for her business, which now operates as Rocky Mountain Mini Broncs & Bulls/KH Bucking horses. She’s a producer and has been such most of her life. Now, 16 years after she started, she’s created a brand that not only showcases smaller bucking animals but also helps develop young cowboys and cowgirls through a passion they all share. In fact, starting young people out in such a way has already proven to be successful. Her brother, Keenan, is just 22 but already has set records in ProRodeo. Three seasons ago, he collected more than $108,000 en route to setting a new earnings mark for permit-holders, those still on a test drive for the PRCA. A year later, he became the first PRCA rookie to win a bareback riding world championship, finishing the season with single-season earnings mark of $435,050. He returned to the sport’s grand finale again last year, finishing the campaign third in the world standings. The future generation of bucking horse and bucking bull riders is on its way to Gunnison for the Mini Broncs & Mutton Bustin’ set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3, at the Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. This event is a week prior to the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, set for Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13. “Karla Rundell and I have become personal friends, and we were talking one day about mini broncs,” Kaitlynn Hayes said. “She told me they used to do them in Gunnison a long time ago, and I thought, “We should bring them back.’ I also thought it would be great if we could do something with the Golden Circle of Champions.” It’s the perfect fit: Mini broncs celebrating the accomplishments of athletic youngsters while also joining with Cattlemen’s Days’ beneficiary. Golden Circle of Champions helps raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer. In addition to the evening’s festivities, the youngsters in competition will also be on hand during a special clinic for youth that begins at 10 a.m. that day. “I work in health care and have since I was 16 years old,” Hayes said. “I love being able to help people on that side, especially when they are very vulnerable and not really having the best time of their life. I love being able to help them and, at the same time, put a smile on their face and give them something to look forward to while being a friend to them. “The clinic will a peer mentorship, where these kids who ride mini broncs and bulls can talk to the kids who’ve been fighting pediatric cancer and other children and tell them why they do this.” The mini bronc and bulls contestants will come from across the country and showcase their talents on mini bulls and ponies. It’s a great chance to see what rodeo’s future looks like at its most genuine level, where the love of the game can be seen through the smiles of young people.  “I do this for the love I have for bucking horses and children,” she said. ”I love the fact that I get to help make a difference in kids’ lives,” she said. That’s the mindset that helps heal minds, bodies and souls while also creating champions.

BIG SPRING, Texas – The greatest athletes stand on their own talents and how they battle through competition. Historical figures like Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain and Roger Staubach have stood the test of time. Their exploits in their arenas of work are parts of lore, along with the championship resumes they built. Rodeo has its own, but it’s more than the names of Roy Cooper, Ote Berry or Lary Mahan. As a sport based on the Old West, champions also come in animal form, like the great bronc Descent or Bodacious, the bull with a bad reputation. Fans who want to be part of the action that is rodeo also hope to see the electricity that comes from amazing animals and the cowboys that ride them. That’s what many will expect from the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21, at the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. “One of the great things about our rodeo is our stock contractor,” rodeo committee chairman Cash Berry said of Dallas-based Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. “He’s got some of the best bucking stock in rodeo, and a lot of those animals will be here and be part of our rodeo. “We pay attention to rodeo all over, and if you look at some of the big rodeos that have already happened this year, they’re winning on Pete’s animals. That makes it exciting for us and gives us an idea of what we’re going to see in Big Spring.” Just recently at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, Texan Rocker Steiner won bareback riding after posting a 90-point ride on Carr’s Worth The Whiskey, a bronc that has received high scores all season. Sage Allen was 89.5 points at San Angelo in April, while Cole Franks was 87.5 points in San Antonio earlier this year. “Pete makes sure to bring the kind of animals that will be a great fit for our rodeo,” said Berry, the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the hometown event. “Everyone wants to see the big rides and big scores, and we’re going to get that. “We see a lot of National Finals Rodeo qualifiers come to our rodeo. Part of that is because we’ve increased our (purse), but another part of that is because Pete brings the horses, bulls and timed-event cattle that makes our rodeo better. Cowboys just want a chance to win, and Pete does a good job of giving everyone who enters our rodeo a shot.” That’s a staple for a quality stock contractor, and the Carr name has been synonymous with that for two decades. He is a 15-time nominee for PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year, a two-time winner of the WPRA Stock Contractor of the Year and has had hundreds of animals selected to perform at the NFR, the sport’s grand finale. In addition, Carr has been inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and was named the 2024 Resistol Man of the Year. Add that to the list of great champions that carry the Carr brand, and there’s a lot that goes into making the Big Spring rodeo a success. “We are a historic rodeo, and we pride ourselves in making sure we put on a great event for our fans and for the contestants alike,” said Zach Herrin, a member of the volunteer organization that presents the event. “We trust what Pete and his crew do when they get to town, because we know that’s going to help us be the best rodeo we can be.” A key ingredient in that is working closely with announcer Anthony Lucia, sound director Josh Hilton, the entertainers – rodeo clown Justin Rumford and trick riders Summer & Co. Fearless Equine Stunts trio – and the Carr team to ensure the competition and production are equally as great as they can be.   “We work hard all year to make sure everything comes together for the community,” Berry said. “Once it’s time for the rodeo, we rely on the professionals we bring in to put on the show that has everybody talking about our rodeo for another year.”

Cattlemen’s Days honoring its 125th consecutive celebration GUNNISON, Colo. – For folks in the Gunnison Valley, the word “continuous” is as important as that first cup of coffee in the morning. This is home to the longest-running continuous rodeo in Colorado and one of the oldest events of its kind in the United States. This year marks the 125th consecutive Cattlemen’s Days rodeo, and that sentiment brings such great pride to the people in this community since they’ve fought to make it happen. Cattlemen’s Days began in 1901 as a way for those in the valley to gather and celebrate their Western way of life. The dates were chosen to conduct the event just before the busy haying season. It has continued through two world wars, several other international conflicts and two pandemics. When COVID threatened the rodeo’s cancelation five years ago, community members bonded together. It occurred because a select few realized the rodeo’s impact to the folks in the valley The show must go on, they said. Nothing had stopped Cattlemen’s Days before, and they weren’t about to let it happen in 2020. Local businessman Kevin Coblentz, who had already served as president of the volunteer-based organization two years, stepped in for another and led the charge to ensure the streak continued. He had help from several others and a proud group of residents who found the dollars to make sure there was a rodeo. “Kevin and Brad Tutor were a huge part of that,” said Roger Johnson, a longtime Cattlemen’s Days committee member and a past president. “There were others on the committee that put in their two cents worth and fought to have that.” That’s why the community will celebrate another milestone 125 years after the celebration began with a rodeo on Main Street. This year’s Cattlemen’s Days will take place Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison, and there’s no better way to honor the event than to look at its legacy. Johnson is a bit of a historian for Cattlemen’s Days. He was president in 2000 during the festival’s centennial celebration and helped organize a video commemorating it. He’d done his research and continues to expound upon the growth and development of Gunnison’s marquee event. “Like everything else, it got started in the late 1800s but wasn’t officially recognized as an organized rodeo until the 1900s,” he said. “The first ones were held just across from my house on the highway here where the railroad tracks split. It featured all sorts of things, but mainly it was bronc riding and horse racing. Those two events stayed for the longest time until horse racing ended a few years ago. “But the rodeo has been continuous even through world wars and the Korean War and the Vietnam War and everything else. We’ve always had a rodeo every year.” Cattlemen’s Days started on the dirt streets downtown. Folks from all over made their way to town, whether by horse and buggy or horseback or any way they could make the trek. Livestock for the rodeo was driven into town from Mergelman Flats, similar to the cattle drives that paved the way for westward expansion of the United States. “That was the only time that herd ever saw a human, so you can just imagine what that was like,” Johnson said. There was a shindig in town, and it may be the only time some families and ranch hands would see friends annually. From 1913-’28, the rodeo and races took place at the Colorado Normal School, now Western Colorado University. It returned to downtown for a few years before the Cattlemen’s Days committee was established in the mid-1930s. The western center that houses the annual gala was created in 1938 and has served as the home of Cattlemen’s Days since. “We’ve had the college’s economics department do our studies for us, and Cattlemen’s Days is still the largest moneymaker of the year for the community,” Jonson said. “They’re saying tourism is taking over as the main staple for Gunnison, but a lot of tourism comes in July when we have Cattlemen’s Days. I still think it’s an extremely important part of the Gunnison community.” The economic impact to the town is important, but there are bigger things at play. This is the community’s jubilee, its county fair. It’s the time of year for class reunions and family gatherings. Children work all year on their 4H projects to have them ready for Cattlemen’s Days. It’s the perfect setting for longtime friends to honor one another and to showcase their pride in Gunnison. “Everything still centers off the rodeo,” Johnson said. “If you didn’t have the rodeo, none of the other things would have taken place in the style they do now.” Johnson served on the committee for about 20 years but continued to volunteer his efforts, working on the timed-event crew until a couple years ago. He’s offered his post to the younger generation, opening opportunities for others to learn the importance of Cattlemen’s Days and what it means to serve the community. Since joining the committee 29 years ago to his status today, Johnson has seen the development of the town’s rodeo. He’s witnessed the growth of the sport from his younger days as a rodeo cowboy originally from Minnesota to the professional athletes competing for more prize money than ever. He’s seen his hometown rodeo go from a small event to one of the top events of its size in the country. Gunnison’s rodeo has an incredible history that has outlived generations of community servants and continues to thrive. It’s foundation was laid on the dirt-and-gravel streets along Main Street and has been built into a magnificent showcase of athletic talent and a community’s fortitude to continue that legacy. Cattlemen’s Days remains a staple in Gunnison, and it’s the perfect reflection of everything that’s right in this picturesque Rocky Mountain community.

BIG SPRING, Texas – There are certain things about west Texas that will likely always be part of its lore. The climate is dry, the terrain rugged. It takes a resilient soul to toil in it. It’s where the West was initially developed, the former Mexican Territory. From here, settlers expanded beyond and found their way to the shores of the Pacific. Those that stayed understood the challenges and the benefits before them. They knew the importance of being hospitable, being there for neighbors and friends while caring for one another. Friends were like family, even if there were miles and time between visits. That mindset helped develop events like the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, now celebrating its 91st year. The tradition continues with this year’s rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21, at the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. Like the generations before them, organizers have placed a premium on being great hosts to their visitors. In this case, it will be the hundreds of contestants who make their way to Howard County for the three-day event. “I think hospitality is very important, but it’s still a little new to us to some degree,” said Scot Herrin, the rodeo committee’s secretary and the man who leads the charge for the hospitality area. “This will be our fourth year doing it, and I think we get better and better every year. The feedback we’re getting is awesome.” The redirection to creating a specific center came about while Herrin was working in the arena. He’d visit with contestants, who were asking if the rodeo committee offered hospitality, a place where contestants and personnel could congregate for a meal and fellowship. That sparked the idea to create the program.  “I always wanted to have it, and when we started it, we reached out to some businesspeople in the area to see if they would donate their time and expense cooking for our hospitality area,” Herrin said. “They jumped in. Not only have they done it, but they’ve done a good job. The fellowship they have with the contestants as they come through is priceless, too. They just love what they’re doing.” Local businesses have stepped up in a big way to support the rodeo and the people that make it happen. The hospitality area for Thursday night’s performance will be presented by H&P Energy Services, while the Friday morning slack will be served by Iron Equipment Rentals. On Friday night, Endurance Lift Solutions will support the hospitality area, while R.C. Specialties will handle the load Saturday. “Those businesses donate their time, donate their food, and it’s always something really, really good,” Herrin said. “It’s not just sandwiches. We try to start a couple of hours before the (performances), and we’ll really go after the performances. The bull riders are the last event, so they’ll come in and enjoy a meal. I sat down with (bull rider) Dustin Boquet last year while he was eating. It wasn’t his best night, but he was enjoying the food and said, ‘You bet, I’ll be back.’ “I think having a good hospitality makes a difference.” That type of dedication has been noticed. Contestants travel great distances in order to compete. A five-hour drive from Big Spring to El Paso is nothing the men and women who rope and ride for a living. Howard County is also an easy stop for a shot at big cash as contestants from across the Lone Star State make their way to outposts like Reno, Nevada, which begins the same day but continues for another week after Big Spring’s rodeo concludes. Being able to enjoy a home-cooked meal served by smiling faces is always nice, especially for cowgirls and cowboys who stare at highway pavement most of the time and compete for a spare few seconds when it’s time to make a ride or a run. Many contestants also love the history that comes with competing inside the rodeo bowl, which was built 75 years ago. “It’s a very neat setting,” said steer wrestler Gary Gilbert, a South Dakota cowboy who attended West Texas A&M in Canyon before settling in Paradise, Texas. “Big Spring has a great rodeo committee, and they have great hospitality. “I haven’t really used it a lot, but it’s nice to know they have breakfast for slack or still have dinner after the performance. I’m one of those guys that doesn’t like to eat before I bulldog, so it’s nice to get something after a performance at places like that where it’s still available. It sure makes it nice when we’re getting ready to head out again.” Volunteers are pulling out all the stops. Shuttles are available to help contestants maneuver between their homes away from home – elaborate rigs outfitted with horse trailers that feature living quarters – to handle business and grab a bite to eat. “We’ve just got good members of the committee,” Herrin said. “They saw a need, and it takes a little while to get from the contestant parking to the secretary’s office. Some of the members had buggies and realized they could give you a ride. That went over really well. “This year we’re going to try to have even more buggies and try to be more hospitable.” Just like their predecessors did nearly a century ago, organizers of the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo are always looking for ways to make the event better while being perfect hosts to the visitors that are so vital to the community.

BIG SPRING, Texas – Emmie and Jinsen Boyd do things about which most adults wouldn’t dream. Emmie is 9, older than Jinsen by two years, and they perform before large crowds at a young age. In the arena with their mom, Summer, the Boyds are prolific horsewomen who showcase their talents and enthrall audiences across North America as trick riders as Summer & Co. Fearless Equine Stunts team. The trio returns to the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21, at the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. “Doing this together as a family is every bit as wonderful as it seems like it would be,” Summer Boyd said. “I don’t think I would be doing it if not for them also being interested in doing it with me. It makes all the difference in the world, and it’s fun to do it with them.” The Boyds were a big hit last June when they performed in front of the energized crowd inside the historic rodeo bowl. That makes their adventure back to Howard County even more invigorating for the family. They will be joined by returning funnyman Justin Rumford, a 10-time winner of the PRCA Clown of the Year who has been recognized as one of the elite entertainers in ProRodeo. “The whole experience last year was great,” Boyd said. “It was a great crowd, a great committee and a great community. We just love being in Big Spring. In fact, my oldest said, ‘I think this may be one of my favorite rodeos just because of all those reasons.’ “We really just enjoyed that community.” The rodeo bowl features a unique setting, where the crowd is virtually on top of the action. It makes for a great experience for fans, who are there to see a high-caliber performance from the athletes and the entertainers. That atmosphere, though, is just as incredible to folks like the Boyds, who work about 20 rodeos a year. “I think we adapt to a variety of arenas we work in,” she said. “I think it’s a really important quality to build and adapt to who you’re catering to, who you’re with and what you’re around. I feel like adaptability and being easy to work with are two really important things in what we do. I also love a rodeo committee that is willing to grow. “They want to make it a better rodeo. Some places we go, the committee might be more close-minded because that’s the way things have always been done. The committee in Big Spring had some big ideas and good ideas and are willing to learn from others around them.” Being flexible also allows Boyd and her family to develop the right kind of show. There’s something special about seeing young girls do incredible tricks while horseback. “I try to match the girls with the horses based on speed and what that girl is doing at the time,” Boyd said. “My 7-year-old doesn’t need a horse with as much speed as the 9-year-old does. Emmie is Roman riding this year, so she has two little black ponies for that. She used to trick ride on one of them. She outgrew the pony she was using last year, so she passed it on to my youngest. “We have a pretty good assortment, but the thing I found is keeping all three of us in horses is like slave labor. It’s as much work as trick riding, probably more. I’m always working on a new horse to see who is going to end up fitting and where we can slide it in.” It’s a labor of love, and the proof is in the smiles of each of their faces as they perform their stunts and skills. The trio works to perfect each maneuver and each opportunity to work closely with their horses. Being from Lovington, New Mexico, they have a good understanding of what they’re going to experience in mid-June in Big Spring. “We’re somewhat acclimated to the heat, because my oldest makes us practice no matter what the weather’s like,” Boyd said with a laugh. “It’s never too hot or never too cold for us, because the chances are she’s already made us practice in that weather.” Come snow or heat or dark of night, the Boyds will be ready for what the fans in Howard County want to see when it comes to rodeo week.