Friday Night Lights hits town
(PHOTO COURTESY BRIGHTLIGHT DRONE SHOWS) GUNNISON, Colo. – Friday Night Lights has a new take this July. Instead of Texas high school football, the annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration is taking it in a different direction during its inaugural after-party on Friday, July 10, following the second performance of the PRCA rodeo. As soon as the […]
Bulldogs win four national titles
Clarendon College freshman Tagg Bond is one of three Bulldogs to win a national championship last week at the College National Finals Rodeo. He was joined by bareback rider Carson Hildre and steer wrestler Andrew Morian, and the Clarendon’s men won the team title for the third time in six years. (PHOTO BY JACKIE JENSEN) […]
Roundup increasing its purse
DODGE CITY, Kan. – Dollars make sense in rodeo. Unlike other professional sports, cowboys and cowgirls do not receive guaranteed contracts. Contestants only earn money at rodeos by beating most of the field. On top of that, they cover their own traveling costs and pay a fee in order to compete. Volunteers with Dodge City […]
Edler, horse honored at CNFR
Emmett Edler makes a 4.2-second run during Saturday’s short round of the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. He won the round and finished fourth in the steer wrestling final standings, and his mount, D1, was named the Steer Wrestling and Men’s Horse of the Year. (PHOTO BY JACKIE JENSEN) ALVA, Okla. – […]
Ranches part of Estes history
Like many existing ranches in the Estes Valley, Meadowdale Ranch has an established history. All ranches near Estes Park carry on a legacy of Western heritage, which is just one reason they have ties to the annual Rooftop Rodeo. (COURTESY PHOTO OF TONI BROWN) Rooftop Rodeo to honor local operations and their Western heritage […]
Family brings tradition to life
Louis Garcilazo is a fourth-generation charro, carrying on the family’s legacy as a horseman and an entertainer. He will be part of the family act that includes his father, four-time PRCA Dress Act of the Year Tomás Garcilazo, and his mother, Justine Garcilazo, during the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. (PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARRO ON THE […]
Stars making their way to Pecos
Heeler Jake Long, left, and header Andrew Ward won the West of the Pecos Rodeo last June, and it served as the catalyst for the tandem’s team roping world championship in December. (PRCA PHOTO BY CLICK THOMPSON) PECOS, Texas – The race for a rodeo world championship takes 14 and a half months. The […]
Snoopy adds flair for clown
John Harrison’s trick horse, Snoopy, is quite the character. His personality is unique, and Harrison has made it part of a comedy act, which will be part of this year’s West of the Pecos Rodeo. (PHOTO BY CODY CARDENAS) PECOS, Texas – When Snoopy arrived at southeastern Oklahoma, his new owner had big plans […]
Merritt has laughs for Gunnison
Matt Merritt is the reigning PRCA Clown of the Year, and he will be one of the featured entertainers at this year’s Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo in Gunnison. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) GUNNISON, Colo. – Matt Merritt knew early what he wanted to do with his life. “I was pretty young when I realized […]
Gooding’s crazy idea works
Southern Idaho community has become a major player in rodeo GOODING, Idaho – In rodeo, this community of less than 4,000 souls is seen as the “Little Engine That Could.” Much like the classic children’s story by Watty Piper, many underestimated what the Gooding Pro Rodeo could become. The people in the southern Idaho town […]
After-party coming to the rodeo
Randy “Stretch” Mayer will return to his ol’ disc jockey days as the featured attraction during the after-party following the Friday, July 10, performance of the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. Mayer, who has worked some of the biggest events in rodeo and is a regular nominee for PRCA Music Director of the Year, has been […]
Charros to celebrate heritage
Tomás Garcilazo will return to the West of the Pecos Rodeo, showcasing his Mexican heritage as a charro. His act now incorperates his family, including wife Justine and oldest son Louis. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) A celebrated horseman, Garcilazo and family will be in Pecos PECOS, Texas – For years, Tomás Garcilazo has been […]
Queen has a local passion
Finch is living a Rooftop Rodeo dream she’s had since she was young ESTES PARK, Colo. – With a diploma in hand and a sash across her chest, Lily Finch is entrenched in a summertime tradition that is Rooftop Rodeo. As this year’s matriarch of the royalty program, Finch is the Rooftop Rodeo queen, a […]
Bean sprints to Big Spring title
Madison Bean was the third to last cowgirl to run at the 2026 Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo and posted the fastest time, a 15-58-second run to win the title. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) BIG SPRING, Texas – When Madison Bean says she was born to be a barrel racer, she means it. […]
Coblentz has new role for rodeo
GUNNISON, Colo. – Six years ago, the world faced an uncertainty as a global pandemic raged. Schools and businesses shuttered. Professional rodeo, which boasts of more than 600 events annually, had been reduced by hundreds. Not many braved the idea of mass gatherings during the uncertainty revolving around COVID. It put a 120-year tradition on […]
Ropers stay steady at wet rodeo
Header Dustin Egusquiza turns his steer for his heeler, J.C. Flake, during their 4.0-second run Friday night to take the team roping lead at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) BIG SPRING, Texas – A slight drizzle sprinkled over team ropers Dustin Egusquiza and J.C. Flake, but they were […]
McGehee draws the right color
Lane McGehee rides Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted Colors for 83 points to take the early bareback riding lead at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) BIG SPRING, Texas – Bareback rider Lane McGehee just had a feeling about his Thursday night match-up at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion […]
Pecos arena gets big upgrade
PECOS, Texas – There is a new look to the “World’s First Rodeo.” While history is certainly on the side of the West of the Pecos Rodeo, Reeves County officials have made some important upgrades to Buck Jackson Arena. Everything is ready in time for this year’s event, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24-Saturday, […]
Rangers ready for college finals
As student director for the Central Plains Region, Northwestern Oklahoma State University sophomore Payton Dingman had an automatic bid for the College National Finals Rodeo. She wanted to earn a spot in the championship, though. She did by finishing second in the region and will compete alongside five athlete on the men’s side, Colter Snook, […]
App gives contestants a leg up
Calf Tracker helps keep tabs on timed-event livestock in rodeo MARYVILLE, Mo. – The art of scouting in rodeo is evolving. Just like football teams who watch film of an upcoming opponent, cowboys and cowgirls try to learn as much as they can about the animal they have drawn. For years, they have studied sheets […]
Yerigan gets the call in Pecos
Garrett Yerigan, a two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, will return to West Texas to announce the West of the Texas Rodeo. He teamed with fellow emcee Anthony Lucia a year ago, but this year he takes the reins by himself. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) PECOS, Texas – Garrett Yerigan is a full-fledged Texan […]
8 receive scholarships at rodeo
Eight scholarship recipients are honored while riding in the back of a horse-pulled wagon from Broken Spoke Clydesdales during last weekend’s Will Rogers Stampede. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) Eight Rogers County students were recognized during Saturday’s second performance of the Will Rogers Stampede with scholarships to help with the next level of their education. […]
Rodeo has new record of entries
In addition to increased prize money, the record number of entrants into the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo will also be trying to win championship buckles. (PHOTO BY ZACH HERRIN) BIG SPRING, Texas – The good news about the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo is making headlines. Members of the volunteer committee […]
Written the Wright way
Estes Park man pens book about the history of Rooftop Rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – The state of Colorado was just 52 years old when folks in Estes Park decided to establish a gathering now called Rooftop Rodeo. Over the years since the first competition, a tradition has continued. As the community prepares to celebrate […]