Hanchey pops NFR bubble
Cinch tie-down roper Shane Hanchey snuck into the field of 15 to make his 16th straight appearance at the National Finals Rodeo. He is the 2013 world champion and a two-time NFR average titlist. (PRCA PHOTO BY HAILEY RAE) Cinch tie-down roper secures 16th straight trip to grand finale Shane Hanchey utilizes a simple […]
Sonnier ready for NFR’s glory
Bareback rider Kade Sonnier will compete at his second National Finals Rodeo in three years when the 10-day championship begins later this next week. He is sixth in the world standings and will battle for rodeo’s gold at Las Vegas. (PHOTO BY DAVE JENNINGS) CARENCRO, La. – Even business trips to Las Vegas are […]
Ability comes in Gray matter
T.J. Gray returns for his second straight qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. His first venture to Las Vegas last December offered a dose of reality, but it also served as a valuable lesson he will have with him when he returns next week. (PRCA PHOTO BY HAILEY RAE) Cinch cowboy one of six […]
Teams ready for NFR moments
Cinch header Kolton Schmidt roped with eight partners through the 2025 regular season; Cinch heeler Jonathan Torres will be his ninth when the two compete next week at the National Finals Rodeo. They are two of 18 Cinch cowboys competing in team roping. (PHOTO BY RIC ANDERSEN) 18 Cinch cowboys will rope for rodeo’s […]
Thurston leads a hungry pack
Eight Cinch cowboys are among the saddle bronc riding qualifiers to this year’s National Finals Rodeo, led by four-time world champion Zeke Thurston, who won the third round of the 2024 NFR on Powder River Rodeo’s Miss Valley. (PRCA PHOTO BY ROSEANNA SALES) Four-time world champion one of eight Cinch bronc riders ready for […]
Lucia adds his voice to NFR
Anthony Lucia is the reigning two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, but he returns to Las Vegas as one of the three announcers selected to emcee the National Finals Rodeo. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN) Cinch announcer joins veterans inside the Thomas & Mack Anthony Lucia stood surrounded by a packed inside the Thomas & […]
Youth movement hits rodeo
Cooper Cooke of Victor, Idaho, is one of three Cinch bareback riders that will compete at the 2025 National Finals Rodeo. Cooke will return to Las Vegas for the second straight year and will be joined by Texan Cole Franks and Louisianan Waylon Bourgeois. (PRCA PHOTO BY ALEXIS CADY) Cinch bareback riders will put […]
Struxness ready for NFR shine
J.D. Struxness will have an opportunity to defend his steer wrestling world championship during his seventh qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. Struxness, the 2016 intercollegiate champion, heads to Las Vegas No. 6 in the world standings. (PRCA PHOTO BY ROSEANNA SALES) MILAN, Minn. – The gleam of gold will tarnish, but what that […]
Shadbolt ready for NFR revenge
After some struggles at the 2024 National Finals Rodeo, Nebraska bareback rider Garrett Shadbolt let it motivate him this season. He earned nearly $170,000 riding bucking horses and will return to the NFR for the fourth time. (PRCA PHOTO BY PHIL DOYLE) MERRIMAN, Neb. – Garrett Shadbolt has been on a 12-month mission. It’s […]
Miller confident heading to NFR
Over the last 12 months, Bradlee Miller has earned more than $440,000 riding bucking horses, including $234,000 at last year’s National Finals Rodeo. He returns to the scene of the crime as the third-ranked bareback rider in the world standings. (PRCA PHOTO BY ALEXIS CADY) HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The life Bradlee Miller had as […]
Anderson stays steady for NFR
Steer wrestler Bridger Anderson utilized a steady approach to his 2025 regular season. The result is a return to ProRodeo’s grand championship, the National Finals Rodeo, where the North Dakotan will be in a battle for the world championship. (PRCA PHOTO BY CLICK THOMPSON) CARRINGTON, N.D. – The old adage “slow is smooth; smooth […]
Pope ready to shine in Vegas
Jess Pope enters his sixth straight National Finals Rodeo fourth in the bareback riding world standings. He’s had great success at the NFR, with three average titles, a world championship and nearly $1 million in earnings over 50 go-rounds. (PRCA PHOTO BY CLICK THOMPSON) WAVERLY, Kan. – Jess Pope’s star has shined bright most […]
Thompson to defend gold buckle
Bareback riding world champion Dean Thompson will try to defend his Montana Silversmiths gold buckle during his third qualification to the sport’s Super Bowl, the National Finals Rodeo. Thompson won the average championship in 2024, which catapulted him to the top of the bareback riding mountain. (PRCA PHOTO BY ALEXIS CADY) ALTAMONT, Utah – […]
Allen carrying a swagger to NFR
Tucker Allen returns to his second straight National Finals Rodeo as the No. 5 man in the steer wrestling world standings. The California cowboy will battle for the most cherished prize in rodeo, the world champion’s gold buckle, during 10 days in Las Vegas. (PRCA PHOTO BY HAILEY RAE) VENTURA, Calif. – The boundary […]
Clarendon College to honor NFR cowboys
CLARENDON, Texas – The Clarendon College rodeo team is off to a hot start to the 2025-26 season, the inaugural campaign of the Caprock Region. The Bulldogs have won men’s team titles at all five fall rodeos, from Eastern New Mexico University in mid-September to the home rodeo this past weekend at Childress. The program […]
Franks ready to star at the NFR
Bareback rider Cole Franks returns for the fourth time to the National Finals Rodeo, where he has found great success in his first 30 rounds of competition in Las Vegas. He finished the regular season fifth in the world standings with a shade more than $200,000. (PRCA PHOTO BY CLICK THOMPSON) CLARENDON, Texas – […]
Patterson prepping for first NFR
Saddle bronc rider Weston Patterson had the best season of his young career with big-time rides at big-time rodeos, like the Calgary Stampede. He will compete at the National Finals Rodeo for the first time as the 11th-ranked man in the world standings. (PHOTO BY EMILY GETHKE/Calgary Stampede) WAVERLY, Kan. – Growing up near […]
Making a run for the money
In his 15 years competing professionally, Kyle Irwin is a two-time national circuit titlist and the 2022 National Finals Rodeo average champion. The Cinch steer wrestler will compete at the NFR for the seventh time this December. (PHOTO BY LARA ST JACQUES) A former average champ, Irwin excited for his return to the NFR […]
Bourgeois rebounds for NFR bid
Louisiana bareback rider Waylon Bourgeois rides Calgary Stampede’s Cincy Whitney during the 2024 Horse Haven Roundup in Kennewick, Washington. Bourgeois has qualified to compete at the National Finals Rodeo for the first time this December after just missing the sport’s championship a season ago. (PHOTO BY ROSEANNA SALES) CHURCH POINT, La. – Waylon Bourgeois […]
Rodeo honored by state pageant
Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo committee members, from left, Carson Kane, Bailey Kane, Sherry Stonecipher and Ken Stonecipher pose with Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Cassidy Heskett after receiving the committee of the year award during the Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Hall of Fame Gala & Best of Oklahoma Awards on Saturday in Norman. (PHOTO PROVIDED) GUYMON, Okla. […]
Dingman crowned with title belt
Payton Dingman hoists her goat-tying title belt alongside Northwestern Oklahoma State University alumnus Perry Dietz after Dingman won the Rangers’ rodeo over the weekend. (PHOTO PROVIDED) ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo team said sayonara to the Alva Dome, which has hosted the institution’s annual rodeo on the south end of […]
Good ground is good for all
Summer Kosel takes advantage of a very fast track inside Andy James Arena. Kosel, a 2023 National Finals Rodeo qualifier, was one of seven ladies to better the previous barrel racing arena record during the 2025 Gooding Pro Rodeo presented by Idaho Ford Dealers. She stopped the clock in 16.66 seconds to win the rodeo. […]
Bio reveals Gander’s magic
World’s Toughest Rodeo: How One Cowboy Blazed a Trail for Western Sports is a biography about Steve Gander written by Ted Harbin and produced by W. Brand Publishing. It releases Nov. 11 but can be purchased now at https://books.by/w-brand-publishing/worlds-toughest-rodeo. Harbin pens World’s Toughest Rodeo as a memoir about success When his parents needed […]
Rooftop at the top of the game
Graphic by the PRCA Increased purse pushes Estes Park rodeo into the Playoff Series ESTES PARK, Colo. – There is a proud history associated with Rooftop Rodeo, and the legend continues to grow with time. Estes Park’s rodeo has been named one of the best. It’s a six-time winner of the ProRodeo of the […]