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GUNNISON, Colo. – Nicole Hadley had some things to prove. She arrived in this community a day before she was scheduled to rope, because she has an investigative mind. She wanted to see what the cattle looked like and prepare her mind for her breakaway roping run during Saturday’s final performance of the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. That homework paid off, and Hadley stopped the clock in 1.8 seconds to share the victory at the first breakaway roping at Gunnison’s rodeo during it’s 124th celebration. “I wanted to get a feel for Gunnison since I’ve probably passed through her when I was a little tyke,” said Hadley of Goodland, Kansas. “I got to know the town of Gunnison, and we went downtown and went to an ice cream truck and at Mario’s Pizza.” She knew that Brighton Bauman of Burleson, Texas, had set the standard during her run Thursday morning, so Hadley threw caution to the wind and went for it. By sharing the title, Bauman and Hadley each collected $2,869, which will move the Kansas cowgirl into first place in the Mountain States Circuit standings. That’s saying something for a cowgirl that was teaching high school agriculture classes just a few months ago. “I actually didn’t start ProRodeoing until last year, so that was my rookie year,” she said. “I’ve been working on my set of horses I had … four really strong horses that are finished and ready to go. I decided I needed to chase my dreams, and I can always go back to teach when I was done.” She’s hoping that’s not anytime soon, but competing at the professional level of rodeo is hard. It wasn’t even available to breakaway ropers until the last few years. The first National Finals Breakaway Roping took place in 2020, and Hadley has some work to do if she ever wants to make it to that mountaintop. “My family has a row-crop farming operation, so they raise corn and wheat,” Hadley said. “I got started in rodeo because my dad grew up actually on the western side of Colorado in Cedaredge, so I was definitely very odd for our area.” She attended Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, then transferred to the University of Wyoming. At both schools, she was an all-around cowgirl, competing in multiple events. That education helped her transition into a life on the rodeo trail, and her goal for the 2024 campaign is to earn enough money to finish the year among the top 40 in the world standings; by doing that, she will qualify to compete in lucrative winter rodeos in Texas, like Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston. Once she saw the calf she had drawn for Saturday’s run, Hadley made a gameplan. “The calf was strong and was going to allow me to have that opportunity to make a really fast run on him,” she said. “About two hours before I roped, I just decided I was going to go fast, so I chose the fast horse, and everything worked in my favor. I’m super thankful for that.” That mount is Ginger, a 19-year-old sorrel mare she’s had for 12 years. “She’s been to the high school finals and the college finals, and now to the ProRodeos,” Hadley said. “She’s not the one I usually call on, but she’s definitely a horse I like to use on a faster setup where the scores are not long and the calves are pretty strong. “I watched (Friday) night, and I just had a gut feeling that she was the one I needed to ride, and I just went with it.” That gut feeling has her riding high on a Saturday night. Cattlemen’s DaysGunnison, Colo.July 11-13All-around cowboy: Paden Bray, $1,360 in team roping and tie-down roping. Bareback riding: 1. Rocker Steiner, 87 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Big Apple, $3,199; 2. Tilden Hooper, 85, $2,452; 3. Waylon Bourgeois, 84, $1,812; 4. Keenan Hayes, 82.5, $1,173; 6. Drake Amundson, 82, $746; 6. (tie) Cole Franks, Gavin French and Isaac Ingram, 81.5, $426 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Andrew Galloway, 4.6 seconds, $1,773; 2. Jacob Wang, 4.7, $1,542; 3. Jace Logan, 5.2, $1,310; 4. (tie) Garrett Guillot and Cimarron Thompson, 5.4, $964 each; 6. Seth Peterson, 5.7, $617; 6. Hadley Jackson, 6.1, $385; 7. Tate Kvistad, 7.6, $154. Team roping: 1. Jr. Dees/J.C. Flake, 5.1 seconds, $2,433; 2. (tie) Gary Haynes/Bryton Scheller and Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 5.5, $2,004 each; 4. Austin Crist/J.W. Borrego, 5.8, $1,574; 5. (tie) Clay Ullery/Tyce McLeod and Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 6.0, $1,360 each; 7. Corey Whinnery/Robert Murphy, 6.2, $1,145; 8. Brodi Jones/Arye Espenscheid, 6.6, $1,002; 9. Kory Bramwell/Calvin Brevik, 9.5, $859; 10. Blake Hirdes/Mike George, 10.6, $572. Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Brighton Bauman and Nicole Hadley, 1.8 seconds, $2,869 each; 3. Nicole Baggarley, 1.9, $2,171; 4. (tie) Tiffany Schieck and Macy Young, 2.2, $1,706 each; 46. (tie) Kristy Stewart, Jordan Hollabaugh and Shayla Smith, 2.3, $827 each; 9. Brooke Ladner, 2.4, $543; 10. (tie) Beau Peterson and Jade Mitchell, 2.5, $427 each; 12. Kassidy Dennison, 2.6, $310.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Tegan Smith, on United Pro Rodeo’s Ropin Dreams, and Bailey Small, on Rafter G Rodeo’s Blue Velvet, 86.5 points, $2,132 each; 3. Coleman Shallbetter, 86, $1,368; 4. (tie) Jake Finlay and Gus Galliard, 85, $724 each; 6. Isaac Richard, 82, $402; 7. Skinny Parsons, 81.5, $322; 8. (tie) Weston Patterson and Caleb Brangham, 79.5, $121.  Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Brice Ingo, 8.7 seconds, $2,546 each; 3. (tie) Landyn Duncan and J.D. McCuistion, 9.3, $1,836 each; 5. (tie) Jayden Broussard and Riley Pruitt, 9.4, $1,125 each; 7. Hudson Wallace, 10.6, $592; 8. Bart Brunson, 11.1, $237. Barrel racing: 1. Jana Bean, 17.53 seconds, $2,679; 2. Fallon Taylor, 17.74, $2,277; 3. (tie) Tara Seaton and Shy-Anne Jarrett, 17.83, $1,741; 5. Rachel Huerkamp, 17.84, $1,340; 6. Sara Redden, 17.89, $938; 7. (tie) Lindsay McCuiston and Alex Odle, 17.96, $603; 9. Megan Albrecht, 17.98, $469; 10. (tie) Sarah Kieckhefer and Taylour Latham, 18.01,  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – This mountain town is a little bit out of the way for Andrew Galloway. He lives in Albuquerque and works as a farrier. He’s pretty busy with that, but he still finds time to wrestle steers, mostly in the Turquoise Circuit, a series of rodeos and contestants primarily from New Mexico and Arizona. He made the trip worth it by stopping the clock in 4.6 seconds during Friday’s second performance of the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo to take the bulldogging lead. “I love coming to this rodeo; I try to come every year that I can,” said Galloway, 33. “The committee’s great, and normally the cattle are super good here, so I really enjoy coming here.” He specializes in horses that need correction on their hooves. That helps keep him busy, so he’s a part-time rodeo cowboy. “I’ve been blessed enough to do some corrective stuff,” he said. “I do a lot of stuff with limonitic horses, founder and ring bone.” Those types of specialized jobs are necessary to horse owners. He served as an apprentice under renowned farrier Riley Henson, and he’s built on those lessons to serve his clients and their equine partners. When he’s on the rodeo trail, he rides a horse owned by fellow bulldogger Cimarron Thompson of Hobbs, New Mexico, who knocked his steer to the ground in 5.4 Friday and sits in a tie for third place. “I try to go to all my circuit rodeos and anything that’s co-approved,” Galloway said, noting that money won at the rodeo in Monte Vista, Colorado, will count toward the Turquoise Circuit standings. “Gunnison is close to Monte Vista this weekend, so I decided to enter and have a little bit of fun.” He hopes to open his schedule a little more starting next year to rodeo a little more and see what might happen. Of course, all success comes because he rides a good horse and has a solid hazer like Thompson lining out the steers for him. Bulldogging is the only event in rodeo where the athlete has a helper like that. “He sure puts them in my lap, and I think that’s one cool thing about the Turquoise Circuit, because everybody tries to help each other out,” said Galloway, who earned his first trip to the regional finale last year. He finished 10th in the circuit last season and has some work to do if he’s going to advance again this season. He’s 18th on the money list, and only the top 12 will move on. “I’d sure like to make it again,” he said. Cattlemen’s DaysGunnison, Colo.July 11-13Bareback riding: 1. Rocker Steiner, 87 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Big Apple; 2. Tilden Hooper, 85; 3. Waylon Bourgeois, 84; 4. 5. Keenan Hayes, 82; 5. (tie) Cole Franks, Gavin French and Isaac Ingram, 81.5; 8. Monte Downare, 81. Steer wrestling: 1. Andrew Galloway, 4.6 seconds; 2. Jacob Wang, 4.7; 3. (tie) Garrett Guillot and Cimarron Thompson, 5.4; 5. Seth Peterson, 5.7; 6. Hadley Jackson, 6.1; 7. Chisum Docheff, 10.3; Brady Reneau, 30.5. Team roping: 1. Jr. Dees/J.C. Flake, 5.1 seconds; 2. Gary Haynes/Bryton Scheller, 5.5; 3. Austin Crist/J.W. Borrego, 5.8; 4. Clay Ullery/Tyce McLeod, 6.0; 5. Corey Whinnery/Robert Murphy, 6.2; 6. Brodi Jones/Arye Espenscheid, 7. Kory Bramwell/Calvin Brevik, 9.5; 8. Blake Hirdes/Mike George, 10.6. Breakaway roping: 1. Brighton Bauman, 1.8 seconds; 2. Nicole Baggarley, 1.9; 3. Tiffany Schieck, 2.2; 4. (tie) Kristy Stewart and Shayla Smith, 2.3; 6. Brooke Ladner, 2.4; 7. (tie) Beau Peterson and Jade Mitchell, 2.5; 9. Kassidy Dennison, 2.6; 10. (tie) Payton Scalzo, Kinlie Brennise, Haley Mason and Winter Williams, 2.7.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Tegan Smith, on United Pro Rodeo’s Ropin Dreams, and Bailey Small, on Rafter G Rodeo’s Blue Velvet, 86.5 points; 3. (tie) Jake Finlay and Gus Galliard, 85; 5. Isaac Richard, 82; 6. Cauy Pennington, 79; 7. Kolt Ferguson, 77.5; 8. Carter Sandberg, 76.  Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Brice Ingo, 8.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Landyn Duncan and J.D. McCuistion, 9.3 seconds; 5. (tie) Jayden Broussard and Riley Pruitt, 9.4; 7. Bart Brunson, 11.1; 8. Stuart Hoar, 12.4. Barrel racing: 1. Jana Bean, 17.53 seconds; 2. Fallon Taylor, 17.74; 3. Tara Seaton, 17.83; 4. Shy-Anne Jarrett, 17.83; 5. Rachel Huerkamp, 17.84; 6. Sara Redden, 17.89; 7. Megan Albrecht, 17.98; 8. (tie) Sarah Kieckhefer and Taylour Latham, 18.01; 10. Kelly Yates, 18.06; 11. C.J. Vondette, 18.07; 12. Ryleigh Hauer, 18.08. Bull riding: 1. Luke Mackey, 87 points on Harper Morgan’s Can’t Get It Rig; 2. Brody Hasenack, 83.5; 3. Vinell Mariano, 80; no other qualified rides.

GUNNISON, Colo. – ProRodeo contestants must have short memories. They can’t celebrate the highs too much, and they can’t stay in the dumps when things don’t go their way. Even at just 20 years old, Rocker Steiner understands that as well as the most veteran of cowboys. Thirty hours after a rough day at the Calgary Stampede, Steiner turned the corner in a big way, riding United Pro Rodeo’s Big Apple for 87 points to take the bareback riding lead on Thursday’s opening night of the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. “I had one bad ride with ahorse that nobody’s really ever heard of, (one that) turned back real tight in the chute and jumped away from me and started running away,” he said of his 64-point ride Wednesday afternoon before rebounding in Gunnison. “That’s the best part of rodeo. You have a bad horse, so you go on to the next one, and you get on a good one. “Today was a really good tune-up. I call it practicing (while) making money at the same time. That was a great practice for sure that you can win a lot of money on.” He and his traveling posse – two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Cole Franks of Clarendon, Texas, and Waylon Bourgeois of Church Point, Louisiana – left town en route to two Wyoming rodeos Friday and Saturday before the trio returns to Calgary for the championship round. Making a solid ride on a good horse in the Rocky Mountains is just what Steiner needs as he builds his confidence for Showdown Sunday in Alberta. “I’m taking this year a lot more serious than I have before,” said Steiner, a two-time NFR qualifier from Weatherford, Texas. “It’s not that I didn’t take the past two years previously, but maybe not exactly as seriously as I should.” He was a bit of a wunderkind in bareback riding. He took a different approach than most, and he’s been one of the best in the business since turning pro two seasons ago. He was the 2022 Resistol Rookie of the Year and has won at some of the biggest rodeos in the sport. He’s claimed NFR go-round titles and earlier this year staked claim to titles at large Texas indoor events in Fort Worth and San Antonio. He sits third in the world standings with earnings already near $110,000. “There’s just nothing else I want to do other than riding bareback horses,” he said. “It kinda calms all the noise around in my life.” He feels the same way about rodeo as his roommates on the road. Franks is 23 and is 11th in the world standings. Bourgeois is 25 and sits 18th. With only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advancing to ProRodeo’s grand finale, Steiner is hoping all three will get to play for the biggest pay in the game this December in Las Vegas.” “Franky is going to be going to his third NFR, and Waylon’s going to be going into his first,” Steiner said. “It would mean a lot to me to be going down the road with Waylon when he makes his first NFR. That’s a journey I feel like we can share forever, because at my first finals, I didn’t get to do it with anybody, other than my dad. “I don’t have a lot of friends in this world, and I might not be the easiest guy to get along with, but the ones I do have, I love with all my heart. I’ll do anything for those two guys going with me this year, my closest friends, and I’ll do anything to get them to the finals with me.” Cattlemen’s DaysGunnison, Colo.July 11-13Bareback riding: 1. Rocker Steiner, 87 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Big Apple; 2. Tilden Hooper, 85; 3. Waylon Bourgeois, 84; 4. (tie) Cole Franks, Gavin French and Isaac Ingram, 81.5; 7. Kash Martin, 79; 8. Hayden James 75. Steer wrestling: 1. Jacob Wang, 4.7 seconds; 2. Garrett Guillot, 5.4; 3. Seth Peterson, 5.7; 4. Hadley Jackson, 6.1; 5. Chisum Docheff, 10.3; no other qualified runs. Team roping: 1. Gary Haynes/Bryton Scheller, 5.5 seconds; 2. Austin Crist/J.W. Borrego, 5.8; 3. Clay Ullery/Tyce McLeod, 6.0; 4. Corey Whinnery/Robert Murphy, 6.2; 5. Kory Bramwell/Calvin Brevik, 9.5; 6. Blake Hirdes/Mike George, 10.6; 7. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 12.3; 8. Josh Kurfiss/Joey Menegati, 12.6 Breakaway roping: 1. Brighton Bauman, 1.8 seconds; 2. Nicole Baggarley, 1.9; 3. Tiffany Schieck, 2.2; 4. (tie) Kristy Stewart and Shayla Smith, 2.3; 6. Brooke Ladner, 2.4; 7. (tie) Beau Peterson and Jade Mitchell, 2.5; 9. Kassidy Dennison, 2.6; 10. (tie) Payton Scalzo, Kinlie Brennise, Haley Mason and Winter Williams, 2.7.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. Tegan Smith, 86.5 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Ropin Dreams; 2. (tie) Jake Finlay and Gus Galliard, 85; 4. Isaac Richard, 82; 5. Cauy Pennington, 79; 6. Carter Sandberg, 76; no other qualified rides.  Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Landyn Duncan and J.D. McCuistion, 9.3 seconds; 3. (tie) Jayden Broussard and Riley Pruitt, 9.4; 5. Bart Brunson, 11.1; 6. Stuart Hoar, 12.4; 7. Luke Meier12.5; 8. Chase Webster, 14.5. Barrel racing: 1. Fallon Taylor, 17.74; 2. Tara Seaton, 17.83; 3. Rachel Huerkamp, 17.84; 4. Sara Redden, 17.89; 5. Megan Albrecht, 17.98; 6. (tie) Sarah Kieckhefer and Taylour Latham, 18.01; 8. Kelly Yates, 18.06; 9. Ryleigh Hauer, 18.08; 10. Codi Harman, 18.13; 11. Mackenzie McCuistion, 18.18; 12. Rayne Grant, 18.20. Bull riding: 1. Vinell Mariano, 80 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s -33; no other qualified rides.

ESTES PARK, Colo. – After 48 cowboys had failed, Trevor Reiste was in a position everyone wanted. He was the second-to-last bull rider to go at this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, and not one of his compadres had earned the eight-second qualifying ride. Reiste was matched with Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Midnight Flyer during Wednesday’s sixth performance. He hunkered down on the bull and wrapped his hand tightly to the bull rope that was strapped around the behemoth, preparing his body for the explosion of bovine flesh. Everyone knew what was at stake. A single qualified ride meant a boatload of Colorado cash to the cowboy. “I just try not to think about it,” said Reiste, 31, of Linden, Iowa. “I know I’ve got to ride my bull, so I just have to ignore the announcer and everybody else and don’t even try to pay much attention to the bulls before me. It’s tough sometimes, because they’re all my friends, and I want to do them good. I try to keep a clear mind and jus think about my bull and what I need to do.” It worked. Reiste and Midnight Flyer matched moves for 83 points, and the cowboy walked away from Estes Park with more than $18,000. Sitting 27th in the world standings heading into this week, Reiste has a plan for every dollar earned in this Rocky Mountain community. Atop the priority list is to use it toward a second qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. He earned his first seven seasons ago and has been eager to return to ProRodeo’s grand finale. He’s been among the top bull riders in the game for several years, but he’s just missed out on returning to Las Vegas. Only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event advance to the NFR, and the Iowa cowboy is trying to climb that ladder of success. “I took a couple deep breaths before I slid up and nodded to kind of clear my head one last second before it all got started,” he said. “I had a really rough winter, so I’m just trying to make up for it now.” Momentum is big in any sport, and rodeo is no different. A few days before, Reiste pocketed about $11,000 in Oakley, Utah. “The more you think about each rodeo at a time, it seems to help keep you focused,” Reiste said. “I don’t think of it as a streak. I just focus on one bull at a time. When you feel good, you ride good.” He’s feeling pretty good about his experience this week in Estes Park. Rooftop RodeoJuly 5-10All-around cowboy: Jase Staudt, $2,494, tie-down roping and team roping.Bareback riding: 1. Clay Jorgenson, 83.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Easy Does It, $5,633; 2. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Donny Proffit, 81, $3,755 each; 4. (tie) Cooper Filipek and Lane McGehee, 80.5, $1,690 each; 6. Cole Franks, 80, $939; 7. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Wyatt Denny and Bodee Lammers, 79.5, $438 each.Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Wyatt Johnson, 3.9 seconds, $1,215; 2. Cole Trainor, 4.2, $1,006; 3. Kodie Jang, 4.3, $796; 4. Hadley Jackson, 4.6, $587; 5. Jacob Sterkel, 5.4, $377; 6. (tie) Gage Hesse and Kalane Anders, 5.6, $105 each. Second round: 1. Austin Eller, 3.7 seconds, $1,215; 2. Kodie Jang, 4.2, $1,006; 3. (tie) Cole Trainor, Zackery Woods and Zach Hamar, 5.0, $587 each; 6. Wyatt Johnson, 5.3, $209. Average: 1. Kodie Jang, 8.5 seconds on two head, $1,823; 2. (tie) Wyatt Johnson and Cole Trainor, 9.2, $1,351 each; 4. Kalane Anders, 11.4, $880; 5. Gage Hesse, 14.7, $566; 6. Grant Peterson, 15.2, $314.Team roping: First round: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 5.1 seconds, $1,702 each; 2. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2, $1,408; 3. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 5.4, $1,115; 4. (tie) Wyatt Murray/Rhett Nebeker and Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard, 5.6, $675 each; 6. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 6.0, $293. Second round: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 5.1 seconds, $1,702 each; 2. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.5, $1,408; 3. Rio Nutter/Coy Johnson, 5.6, $1,115; 4. Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 6.3, $822; 5. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 6.4, $528; 6. Todd Drommond/Levi Walter, 6.6, $293. Average: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 11.1 seconds on two head, $2,553 each; 2. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 11.6, $2,113; 3. Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 12.7, $1,672; 4. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 15.5, $1,232; 5. Nate Kirtley/Jett Hillman, 15.7, $792; 6. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.0, $440.Saddle bronc riding: 1. Lefty Holman, 81.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Cactus Flats, $5,668; 2. Carson Bingham, 80.5, $4,346; 3. (tie) Keene Justesen and Weston Patterson, 80, $2,645 each; 5. (tie) Shorty Garrett and Quintin McWhorter, 79.5, $1,134 each; 7. Statler Wright, 79, $756; 8. Wyatt Casper, 78.5, $567.Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Hayden Ford, 8.4 seconds, $1,675; 2. Trevor Thiel, 8.6, $1,386; 3. (tie) Cole Walker and Cash Fuesz, 8.8, $953 each; 5. Sterling Smith, 9.0, $520; 6. Ace Slone, 9.1, $289. Second round: 1. Gio Piloto, 7.9 seconds, $1,675; 2. Chance Wall, 8.2, $1,386; 3. (tie) Cash Fretwell and Connor Matheson, 8.4, $953 each; 5. (tie) Zack Kirkpatrick and Rodney Jackson, 8.5, $404 each. Average: 1. Hayden Ford, 17.3 seconds on two head, $2,512; 2. Cash Fretwell, 17.7, $2,079; 3. Connor Matheson, 18.1, $1,646; 4. Austin Lawrence, 18.4, $1,213; 5. Cash Fuesz, 18.6, $780; 6. Zaine Mikita, 18.8, $433.Barrel racing: 1. Kathy Grimes, 16.23 seconds, $3,925; 2. Sharin Hall, 16.33, $3,140; 3. (tie) Shelley Morgan and Laura Lambert, 16.41, $2,257 each; 5. Kelly Allen, 16.43, $1,570; 6. Madison McCaffity, 16.52, $1,178; 7. Sage Kohr, 16.60, $981; 8. Tillar King, 16.61, $883; 9. Jentry Vandenberg, 16.62, $785; 10. Sami Jo Buum, 16.63, $687; 11. Codi Harman, 16.67, $589; 12. CJ Vondette, 16.68, $491; 13. (tie) Madison Bean and Fallon Taylor, 16.70, $343 each; 15. (tie) Ashlyn Goven and Kelsey Lensegrav, 16.73, $98 each.Bull riding: * 1. Trevor Reiste, 85 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Midnight Flyer, $18,202; no other qualified rides.

ESTES PARK, Colo. – Weston Patterson is on the outside looking in, but he’s got lots of time to put himself in the right position by the time ProRodeo’s regular season comes to a close. “I’m right there in the top 35 in the world (standings),” said Patterson, 22, originally from Waverly, Kansas, but now living in the tiny western Oklahoma community of Hydro. “It’s a lot better than it was last year, so I’m really thankful for that. I’m just going to keep knocking them out one by one and hopefully be in running for the (National) Finals this fall.” He gave himself a shot during Tuesday’s fifth performance of Rooftop Rodeo. Patterson rode Cervi Brothers’ Trap Queen for 80 points and sits second in the bronc-riding race with one night remaining in Estes Park’s Rodeo. He’s 34th in the standings with $34,358. Most importantly, he has three months remaining on the regular season in order to put himself into position to play for the biggest pay in rodeo. Only the top 15 on the money list at the end of September qualify for the NFR, which takes place over 10 days in December at Las Vegas. “There’s a lot of money still to be won in the next two and a half months, so a guy definitely can’t get sour and start sweating it,” he said. That’s the maturing process that comes with competing in a sport like rodeo, where there are no guaranteed salaries, and every contestant must pay a fee in order to compete. Cowboys travel tens of thousands of miles in order to make ends meet. In Patterson’s case, he goes from one rodeo to another with three veterans, Jake Clark, Wyatt Casper and Kade Bruno; the latter two have six NFR qualifications between them.   “Especially with the guys I’m in with, I feel like I’ve grown, not just as a rider but also mentally,” Patterson said. “I’m a lot more confident, and I like the way it’s looking.” Having the right group of guys around him has made Patterson realize how important it is to not only try to ride as well as possible but to also keep a solid approach to the game when it doesn’t. “Jake has a very positive attitude, and that goes a long way when you’re out here all year,” he said of Clark, who is 47th in the standings this week. “Being on the road can be hard, but thee guys make it a lot easier – being around good, positive traveling partners that keep it cool, calm, relaxed and fun. It makes the season seem actually shorter than it can be.” Rooftop RodeoJuly 5-10Bareback riding leaders: 1. Clay Jorgenson, 83.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Easy Does It; 2. Donny Proffit, 81; 3. (tie) Cooper Filipek and Lane McGehee, 80.5 each; 5. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Wyatt Denny and Bodee Lammers, 79.5 each. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Wyatt Johnson, 3.9 seconds, $1,215; 2. Cole Trainor, 4.2, $1,006; 3. Kodie Jang, 4.3, $796; 4. Hadley Jackson, 4.6, $587; 5. Jacob Sterkel, 5.4, $377; 6. (tie) Kalane Anders and Gage Hesse, 5.6, $105 each. Second round leaders: 1. Austin Eller, 3.7 seconds; 2. Kodie Jang, 4.2; 3. (tie) Zach Hamar and Zackery Woods, 5.0 each; 5. Wyatt Johnson, 5.3; 6. Kalane Anders, 5.8. Average leaders: 1. Kodie Jang, 8.5 seconds on two head; 2. Wyatt Johnson, 9.2; 3. Kalane Anders, 11.4; 4. Gage Hesse, 14.7; 5. Grant Peterson, 15.2; 6. Hadley Jackson, 17.8; no other qualified runs. Team roping: First round: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 5.1 seconds, $1,702 each; 2. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2, $1,408; 3. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 5.4, $1,115; 4. (tie) Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard and Wyatt Murray/Rhett Nebeker, 5.6, $675 each; 6. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 6.0, $293. Second round leaders: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 5.1 seconds; 2. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.5; 3. Rio Nutter/Coy Johnson, 5.6; 4. Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 6.3; 5. Todd Drommond/Levi Walter, 6.6; 6. Peter Bennett/Nick Nichols, 8.8. Average leaders: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 11.1 seconds on two head; 2. Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 12.7; 3. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 15.5; 4. Nate Kirtley/Jett Hillman, 15.7; 5. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.0; 6. Peter Bennett/Nick Nichols, 17.4; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Carson Bingham, 80.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Kiss My Ace; 2. Weston Patterson, 80; 3. (tie) Shorty Garrett and Q McWhorter, 79.5 each; 5. Statler Wright, 79; 6. Wyatt Casper, 78.5. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Hayden Ford, 8.4 seconds, $1,675; 2. Trevor Thiel, 8.6, $1,386; 3. (tie) Cash Fuesz and Cole Walker, 8.8, $953 each; 5. Sterling Smith, 9.0, $520; 6. Ace Slone, 9.1, $289. Second round leaders: 1. Chance Wall, 8.2 seconds; 2. Cash Fretwell, 8.4; 3. (tie) Rodney Jackson and Zack Kirkpatrick, 8.5 each; 5. Hayden Ford, 8.9; 6. (tie) Bryan Moon and Jeremiah Peek, 9.0 each. Average leaders: 1. Hayden Ford, 17.3 seconds on two head; 2. Cash Fretwell, 17.7; 3. Austin Lawrence, 18.4; 4. Cash Fuesz, 18.6; 5. Zaine Mikita, 18.8; 6. Jeremiah Peek, 18.9; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing leaders: 1. Sharin Hall, 16.33 seconds; 2. (tie) Laura Lambert and Shelley Morgan, 16.41 each; 4. Kelly Allen, 16.43; 5. Madison McCaffity, 16.52; 6. Sage Kohr, 16.60. Bull riding leaders: No qualified rides.

ESTES PARK, Colo. – Austin Eller knew he needed to be fast. He struggled a couple days ago in the opening round of steer wrestling at the Rooftop Rodeo, so his only chance at making money in Estes Park was to be speedy during Monday’s fourth performance. Riding Dallas, a 16-year-old sorrel gelding he owns, Eller grappled his steer to the ground in 3.7 seconds to take the second-round lead after making the fastest run of the rodeo. “I had to be fast, and I had the steer to do it on,” said Eller, 30 of Glendo, Wyoming. “He was a bit slower, so I just tried to take advantage of the situation.” Meanwhile, he was also supporting his traveling partner, Australian Kodie Jang, who finished third in the opening round, sits right behind Eller in the second round and leads the two-run aggregate with a cumulative time of 8.5 seconds. They’re taking advantage of Dallas, a red racer with the right mindset to do things right when it comes to help cowboys wrestle steers. “I trained him, and Nick Guy rode him at the (National Finals Rodeo) last year,” Eller said. “He’s been a blessing. “I got him when he was 4, so I’ve had him for a while. I bought him and ranched on him for a couple of years. He was just a blowed-up team roping horse, so I ranched on him for a long time to get him to where I had more control of him. Now, he’s just dog-gentle. My kids ride around on him; he’s just a big pet.” A good horse helps cowboys go a long way. For their owners, there are many advantages. In addition to the potential of winning a big second-round payday at Rooftop Rodeo, Eller lets other bulldoggers ride Dallas and earns a percentage of their winnings. The better the horse, the more cowboys want the ride. In Guy’s case, the Wisconsin steer wrestler earned about $72,000 at the 2023 NFR, Eller took a nice piece of that pie by the time ProRodeo’s championship came to a close. Making the NFR is every cowboy’s dream, but they have to have a successful campaign to make it happen. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to Las Vegas in December. “I’m going pretty hard this year,” Eller said. “I want to make sure right now that I make the (Mountain States) Circuit Finals and just keep trying to get into everything where I can get qualified for all the winter rodeos so I can go harder next year. “I’ve stayed hooked, but I haven’t had near the success I wanted to out here.” The Mountain States Circuit is made up primarily of rodeos and contestants in Wyoming and Colorado, so doing well in Estes Park can go a long way to bolstering one of Eller’s goals. Known for being a big man’s rodeo event – Guy is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds – Eller is a bit more diminutive, but he doesn’t let that slow him down. Why does he do an event that is defined by brawn? “I started bulldogging when I was 16 years old on a dare,” he said. “Somebody told me I wasn’t tough enough, and I just started by proving them wrong and just fell in love with it. “Sometimes you might just get packed off, but on the good ones, if you do it right, it’s going to work, and it looks good, too.” Rooftop RodeoJuly 5-10Bareback riding leaders: 1. Clay Jorgenson, 83.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Easy Does It; 2. Donny Proffit, 81; 3. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Wyatt Denny and Bodee Lammers, 79.5 each; 6. Keenan Hayes, 79. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Wyatt Johnson, 3.9 seconds, $1,215; 2. Cole Trainor, 4.2, $1,006; 3. Kodie Jang, 4.3, $796; 4. Hadley Jackson, 4.6, $587; 5. Jacob Sterkel, 5.4, $377; 6. (tie) Kalane Anders and Gage Hesse, 5.6, $105 each. Second round leaders: 1. Austin Eller, 3.7 seconds; 2. Kodie Jang, 4.2; 3. Zach Hamar, 5.0; 4. Wyatt Johnson, 5.3; 5. Kalane Anders, 5.8; 6. (tie) Avery Jamerman, Cody Pratt and Brian Snell, 6.2 each. Average leaders: 1. Kodie Jang, 8.5 seconds on two head; 2. Wyatt Johnson, 9.2; 3. Kalane Anders, 11.4; 4. Gage Hesse, 14.7; 5. Hadley Jackson, 17.8; 6. Austin Eller, 19.0; no other qualified runs. Team roping: First round: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 5.1 seconds, $1,702 each; 2. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2, $1,408; 3. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 5.4, $1,115; 4. (tie) Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard and Wyatt Murray/Rhett Nebeker, 5.6, $675 each; 6. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 6.0, $293. Second round leaders: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 5.1 seconds; 2. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.5; 3. Rio Nutter/Coy Johnson, 5.6; 4. Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 6.3; 5. Todd Drommond/Levi Walter, 6.6; 6. Jr. Dees/JC Flake, 9.2. Average leaders: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 11.1 seconds on two head; 2. Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 12.7; 3. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 15.5; 4. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.0; 5. Austin Barstow/Zach Varian, 21.8; 6. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2 on one head; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Carson Bingham, 80.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Kiss My Ace; 2. (tie) Shorty Garrett and Q McWhorter, 79.5 each; 4. Statler Wright, 79; 5. Bailey Small, 78; 6. Ira Dickinson, 77. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Hayden Ford, 8.4 seconds, $1,675; 2. Trevor Thiel, 8.6, $1,386; 3. (tie) Cash Fuesz and Cole Walker, 8.8, $953 each; 5. Sterling Smith, 9.0, $520; 6. Ace Slone, 9.1, $289. Second round leaders: 1. Chance Wall, 8.2 seconds; 2. Cash Fretwell, 8.4; 3. (tie) Rodney Jackson and Zack Kirkpatrick, 8.5 each; 5. Hayden Ford, 8.9; 6. Jeremiah Peek, 9.0. Average leaders: 1. Hayden Ford, 17.3 seconds on two head; 2. Cash Fretwell, 17.7; 3. Austin Lawrence, 18.4; 4. Cash Fuesz, 18.6; 5. Jeremiah Peek, 18.9; 6. Colby Anders, 19.2; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing leaders: 1. Sharin Hall, 16.33 seconds; 2. Madison McCaffity, 16.52; 3. Sage Kohr, 16.60; 4. Tillar King, 16.61; 5. Jentry Vandenberg, 16.62; 6. Sami Buum, 16.63. Bull riding leaders: No qualified rides. 

ESTES PARK, Colo. – It was almost a year ago when header Jase Staudt and heeler Jayden Johnson began roping together. The two are making things work, even though they live seven hours apart. They stopped the clock in 6.7 seconds during Sunday’s third performance of Rooftop Rodeo; they sit third in the second go-round and second in the two-run aggregate with a cumulative time of 12.7 seconds. Estes Park was the perfect meeting point, and they’re taking advantage of it. “Last summer, I was looking for a partner for Cheyenne, and we went and roped there and did a little bit of good,” said Staudt, 27, of Saguache, Colorado. “We finished out the rest of the circuit rodeos through August and September together, and it went really good. “I love roping with Jayden, so it just made sense for us to start the year off this year and rodeo together.” Staudt has had more overall success, roping the all-around championships at the last two Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeos. Both are focused on regional rodeos; the Mountain States Circuit is made up of rodeos and contestants primarily from Colorado and Wyoming. It’s a good mix for the two cowboys. Johnson, whose father, Justin, competed in team roping for several years, and his uncle, Jhett, was the 2011 world champion heeler. “It’s been awesome roping with Jase,” said Johnson, 28, of Casper, Wyoming. “We clicked and did good, and then he called me again this year to see if I wanted to rope again, and I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely; let’s do it.’ ” Rooftop Rodeo is a major stop in the circuit, and this is a good chance for the tandem to pick up some big-time cash in just a few days. They love making their way to Estes Park every July. “This is a great place to be,” Staudt said. “It doesn’t get more beautiful, and they have nice stalls and great hospitality. The committee is great to everybody. It’s a pleasure to be here.” Is staying in the circuit their primary focus? “We both have pretty good jobs and stuff and have some ranch work that we need to do,” Staudt said. “He drives trucks and hauls a bunch of cattle, so we like going to these circuit rodeos.” Neither is ruling out making a run for world titles and qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo. “I would say (the circuit) is about good right now, especially with having ranch duties and other business stuff to do,” Johnson said. “The circuit is pretty easy to go to, especially when you make your own schedule. I thought I’d like to maybe one day try to make the NFR. I think it’d be a really fun, good experience.” Until then, they just hope to rope in a little Rocky Mountain money in Estes Park.

ESTES PARK, Colo. – Bareback riding can be tortuous on a cowboy’s body. Men wear specially designed gloves that have binds on the outsides, then they wedge those hands into a suitcase handle-like rigging that is strapped tightly around a bucking horse. When ready, they are virtually locked onto the animal, and every jump, kick and twist is felt while the cowboy tries to spur the bronc in rhythm with its bucking motion. Wyatt Denny knows all about it. Now in his 10th year riding bareback horses in ProRodeo, he’d felt every jerk, every whiplash-like reverberation to his spine that comes with the job. He’s a three-time qualifier to the National Finals Rodeo, but he hasn’t been back at ProRodeo’s grand finale in five seasons. “I’ve just been focusing on quality over quantity,” said Denny, 28, of Minden, Nevada, the 2015 Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year. “As bad as it sounds, I’m getting up there in age, and my body ain’t holding up as it used to. I’m cutting the smaller rodeos out, and I’m just putting all my eggs in these big baskets, these big rodeos like Estes Park, Sheridan (Wyoming) and all these others that are coming up.” That mindset is paying off. Denny rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Snafu for 79.5 points to take the bareback riding lead during Saturday’s second performance of Rooftop Rodeo. “I’m taking more time off now, trying to love it, and that’s what’s in it for me,” Denny said. “I have more time to work on my body, work on my mental game, fuel myself, get everything ready. That way, when I show up, I expect to win.” He’s freeing his mind, allowing his natural athleticism to follow that lead. He’s going back to the basics, the things that worked early in his career. With some mentoring from Kelly Wardell, a rodeo coach and former NFR bareback rider, Denny has found a new pot of gold in his rainbow. “What me and Kelly have gone over is setting that right foot up and go back to being the wild man, go back to that wild-man style,” Denny said. “That’s how I ride them. I’m not the kind of guy that’s going to get ahold of those horses. I need to be the wild man and just let it be free. “When I was a kid, I didn’t have much training, so when it came to spurring horses, it was wilder and much more exciting. I’ve adapted from that, and I need to go back to that.” He and his traveling partner, Shane O’Connell, competed Thursday in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, then spent that night at O’Connell’s place nearby. With a day in between, they opted for an early start for Rooftop Rodeo. “We were just sitting around Rapid City (South Dakota), and we thought, ‘Let’s just drive there and be tourists,’ ” he said. “That’s one of the things I like about rodeo. Riding bareback horses and the money and the buckles … all that stuff is cool, but when it goes away and when you leave rodeo, you’re going to forget about all that stuff, and all you have are memories like what we made in Estes Park.” Rooftop RodeoJuly 5-10Bareback riding leaders: 1. Wyatt Denny, 79.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Snafu; 2. Owen Brouillette, 77; 3. Myles Carlson, 76; 4. Hunter Carlson, 74; 5. Shane O’Connell, 73; 6. Jayce Harrison, 70. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Wyatt Johnson, 3.9 seconds, $1,215; 2. Cole Trainor, 4.2, $1,006; 3. Kodie Jang, 4.3, $796; 4. Hadley Jackson, 4.6, $587; 5. Jacob Sterkel, 5.4, $377; 6. (tie) Kalane Anders and Gage Hesse, 5.6, $105 each. Second round leaders: 1. Zach Hamar, 5.0 seconds; 2. Avery Jamerman, 6.2; no other qualified runs. Average leaders: 1. Avery Jamerman, 27.2 seconds on two head; 2. Wyatt Johnson, 3.9 on one head; 3. Cole Trainor, 4.2; 4. Kodie Jang, 4.3; 5. Hadley Jackson, 4.6; 6. Zach Hamar, 5.0; no other qualified runs. Team roping: First round: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 5.1 seconds, $1,702 each; 2. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2, $1,408; 3. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 5.4, $1,115; 4. (tie) Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard and Wyatt Murray/Rhett Nebeker, 5.6, $675 each; 6. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 6.0, $293. Second round leaders: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 5.1 seconds; 2. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.5; no other qualified runs. Average leaders: 1. Brayden Fillmore/Josh Fillmore, 11.1 seconds on two head; 2. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 5.1 on one head; 3. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2; 4. Teagan Bentley/Matt Schieck, 5.4; 5. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.5; 6. Wyatt Murray/Rhett Nebeker, 5.6; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Chance Barrass, 76 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Rocket Sox; 2. (tie) Sam Martin and Coleman Shallbetter, 75 each; 4. Ean Price, 74.5; 5. Jake Schlattmann, 74; 6. Chris Williams, 72.5. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Hayden Ford, 8.4 seconds, $1,675; 2. Trevor Thiel, 8.6, $1,386; 3. (tie) Cash Fuesz and Cole Walker, 8.8, $953 each; 5. Sterling Smith, 9.0, $520; 6. Ace Slone, 9.1, $289. Second round leaders: 1. Rodney Jackson, 8.5 seconds; 2. Hayden Ford, 8.9; 3. Colby Anders, 9.1; 4. J.D. McCuistion, 9.6; 5. Colton Greene, 9.9; 6. Sterling Smith, 10.5. Average leaders: 1. Hayden Ford, 17.3 seconds on two head; 2. Colby Anders, 19.2; 3. Sterling Smith, 19.5; 4. Rodney Jackson, 26.6; 5. Cole Tierney, 31.9; 6. Clay Reiner, 35.6; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing leaders: 1. Sage Kohr, 16.60 seconds; 2. Jentry Vandenberg, 16.62; 3. Sami Buum, 16.63; 4. (tie) Ashlyn Goven and Kelsey Lensegrav, 16.73 each; 6. Shannon South, 16.74. Bull riding leaders: No qualified rides.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Snoopy got his name naturally. “He was always snooping, always in your pocket,” John Harrison said of the paint horse. “That’s the reason he got his name. He’s always wanting to know what you’re doing. He’d grab your hoodie on your sweatshirt and pull you backwards. I was like, ‘You’re the most annoying thing in the world.’ He’d aggravate the horse-shoer while getting his feet trimmed.” That trait turned into a job for Snoopy, though it wasn’t the one first intended. Harrison is an entertainer and clown, and he’s one of the most decorated in ProRodeo. He will be on hand for this year’s Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 31-Sunday, Aug. 4, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 30. “This act actually just kind of fell in my lap,” said Harrison, a trick-rider turned comedy act who utilizes his skills as a horseman to showcase not only his talents but those of his equine partners. “I bought this horse as a yearling years ago with the idea of using him for a trick-riding horse. He never got real tall, and he’s really round in the back, and he was really hard to break. “He liked to rare up, so I had (fellow trick-rider) Madison McDonald put a pattern on him once we finally got him broke, and she talked about how annoying he was, always pestering.”  That irritating personality became a gift. “My wife actually was the one who said, ‘He should be a trick horse, not a trick-riding horse,’ ” Harrison said of his wife, Carla. “I thought, ‘You’re exactly right.’ So then I came up with this idea. I originally wanted to do the act where a horse was loose in the arena and then runs to the middle, but then we’d have to do what we call ‘spot training,’ where we have to put down a piece of plywood or something like that. “I thought that was too staged, so I came up with the idea of him being a bucking horse, and he just starts chasing me. It’s a fun act to do.” It’s fun for him, and it makes for incredible comedy for the fans that come to the rodeo. It’s one of the reasons why Harrison is one of the most decorated funnymen in rodeo. Each of the past two seasons, he has won the three major honors at the PRCA Awards Banquet: Comedy Act of the Year, Coors Man in the Can and Clown of the Year. It was the third time for winning comedy act, the sixth time for the Coors award and the second time to be named the PRCA’s top clown. He will return to Roundup Rodeo for the second time in four years. He last appeared inside the legendary arena in 2021 and brought the crowd to its feet six straight nights. “Dodge City is one of those legendary rodeos you love to go to,” he said. “It’s a lot of work, and there are a lot of performances, but you get to see the best of the best go in front of. You get to work with the best, too, with (announcer) Boyd Polhamus and (sound director) Benje Bendele, and you get one of the best stock contractors with Frontier Rodeo. It’s going to be fast, and it’s going to be good. “It’s not just entertaining for the crowd, but it’s entertaining for me as well.” That’s part of the package fans get with a ticket to any night of Roundup Rodeo. While the primary draw is the world-class action that comes with one of the best ProRodeos in the country, there is a family-friendly entertainment value that comes with the sport. The volunteers that produce the annual rodeo not only want folks have a good night of fun, they want them to come back and see it again. While there will be fast runs and high scores, rodeo is not scripted. There are some wild things that happen from time to time, and nobody wants to miss that. Take a few situations that have happened with Snoopy in the last year. Harrison has a pretty good idea how he wants the “Liberty Act” to go, but working with animals can make for some last-minute adjustments, especially with a soul as direct as Snoopy’s. He’s trained to follow and harass whatever is in the arena, and that typically is Harrison. Therefore, the entertainer has to make sure other personnel know what is about to happen when Snoopy comes into view. “He will attack a moving target,” Harrison said with a laugh. “(Bullfighter) Dusty Tuckness learned that in Gooding, Idaho, last year. He was actually helping me with the act, and he ran out there to get my stuff for me, and the horse hadn’t laid down yet, and he started chasing Dusty, and Dusty was throwing bullfighting moves at him and couldn’t get away from him.” It made for a fun evening of comedy, though it was a bit frustrating for the animal’s trainer and primary target. “I finally had to go over and get the horse, and at first, I was a little mad, but then everybody’s laughing and saying it was great,” he said. “It made it memorable, and I think everybody really enjoyed it. Tuck was like, ‘I’m going to lease that horse for my bullfighting schools, because he’s all over you and won’t leave you, which would be great to train these kids wanting to fight bulls.’ ” It’s probably the highlight act of Harrison’s arsenal, which will get plenty of work over the six days he’s in western Kansas. “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’ll have that main act and throw in a few of the others to keep it fresh,” Harrison said. “The main thing is you want people to enjoy the show and want to come back, so we’ll do what  Continue Reading »

ESTES PARK, Colo. – Chance Barrass knows to keep his visa handy. A saddle bronc rider from Yellowhead County, Alberta, he’s crossed the border a few times already this year, and he’s not done. A few days ago, he was competing in Ponoka, Alberta. A day or so later, he was in Oregon, all chasing his rodeo dreams. On Friday night, he rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Rocket Sox for 76 points to take the bronc riding lead at Rooftop Rodeo. “I try to go to as many rodeos down here as I can,” said Barrass, a 2021 Canadian Finals Rodeo qualifier. “We’re pretty busy in Canada, but during the Fourth (of July Run) and in the winter, I try to spend quite a bit of time down here.” He’s trying to take advantage of any situation he can, because money is the name of the game. Cowboys first pay to play the game, issuing out entry fees, and they only earn money when the beat most of the field. That cash not only helps cover expenses and pay bills, but dollars equal championship points. Only the top 15 on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo. For now, though, the third-year pro is hoping to secure enough earnings to finish among high enough in the world standings so he can qualify for some of the bigger, indoor events that take place January-April. Because he wasn’t able to compete in Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth or Denver, he’s behind the eight-ball rolling into the summer months. “I’d like to try to get into the top 40 in the world so I’m able to get into some of the bigger rodeos next winter when the new year comes,” Barrass said. “Of course, I’d also like to make the Canadian finals this year, too.” Injuries have sidelined the cowboy from western Alberta, but he’s feeling healthy and ready make a run at his goals for the year. At Alberta rodeos like Ponoka, Benalto, Calgary and Airdrie not only count toward the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association standings, they also add up for the PRCA, the premier rodeo sanctioning body whose earnings count toward bids to the NFR.  “Yeah, it’s pretty hard to figure a schedule out,” he said. “We had a little bit of time off this week, so we decided to enter a little run. We came back here from Eugene and Molalla (Oregon) last night. “We’re leaving right after this back to Alberta for Benalto next Wednesday, then we’ll come back down to the States again after that.” That’s what it takes for a cowboy to chase his dreams. Rooftop RodeoJuly 5-10Bareback riding leaders: 1. Owen Brouillette, 77 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Billy Shakespeare; 2. Grant Worthington, 69; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Cole Trainor, 4.2 seconds; 2. Jacob Wang, 9.7; 3. Jace Mayfield, 10.2; no other qualified runs. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 5.1 seconds; 2. Tanner Pallesen/Jade Espenscheid, 5.2; 3. Wyatt Murray/Rhett Nebeker, 5.6; 4. Brodi Jones/Arye Espenscheid, 8.1; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Chance Barrass, 76 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Rocket Sox; 2. Sam Martin, 75; 3. Ean Price, 74.5; 4. Jake Schlattmann, 74; 5. Chris Williams, 72.5; 6. Sam Weston, 70. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Kyle Dickens, 9.6 seconds; 2. Connor Matheson, 9.7; 3. Tate Teague, 10.5; 4. Rhett Nebeker, 11.8; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing leaders: 1. Sage Kohr, 16.60 seconds; 2. Kelsey Lensegrav, 16.73; 3. Heidi Tillard, 16.78; 4. Sierra Schlenker, 16.84; 5. Jayda Jameson, 17.10; 6. Maggie Poloncic, 17.11. Bull riding leaders: No qualified rides.

GUNNISON, Colo. – For folks traveling to Gunnison from the west for Cattlemen’s Days, the Colorado Department of Transportation has released an update regarding the U.S. Highway 50 bridge repairs over Blue Mesa Reservoir. The bridge will be open for 12 hours per day to one-lane traffic – led by a pilot car – from July 4-7. Starting Monday, July 8, it will return to being open just twice a day: 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. In addition, no large vehicles will be allowed to cross the bridge and must follow the County Road 26 detour. That will lead to a little traffic snarl for the Cattlemen’s Days Rodeo, set for Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “We realize that this is a little bit of a snag in the plans of the contestants coming to Gunnison from the west,” said Brad Tutor, president of the Cattlemen’s Days committee. “It’s going to be an issue for cowboys and cowgirls hauling horses, and it’s also going to cause problems for people who are bringing their campers or RVs to town, but we are very pleased with the way the Lake City Cutoff (County Road 26) has been maintained and used. “It’s going to be a little bit of a delay, but it’s very manageable.” Westbound U.S. Highway 50 is the primary artery for folks traveling toward Montrose and beyond, but it’s not the only route. Because of the mountain paths, all motorists will need to allow for extra time while trying to make their way around the construction, which has been ongoing since April. “While we appreciate the Lake City Cutoff, we also realize there are some contestants who would not be as comfortable with making the trip across it,” Tutor said. “The alternatives coming from the west would be to either remain on Interstate 70 at Grand Junction to (U.S.) Highway 24 and come south there and back around to Gunnison. “Or you could go south at Montrose on (U.S. Highway) 550 to Durango and back around to Salida, then come back west. It’s going to come down to what contestants are most comfortable with.” For more information about the various routes, just click on the link: https://maps.cotrip.org/event/CDOT-16694727080BOTH/@-108.77246,38.99316,7?show=roadWork,expressLanes,roadReports,weatherWarnings.

GUNNISON, Colo. – The volunteers from the Cattlemen’s Days committee have been going all out for its rodeo contestants for several years. In the last decade, the overall purse has increased immensely. It has grown even more this year, and part of that is the inclusion of breakaway roping to the ProRodeo schedule. The rest comes down to being an attractive event for the cowboys and cowgirls who compete for a living. There’s even a little more of a caveat for the contestants coming for this year’s Cattlemen’s Days, set for Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “We’re giving away rifles to the winners of all our events,” said Kevin Coblentz, a longtime committee member. “For several years, we’ve been giving them away to the bareback riding winners, and this year we decided to give rifles to all of them. We’re just trying to do something that reflects what we think of all our contestants that come to Gunnison.” It’s also a bit of an incentive for contestants to put their names in the hat. Entries have concluded, but the PRCA and WPRA will have re-entries from 9-11:30 a.m. Mountain time Friday, July 5, so there’s still time for cowboys and cowgirls to sign up to be at Cattlemen’s Days next week. “The rifles are Henry Repeating Arms’ Large Loop Lever Action .22s, and they’re going to be really nice for whoever wins them,” said Brad Tutor, the Cattlemen’s Days president. Gunnison’s rodeo has been recognized as one of the best in the Mountain States Circuit, and it was recently recognized as one of the top five medium rodeos across North America. That’s an honor that comes from the contestants themselves. Only the voting members of the PRCA decide on those honors. “We do our very best to put on a great rodeo and provide the contestants with great hospitality when they get to town,” said Karla Rundell, the organization’s second vice president. “Our fans want to see the best rodeo has to offer, so we’re doing everything we can to attract the top contestants to town. I think the rifles are a good way to help make that happen.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Since Dodge City Roundup Rodeo’s inception, a Kirby has been involved in some capacity. Floyd Kirby was one of the organization’s founders, and his passion for rodeo has been handed down through the generations. It’s about giving of time and energy to produce something for the community. For Roundup, it’s about giving back to the region and to the sport, because it’s the biggest rodeo across Kansas and even the region that is also made up of Nebraska and Oklahoma.  That tradition continues to this year’s rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 31-Sunday, Aug. 4, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 30. Not only is Jim Kirby carrying on his father’s legacy, but Jim’s wife, Jennifer, and their children have also been heavily involved. Jennifer Kirby is part of the Dodge City Women’s Chamber of Commerce, which was founded in 1959 to serve and support the area with college scholarships, community service grants and other awards. Their primary fundraiser comes from selling concessions at Roundup Arena. “The original group was made up of wives of the men of the Chamber of Commerce,” said Kirby, a past president and former co-chair of the rodeo committee who serves as the concessions manager. “The chamber cannot give scholarships because it’s more business-oriented, where these ladies wanted to give to service organizations, people in need, food banks and scholarships. They formed their own group, and they’ve always done concessions at the rodeo, whatever the rodeo was. “From that money, over half the budget goes to community service or scholarship – this year, we are giving 14 scholarships. We also have the memorial rose garden that honors people in the community and the surrounding areas that have passed. It’s at the Dodge City Community College campus, and we allocate funds each year to support that.” It’s a big endeavor and an important one. The ladies take their jobs seriously, and Kirby is quite proud of the work they’ve done over the years. Her investment has paid off beyond what she does for the community; she has shared her love of volunteerism with four of her five daughters, Jesicka, Jamie, Jericka and Janae. All are members of the women’s chamber, and Jericka is a co-chair of the group’s rodeo committee with Kathleen Jones. Jennifer Kirby takes pride in the little things that get done in Dodge City. She knows how important Roundup Rodeo is to not only the community but all of southwest Kansas. Nearly 1,000 contestants from across North America converge on Ford County every summer to be part the prestigious event – in 2012, Roundup was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “Our rodeo provides a chance for the fans to see all the top cowboys and cowgirls,” she said. “Farm families don’t travel a lot, because they are stewards of the land. It’s great that we are able to put on that kind of show for the people around here.” Over the years, the women’s chamber has been a proven benefactor, giving not only scholarships but also funds to the Ronald McDonald House, Methodist Youthville, Arrowhead West and many other service groups. The ladies have had help from major companies in Dodge City, whether it’s Cargill, National Beef, Hiland Dairy or one of the many other sponsors that help cover the cost of food so the women’s chamber can donate as much money as possible each year. “I think the rodeo is so important to Dodge City,” Kirby said. “The chamber and Dodge City Days is such a big deal around here. I don’t know if the celebration would be what it is without the rodeo. It’s so interconnected, and it’s such a boost to the economy. Without Roundup having a rodeo, the women’s chamber wouldn’t have an event to raise money. We provide a service to the community. “Our sole purpose is to make money to give it all away.”

Miss Rodeo America to be part of visiting-queen program in Estes Park ESTES PARK, Colo. – The pageantry of rodeo is an interesting mixture of culture, the Western lifestyle and world-class competition. It comes together in the most magnificent of ways during Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. From wild horses and bulls to athletic feats done horseback to the beauty and grace of royalty, there is much to see in a two-hour show in the middle of this mountainous community at the edge of the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a popular destination, with more than 4 million visitors annually. Hundreds of those will be in town for Rooftop Rodeo, including five visiting queens. They come from as far away as Kentucky and as close as Colorado, and they bring a variety of backgrounds with them. Miss Rodeo Colorado Georgia Strimenos is 22 years old from Larkspur, Colorado, who has a degree from the University of Wyoming. She is traveling to ProRodeos across her home state and beyond to raise awareness to the game and the Western lifestyle. Miss Rodeo Nebraska JoSee Stalls was raised on a ranch outside Ogallala, Nebraska, near her state’s Panhandle region, not far from the northeastern corner of Colorado. She also is 22 years old and has a degree from the University of Wyoming. Miss Rodeo Missouri is Jordan Todd, a 25-year-old graduate of the University of Central Missouri who is working toward her juris doctorate degree from the University of Missouri School of Law.   Miss Rodeo Kentucky Zoey Norris is a 22-year-old student at the University of Kentucky. She is from Breeding, Kentucky. The crown jewel of royalty is Miss Rodeo America Emma Cameron, who earned her title this past December after serving as the 2023 Miss Rodeo New Mexico. She is the official ambassador of ProRodeo. “You hit the ground running, and you have that whole last week of the (National) Finals in Vegas,” Cameron said of her busy schedule. “Then right after the new year, you get on the road to Denver and have to learn as you go. The support system behind Miss Rodeo America makes it a really smooth, enjoyable transition, so I’ve been really grateful for that. “You learn so much that you didn’t know, not only about rodeo and how rodeos work, but also about yourself and how you see the world and what you want to do. It’s a really phenomenal experience.” The visiting queens will be joined by eight young ladies who are vying for Rooftop Rodeo royalty. Four will be in competition for Miss Rooftop Rodeo and attendant, four are vying for princess and two are hopefuls for wrangler. All will have a chance to grow mature while also looking up to the ladies who have already earned major titles. The pageant system is set up as the perfect intermediary for the rough-and-tumble competition and the poise and refinement of women who love the sport and the Western lifestyle. Gates for Rooftop Rodeo open at 5 p.m. Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, with the preshow beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the rodeo beginning at 7 p.m. For more information about Rooftop Rodeo, which is a Town of Estes Park signature event, or to order tickets online, log on to www.RooftopRodeo.com. Other ticket inquiries may be made by contacting the Town of Estes Park Events office at events@estes.org or (970) 586-6104.

PECOS, Texas – Six months ago, team roping heeler Zane Pratt was recovering from a serious injury His right thumb got caught up in a coil of his rope. He suffered a broken thumb. It could have been worse. He had to get it fixed, then rehabilitated. It took time to get back to team roping again. He just returned to competition, and it’s already playing off. He and his header, Roan Oldfield, won the West of the Pecos team roping title while wrapping up the final performance of the “World’s First Rodeo” on Saturday night. “This is actually the second time we’ve roped together,” Pratt said of Oldfield of Seminole, Texas. “We roped at Big Spring last weekend and placed. (Oldfield) just does his job. He makes sure he catches him and just handles the steer really good, it makes my job easy.” Originally from California, he’s been “hanging around” the Stephenville, Texas, area helping another team roper, two-time and reigning world champion heeler Wesley Thorp. “I ride horses for Wesley, and I just amateur rodeo and have been (Texas) Circuit rodeoing,” said Pratt, 22, who is competing this season on his permit, which means he must earn a certain amount of money before he can become a full-fledged ProRodeo cowboy. “I plan on buying my (PRCA) card next year and trying to go on and win the rookie of the year.” Meanwhile, he’s getting a great education working for Thorp. “It just teaches me everything being around someone like that who has had that much success,” Pratt said. “He’s positive about everything and has that kind of attitude. Just being around him has helped me tremendously.” Team roping features to men riding two horses and roping one steer. The header tries to rope the steer’s horns, then turns the animal in a manner that sets up the heeler for a good shot. They were 7.0 seconds inside the large Buck Jackson Arena to finish fourth during Saturday morning’s first round, then were 8.2 in the evening. Their cumulative time of 15.2 seconds earned them the victory and $4,299 each. “This means a lot,” Pratt said. “We drew really good, and we just executed and used our steers. It just went according to plan really.” His Pecos earnings will go a long way toward helping him to his two goals: Qualify for the Texas Circuit Finals in October and the Permit Section Finals in December.  “When I broke my thumb right before Christmas, I just started back about a month ago, so the circuit finals is the goal,” he said. “My main goal is trying to get into the permit finals, and if I win that, get into Houston (next spring). West of the Pecos RodeoJune 26-29All-around cowboy: Shad Mayfield, $3,220 in steer roping, tie-down roping and team roping Bareback riding: 1. Leighton Berry, 87 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner, $3,574; 2. Tilden Hooper, 86, $2,740; 3. Jess Pope, 85.5, $2,025; 4. Rocker Steiner, 83, $1,311; 5. (tie) Ty Pope and Cooper Filipek, 82.5, $715; 7. Cole Reiner, 81, $477; 8. Tim Murphy, 80.5, $357. Team roping: First round: 1. Jace Bland/Tyson Thompson, 6.1 seconds, $1,705; 2. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/Cory Petska and Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, 6.7, $1,371 each; 4. Roan Oldfield/Zane Pratt, 7.0, $1,038; 5. Casey Tew/Cody Tew, 7.3, $815; 6. Quisto Lopez/Jayden Cisneros, 7.5, $593; 7. Jake Orman/Corey Hendrick, 7.9, $371; 8. (tie) Clay Tryan/Blaine Vick, Cash Duty/Clay Green and Zane Murphy/Colten Tate, 8.1, $49 each. Second round: 1. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 6.2 seconds, $1,705; 2. Peyton Walters/Brandon Gonzales, 6.7, $1,483; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Lane Mitchell, 7.0, $1,260; 4. Shad Mayfield/Faron Candelaria, 7.5, $1,038; 5. (tie) Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry and Roan Oldfield/Zane Pratt, 8.2, $704; 7. Quisto Lopez/Jayden Cisneros, 8.4, $371; 8. Casey Tew/Cody Tew, 8.6, $148.  Average: 1. Roan Oldfield/Zane Pratt, 15.2 seconds on two runs, $2,557; 2. (tie) Casey Tew/Cody Tew and Quisto Lopez/Jayden Cisneros, 15.9, $2,057; 4. Zane Murphy/Colton Tate, 16.8, $1,557; 5. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.9, $1,223; 6. Shad Mayfield/Faron Candelaria, 17.4, $890; 7. Cash Duty/Clay Green, 18.1, $556; 8. Bridger Ketcham/Kaden Prince, 18.3, $222.  Steer roping: First round: 1. Mike Chase, 12.4 seconds, $1,749; 2. Cole Patterson, 12.9, $1,521; 3. Reo Lohse, 13.0, $1,293; 4. Seth Schafer, 13.2, $1,064; 5. Brodie Poppino, 13.4, $836; 6. Slade Wood, 13.6, $608; 7. Cody Lee, 13.9, $380; 8. Cooper Mills, 14.0, $152. Second round: 1. Chet Herren, 12.2 seconds, $1,749; 2. Dan Fisher, 12.3, $1,521; 3. Logan Currie, 12.5, $1,293; 4. Tony Reina, 12.6, $1,064; 5. (tie) Thomas Smith and Martin Poindexter, 13.3, $722 each; 7. (tie) Conrad Hagen and Bryce Davis, 13.9, $266 each. Third round: 1. Cole Patterson, 11.2 seconds, $1,749; 2. Doug Pharr, 11.3, $1,521; 3. Shad Mayfield, 11.4, $1,293; 4. Jason Burson, 11.5, $1,064; 5. Vin Fisher Jr., 11.8, $836; 6. (tie) Logan Currie and Scott Snedecor, 12.9, $494 each; 8. Dalton Walker, 13.0, $152; Average: 1. Reo Lohse, 40.5, $2,623; 2. Cody Lee, 42.8, $2,281; 3. Slade Wood, 44.4, $1,939; 4. Scott Snedecor, 44.7, $1,596; 5. Cooper Mills, 45.1, $1,255; 6. Bryce Davis, 45.5, $912; 7. John Bland, 46.7, $570; 8. Tuff Hardman, 50.3, $228.   Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Jake Finley, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman, and Sage Newman, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Smoke on the Water, 86.5 points, $3,537 each; 3. Tanner Butner, 85, $2,269; 4. (tie) Clint Franks and Shorty Garrett, 83, $1,201; 6. Isaac Richard, 81.5, $667; 7. Tom Webster, 81, $534; 8. Blaise Freeman, 80.5, $400. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Kyan Wilhite, 8.7 seconds, $2,471; 2. Chet Weitz, 9.2, $2,149; 3. Monty Lewis, 9.3, $1,826; 4. Tanner Green, 9.8, $1,504; 5. Hunter Herrin, 9.9, $1,182; 6. Tyson Arledge, 10.3, $859; 7. Brody Stallard, 10.5, $537; 8. Cash Hooper, 10.6, $215. Second round: 1. Booker McCutchen, 8.8 seconds, $2,471; 2. Kyan Wilhite, 9.2, $2,149; 3. Gatlin Peck, 9.9, $1,826; 4. Marcos Costa, 10., $1,5040; 5. Cory Solomon, 10.1, $1,182; 6. Tyler Milligan, 10.4, $859; 4. Hunter Herrin, 10.5,  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – Don’t be upset with Scott Snedecor for being a little greedy. With two West of the Pecos buckles already in his trophy case, he made a statement during Friday’s third performance that he’d like to win another. After making two solid runs during the morning session of competition, he secured his fastest run of the weekend, stopping the clock in 12.9 seconds. That moved him into the top spot with a three-run cumulative time of 44.7 seconds to take the aggregate lead. “My day was OK,” said Snedecor, 49, a four-time world champion steer roper from Fredericksburg, Texas. “My first one ran me down (the arena) a ways, and I was 14 (seconds) on him; my second won came back, and he stepped right on me. By the time I rode to him, I had to kick back and get my trip and dropped the ball a little bit and was a little longer. “I came back tonight with one that tried pretty hard, but I made a good run on him.” He won his first world championship in 2005, then followed that with gold buckles in 2008, 2017 and 2018. He’s qualified for the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping 22 times and is about to add a 23rd. Over that stretch, he has won the steer roping aggregate title three times. He finished last season second in the world standings was third heading into this week of rodeos. “Pecos is one of the good rodeos, a good Texas rodeo,” Snedecor said. “It’s one of my favorite ones, because you run those cattle out there a ways. It’s more of a cowboy event in this big arena. You’ve got to read your steer while your running out them. Your horse has got to work good. It has great fans. “It’s a fun rodeo.” Horsepower is vital in all timed events, but having a good equine partner is critical in steer roping. The horse has to be equally athletic and strong to handle the type of pressure it faces in competition. Snedecor has a solid one in Goose, a 15-year-old bay gelding. “This horse has been a blessing,” he said. “I got it from Shorty Garten, and he was a little green when I got him. It took me about a year of getting him going – I almost gave up on him two or three different times throughout the year, but my wife kept saying that I had to go through the green-horse deal, and he was pretty pea-hearted with I stated, but he’s turned out to be one of the best.” When he’s not rodeoing, Snedecor trains horses, so working to make one better for himself is right up his alley. “I do like that side of it,” he said. “It’s rewarding to see. Up in South Dakota last week, there were six horses that I started training. To see them go to that level and do good at that level is just icing on the cake for me, but I enjoy the horsemanship of it, the learning, the skills … everything about a horse.” That mindset is why Snedecor is one of the best that’s ever played the game.  While he trusts horsepower, Josh Frost has to trust bull power. He knew he had that in full force by the time he arrived Friday in Pecos. He was matched with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Bayou Bengal, the 2023 PRCA Bull of the Year. Frost, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Randlett, Utah, made it the ride of the rodeo so far. The two titans matched moves for 90 points, and Frost owns the lead heading into Saturday’s final performance. “I was pretty excited,” Frost said about match-up thrown together by random draw. “I’ve ridden him twice, and it was not in my favor the first time, and it was quick. The second time, I thought I had him figured out, and it was even quicker.” At most rodeos Bayou Bengal enters the arena out of a right-hand delivery, meaning the animal moves to its right initially. There are only left-hand deliveries at Buck Jackson Arena, so Frost liked his chances. “It changed it up a little bit, and it worked out in my favor,” he said. West of the Pecos RodeoJune 26-29Bareback riding: 1. Leighton Berry, 87 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner; 2. Tilden Hooper, 86; 3. Jess Pope, 85.5; 4. (tie) Ty Pope and Cooper Filipek, 82.5; 6. Cole Reiner, 81; 7. Tim Murphy, 80.5; 8. Mason Stuller, 79.5. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Jace Bland/Tyson Thompson, 6.1 seconds; 2. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/Cory Petska and Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, 6.7; 4. Casey Tew/Cody Tew, 7.3; 5. Quisto Lopez/Jayden Cisneros, 7.5; 6. (tie) Clay Tryan/Blaine Vick, Cash Duty/Clay Green and Zane Murphy/Colten Tate, 8.1; 4. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 8.7; 5. Clay Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 12.6; 6. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 13.0; 7. Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan, 13.9; 8. Jhett Trenary/Jake South, 15.3. Second round leaders: 1. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torre, 6.2 seconds; 2. Peyton Walters/Brandon Gonzales, 6.7; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Lane Mitchell, 7.0; 4. Shad Mayfield/Faron Candelaria, 7.5; 5. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 8.2; 6. Quisto Lopez/Jayden Cisneros, 8.4; 7. Casey Tew/Cody Tew, 8.6; 8. Zane Murphy/Colton Tate, 8.7.  Average leaders: 1. (tie) Casey Tew/Cody Tew and Quisto Lopez/Jayden Cisneros, 15.9 seconds on two runs; 3. Zane Murphy/Colton Tate, 16.8; 4. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.9; 5. Shad Mayfield/Faron Candelaria, 17.4; 6. Cash Duty/Clay Green, 18.1; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 19.2; 8. Jace Brand/Tyson Thompson, 20.3.  Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Mike Chase, 12.4 seconds; 2. Cole Patterson, 12.9; 3. Seth Schafer, 13.2; 4. Brodie Poppino, 13.4; 5. Cooper Mills, 14.0; 6. Scott Snedecor, 14.2; 7. (tie) Trenton Johnson and J. Tom Fisher, 14.4. Second round leaders: 1. Chet Herren, 12.2 seconds; 2. Dan Fisher, 12.3; 3. Logn Currie, 12.5; 4. Tony Reina, 12.6; 5. (tie) Thomas Smith and Martin Poindexter, 13.3; 7. Jarrett Blessing, 14.2; 8. Jett Fisher, 14.3. Third round leaders: 1.  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – This time of year is a busy one for cowboys and cowgirls that make their livings in rodeo. It’s the start of the summer run, when they leave their homes and venture off to lands known and unknown chasing their gold-buckle dreams. For most Texans, it a chance to escape the heat, but before they do, they make sure to be part of the West of the Pecos Rodeo. Take Leighton Berry, a bareback rider from Weatherford, Texas. His initial plans had him at a rodeo up north, but things didn’t work out. When that happened, he turned the tide and put his name in the hat for the “World’s First Rodeo.” During Thursday’s second performance, he rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner for 87 points to take the lead. “When our plans changed and we saw a day that not very many guys were out on a Thursday, we thought we’d see the Pete Carr crew out in west Texas,” said Berry, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier and the No. 3 man in the 2024 world standings with more than $93,000 in earnings. “Me and my traveling partner plucked two of their buckers, so we dang sure made the right decision to come out here. “This is my first one back since Weatherford (three weeks ago), and to get it kicked off like this – feeling good, body feeling good and mentally feeling strong – and now we just need to get the good draws going. We sure did that tonight. It feels good to be on top.” This isn’t the first year he’s been toward the top of the world standings. He first qualified for the NFR in 2020 and ended the campaign ninth on the money list. An injury sidelined Berry early in 2021 and he sat out six months. Once he returned that August, he went on a heater and finished 23rd. He returned to the NFR in 2022 and ’23 and finished among the top six. Born and raised in Weatherford, he’s a proud Texan who has had great success in the Lone Star State. This past March, he won RodeoHouston for the second straight year, adding $50,000 to his bankroll. It’s a nice payday, but even better, it allowed Berry a bit of comfort heading into the busiest time of the season. “It’s been a whirlwind of a year,” he said. “I got the repeat in Houston and got married to my wife, Kodi, and, man, things are rolling. I got a new business going, so God’s been really good, and I’ve been blessed to keep moving forward. And do what I’m doing. We’re ready to do the rodeo trail.” The wedding was followed by a nice honeymoon in Mexico. He and his bride were able to enjoy their time together before getting back to the business at hand. For now, Berry’s focus is strictly on rodeo’s world championship. “I’ve been in talks of a world-champion race every year I’ve been to the NFR, and the best I’ve done is third,” Berry said. “It’s a blessing that I can even get to the NFR. This year is just different in my mouth. I really want a gold buckle at the end of this thing, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” West of the Pecos RodeoJune 26-29Bareback riding: 1. Leighton Berry, 87 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner; 2. Cooper Filipek, 82.5; 3. Cole Reiner, 81; 4. Tim Murphy, 80.5; 5. Kash Martin, 77; no other qualified rides. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/Cory Petska and Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, 6.7 seconds; 3. Clay Tryan/Blaine Vick, 8.1; 4. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 8.7; 5. Clay Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 12.6; 6. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 13.0; 7. Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan, 13.9; 8. Jhett Trenary/Jake South, 15.3. Second round leaders: 1. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torre, 6.2 seconds; 2. Peyton Walters/Brandon Gonzales, 6.7; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Lane Mitchell, 7.0; 4. Shad Mayfield/Faron Candelaria, 7.5; 5. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 8.2; 6. Clayton Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 9.7; 7. Cash Duty/Clay Green, 10.0; 8. Cash Fretwell/ole Walker, 11.5.  Average leaders: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.9 seconds on two runs; 2. Shad Mayfield/Faron Candelaria, 17.4; 3. Cash Duty/Clay Green, 18.1; 4. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 19.2; 5. Jace Brand/Tyson Thompson, 20.3; 6. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 20.5; 7. Cash Fretwell/Cole Walker, 20.5; 8. Clayton Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 22.3.  Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Cole Patterson, 12.9 seconds; 2. Seth Schafer, 13.2; 3. Brodie Poppino, 13.4; 4. Cooper Mills, 14.0; 5. (tie) Trenton Johnson and J. Tom Fisher, 14.4; 7. John Bland, 14.5; 8. Vin Fisher Jr., 14.8. Second round leaders: 1. Dan Fisher, 12.3 seconds; 2. (tie) Thomas Smith and Martin Poindexter, 13.3; 4. Jett Fisher, 14.3; 5. Cooper Mills, 16.2; 6. John Bland, 17.1; 7. Mark Milner, 17.2; 8. Keith Hudson, 19.2. Third round leaders: 1. Cole Patterson, 11.2 seconds; 2. Vin Fisher Jr., 11.8; 3. (tie) Cooper Mills and Martin Poindexter, 14.9; 5. John Bland, 15.1; 6. Mark Milner, 16.0; 7. Dan Fisher, 16.7; 8. J.D. Barnes, 20.0; Average leaders: 1. Cooper Mills, 45.1 seconds on three runs; 2. John Bland, 46.7; 3. Mark Milner, 57.9; 4. Cole Patterson, 24.1 seconds on two runs; 5. Vin Fisher Jr., 26.6; 6. Martin Poindexter, 28.2; 7. Dan Fisher, 29.0; 8. Marty Jones, 37.8.   Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Jake Finley, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman, and Sage Newman, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Smoke on the Water, 86.5 points; 3. Tanner Butner, 85; 4. Clint Franks, 83; 5. Isaac Richard, 81.5; 6. Tom Webster, 81; 7. Blaise Freeman, 80.5; 8. Chase Brooks, 80. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Monty Lewis, 9.3 seconds; 2. Tanner Green, 9.8; 3. Hunter Herrin, 9.9; 4. Tyson Arledge, 10.3; 5. Cash Hooper, 10.6; 6. Tyler Milligan, 10.9; 7. John Douch, 11.0; 8. Trenton Smith, 11.2. Second round leaders: 1. Gatlin Peck, 9.9 seconds; 2. Marcos Costa, 10.0; 3. Tyler Milligan, 10.4; 4. Hunter Herrin, 10.5; 5. Cash  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – There was something about the rural way of life that appealed to Tim Lehmann and Casey Connally. They had quite separate lives, but there was a form of unity founded in the Gunnison Valley and with the annual Cattlemen’s Days. They died mere days apart last November, and what they did for this community will be honored at this year’s celebration during the rodeo, set for Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “Both Tim and Casey made an impact in this community in their own ways, the Cattlemen’s Days committee wanted to honor them alongside two other people who were a very big part of our celebration, Dale Irby and Brett Redden,” said Brad Tutor, president of the volunteer group that produces the annual event. Casey Connally will be honored during the Thursday performance of the rodeo. She was a volunteer with the Cattlemen’s Days, especially in the early stages of its Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign. An avid horsewoman who was born in Texas, she moved to Gunnison with her mother and sister in the early 1970s. “Her love of horses came from our mom,” said Lee Connally, Casey’s older sister. “Mom rode cutting horses when she was a teenager and in college until she met my dad. Casey and I grew up doing 4H gymkhanas and even competed in barrel racing for a short time in junior high and high school. Casey was more into it than me. “With Mom being a cutter, she brought Casey into the whole cutting thing, and Casey flourished at it. She was good at it and worked with horses most of her adult life.” Those experiences made her who she was, outgoing with lots of friends, positive and bubbly to those around her. She loved animals, especially horses, and shared her friendly, compassionate nature with those around her. In March 2022, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma and died Nov. 29, 2023. “Casey left her mark where she wanted, and she got to do what she did with horses,” Lee Connally said. “She did it well. She felt pretty content with her life when she left.” Celebrating her life and her personality during the rodeo’s pink night might be the perfect way to honor Casey Connally. Redden and Irby will be recognized during Friday’s performance of the rodeo, which is Patriot Night. Lehmann will be honored during Saturday’s Ranchland Conservation Legacy rodeo, and it’s just as fitting. He wasn’t raised in a ranching family, but he adjusted to that life very well. Born in Grand Junction, Colorado, Lehmann was an athlete who went to Mesa State College to play football. That’s where he met Michelle Sammons, who became his wife in 1993. She introduced him to the Sammons family ranch, where he worked alongside his father-in-law, Glen, and other members of the family. In fact, that’s where Tim and Michelle raised their children, Wyatt and Jessica, and where Tim grew into rancher, an advocate and a major member of the community. “I’m the fourth generation of my family to work on this ranch, and Jessica is the fifth,” Michelle Sammons Lehmann said. “I went to college and roped him and brought him back. He never left, and we built a life here on the ranch.” Jessica lives just two houses down from her folks and has worked with them all her life. She not only looked up to her father, she cherished all the time she had alongside him, whether it was horseback pushing cattle or fixing fence or just eating a meal together. “Dad had a great sense of humor,” Jessica said with a laugh. “He was also very ornery, and you had to have some tough skin if you were going to be around him.”  His personality was lively and infectious. It was what guided him into advocacy, first on the board for the Gunnison County Stockgrowers, then to the board of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. His biggest step, though, may have been helping his children and other youngsters through the 4H program in the valley. “He would meet somebody one time and become their best friend,” Jessica said. “He had a way of making everyone feel welcome. He had so many friends in the community; everyone knew him and respected him. Everyone looked at him for guidance. He was very prideful about this place, but he was also very ornery and witty, but that’s because he truly cared about people. “I strive to be like him. He was very empathetic for other people. He loved us very much and was a big family man. He was one of the biggest supporters and cheerleaders in our lives.” Her brother seconded the thought of his father’s love and support. “He dedicated his life to his family, ranching and lobbying for the agricultural industry,” Wyatt said. “He instilled so many values in us, but one of the most impactful was teaching us that helping people is one of the most noble professions. He gave me the desire to commit my life to helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle, non of which would have been possible without him.” Tim Lehmann died Nov. 15, 2023, after suffering a heart attack, and now a community will come together to remember him and celebrate his life in a way that would make him proud. “I love it, and I love talking about my father,” Jessica said. “To recognize him at something he was so involved in and at a place where so many people loved and appreciated him will be at is perfect.” The first few months after losing someone close can be tough, but the Lehmanns are working through their pain through recollections and love. This is a chance for their guiding light to shine. “We are a very private people and a little uncomfortable with this happening, but we are pleased that he is being recognized this way,” Michelle said. “It’s really an honor.”

PECOS, Texas – Three years ago, Haley Sage arrived at the West of the Pecos Rodeo with a new mount. “I raised him,” she said of Pretzel, a 10-year-old gray gelding. “He’s by our stud. I trained him, too, and the first rodeo I ever rode him at was Pecos.” Now in their fourth year working this historic rodeo together, they’ve teamed together quite nicely. They made two runs Thursday – she was 4.2 seconds and sits in a tie for sixth in the opening round that occurred during the morning session, then she posted a 3.2-second run in the opening performance of the 141st rodeo for a tie for third place in the second round – to lead the aggregate race. “I came back and drew a better calf,” said Sage of Datil, New Mexico. “I love this rodeo. I’ve been here every year since you guys added breakaway. It’s a great setup, and I wish more were like it.” She began her roping career about 11 years ago, and it carried her to a rodeo scholarship at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. After college, she went back to her family’s place in eastern New Mexico, where she continues to help on the ranch. Over that stretch, the popularity of breakaway roping has surged. The first year it was added to ProRodeo was 2020, and the first National Finals Breakaway Roping took place in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo that December. The first world champion was Jackie Crawford, who has 22 other WPRA titles; the Oklahoma-raised cowgirl now living in Stephenville earned a little more than $47,000 that year. In a sport where dollars equal championship points, that was a strong starting point. Because the 2020 campaign was hampered by the COVID pandemic, total payouts were low in all events, but they were especially small in breakaway roping. In the years since, more rodeos are including the event in their schedules, and the money shows. This past year, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged set a new earnings mark with nearly $198,000. “I was just 18 when they started it, so I’ve grown with the WPRA,” Sage said. “We really just thank all the committees that are adding all the money and having us.” What has drawn the cowgirl to the sport? “It’s fast, and (it takes) good horses; I just love it,” she said, pointing to her powerful gray gelding who is now in the prime of his career. “He showed that. He’s a little bigger, and this is a little longer score, so (we) kind of excel here.” While Sage was fast in breakaway roping, the husband-wife tandem of Marcos Costa and Keyla Costa proved to be just as speedy. Marcos Costa, the 2016 tie-down roping world champion, posted a 10.0-second run to take second-round lead; he’s also atop the aggregate race with a two-run cumulative time of 22.2 seconds. Keyla Costa posted a 17.62-second run and leads the only round of barrel racing by two-tenths of a second. The competition at the “World’s First Rodeo” is just beginning, with three more nights of action before deciding this year’s West of the Pecos champions. West of the Pecos RodeoJune 26-29Bareback riding: 1. Cooper Filipek, 82.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Wilson Sanchez; 2. Kash Martin, 77; no other qualified rides. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/Cory Petska and Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, 6.7 seconds; 3. Clay Tryan/Blaine Vick, 8.1; 4. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 8.7; 5. Clay Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 12.6; 6. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 13.0; 7. Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan, 13.9; 8. Jhett Trenary/Jake South, 15.3. Second round leaders: 1. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torre, 6.2 seconds; 2. Peyton Walters/Brandon Gonzales, 6.7; 3. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 8.2; 4. Clayton Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 9.7; 5. Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan, 13.7; 6. Ben Jordan/ J.R. Gonzalez, 18.0; no other qualified runs.  Average leaders: 1. Coy Brittain/Michael Fortenberry, 16.9 seconds on two runs; 2. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 19.2; 3. Clayton Eggers/Joshua Smitherman, 22.3; 4. Peyton Walters/Brandon Gonzales, 24.4; 5. Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan, 27.6; 6. (tie) Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin and Pedro Egurrola/Cory Petska, 6.7 seconds on one run; 8. Clay Tryan/Blaine Vick, 8.1.  Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Cole Patterson, 12.9 seconds; 2. Cooper Mills, 14.0; 3. Marty Jones, 15.1; 4. J.D. Barnes, 19.6; 5. Paul Patton, 22.8; 6. Mark Milner, 24.7. Second round leaders: 1. Thomas Smith, 13.3; 2. Cooper Mills, 16.2; 3. Mark Milner, 17.2; 4. Keith Hudson, 19.2; 5. Ryne Hutton, 19.6; 6. Jody Rowland, 22.9. Third round leaders: 1. Cole Patterson, 11.2 seconds; 2. Cooper Mills, 14.9; 3. Mark Milner, 16.0; 4. J.D. Barnes, 20.0; 5. Marty Jones, 22.7; no other qualified runs; Average leaders: 1. Cooper Mills, 45.1 seconds on three runs; 2. Mark Milner, 57.9; 3. Cole Patterson, 24.1 seconds on two runs; 4. Marty Jones, 37.8; 5. J.D. Barnes, 39.6; 6. Thomas Smith, 13.3 seconds on one run; 7. Keith Hudson, 19.2; 8. Ryne Hutton, 19.6.   Saddle bronc riding: 1. Isaac Richard, 81.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s South Point Gambler; 2. Tom Webster, 81; 3. Gus Galliard, 78; 4. Darcy Radel, 77; 5. Ira Dickinson, 76.5; 6. Michael Womack, 75; no other qualified rides. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Tanner Green, 9.8 seconds; 2. Tyson Arledge, 10.3; 3. John Douch, 11.0; 4. Cody Burney, 11.9; 5. (tie) Marcos Costa and Trenton Smith, 12.2; 7. Word Hudson, 14.2; 8. Ryne Hutton, 14.4. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 10.0 seconds; 2. Gio Piloto, 12.2; 3. Word Hudson, 12.4; 4. John Douch, 12.9; 5. Kolt Henderson, 13.0; 6. Weldon Watson, 13.9; 7. Ross Tucker, 15.5; 8. Austin Posey, 20.7. Average leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 22.2 seconds on two runs; 2. John Douch, 23.9; 3. Word Hudson, 26.6; 4. Ross Tucker, 29.9; 5. Gio Piloto, 35.1; 6. Austin Posey, 44.0; 7. Tanner Green, 9.8 seconds on one run; 8. Tyson Arledge, 10.3. Breakaway roping: 1. Emilee Charlesworth, 3.1 seconds; 2. Hope Thompson, 3.4; 3. Jade Mitchell, 3.5; 4. Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, 3.8; 5. Kelsie Domer, 4.0; 6.  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – Organizers of the largest annual community event have been working diligently to include all facets of Cattlemen’s Days in one location. With that means making some changes, including the dates and general location of the Cattlemen’s Days carnival, set for Wednesday, July 3-Saturday, July 6, on the east side of Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “When the county built the affordable-housing complex, they placed in the area where our carnival used to be,” said Tyler Hanson, first vice president of the Cattlemen’s Days committee. “We moved it off site last year, but we really wanted it to be at the fairgrounds. Changing the dates of our carnival was really the only way we could make that happen. “We’re having the carnival set up on the east side, just east of the arena and grandstands area. That’s going to allow for the best option to have the carnival at the fairgrounds and for easy access to the rides from all directions.” It’s a modification, but it’s one Cattlemen’s Days organizers hope will offer the best benefit to those that love the rides and attractions that come with the carnival. A year ago, St. Peter’s Catholic Church allowed the carnival to take place in an empty block it owns a few blocks north of the fairgrounds. By bringing it back to the fairgrounds, committee members hope to enhance the overall experience of Cattlemen’s Days while also helping promote all that happens during the exposition. From the livestock shows to the 4H projects to the award-winning PRCA rodeo, a great community event takes place inside that complex. “We’re bringing in G&S Shows as our new carnival provider and are very excited about what that company is going to bring to town,” said Brad Tutor, president of the volunteer committee. “Our goal as a committee is to have the best entertainment possible, and I think doing things this way gives us that chance this year.” The carnival will be open 5-10 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, and Friday, July 5, and 2-10 p.m. Thursday, July 4, and Saturday, July 6. “We understand this is an adjustment, so we put a lot of thought into how we handle the carnival this year,” Tutor said. “There will be things going on that first weekend, like the 4H horse show, the royalty tryouts and ranch rodeo, so the carnival should fit right into that schedule.”

Estes Park offers major attractions for the sport’s top cowboys, cowgirls ESTES PARK, Colo. – The heat of rodeo competition and the heat of summer collide during a lucrative series of events that surround the Fourth of July holiday. Hundreds of contestants will have a chance to cool their minds and bodies when they make their way to Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. Like so many tourists who make their way to this town every summer, rodeo cowboys and cowgirls converge on the community to not only enjoy the scenery and atmosphere, but they also have their chance at big money. Take Shelley Morgan, a barrel racer from Eustace, Texas. She and her main mount, Kiss, have been running hot in their home state, so a trip to the cool mountain air is the perfect reprieve for the talented duo. Morgan is a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who is sixth in the world standings heading into the holiday week. She must like Estes Park,” Morgan said of Kiss, a 10-year-old sorrel mare, on which she won Rooftop Rodeo last July. “She was feeling it that night.” The dynamic duo will return to Estes Park for this year’s rodeo with a repeat title in mind. Morgan, who finished third in the 2022 world standings after winning the aggregate championship at that year’s NFR, just missed the finale last year, placing 23rd overall – only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to Las Vegas to run for the titles. The one thing barrel racers know is times will be fast at Granny May Arena. Morgan and Kiss set a new standard when they rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 15.84 seconds. “She did feel like she was running in Estes,” Morgan said. “You can feel when she’s not running and when she’s overrating the barrels. Did I feel like she was going to do that good? No, but I knew it was going to be fast. “I know she’s done good there before, so a lot of times you try to go where you know the horse likes that setup. I was second on the ground, so that helped some. We didn’t know what Estes was going to be like, because it had rained quite a bit in previous days.” The footing held up, and so did Morgan’s time. “I just tried to focus on my position and put her in the right spots,” she said. “It seems we do a lot better when I trust her and let her do her job.” Rodeo’s a unique sport in that the contestants must rely on animals to succeed. In the three roughstock events – bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding – scores are based on a 100-point scale, with half the score coming from the animal. Waylon Bourgeios and Richmond Champion shared the bareback riding title with matching 85.5-point rides, while Stu Wright posted an 87.5 to win saddle bronc riding. His nephew, Stetson, is the winningest cowboy competing today with eight gold buckles, five of which have come in the all-around category. Stetson Wright won Rooftop Rodeo’s bull riding, posting the highest marking of the six-day rodeo, an 88-point ride on Cervi Rodeo’s Theodore. In the timed events, the fastest runs in each discipline take the titles. The biggest names in ProRodeo make their way to Estes Park every summer. They want all the perks the town has to offer, and they want the big bucks that are available at Rooftop Rodeo. Gates for Rooftop Rodeo open at 5 p.m. Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, with the preshow beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the rodeo beginning at 7 p.m. For more information about Rooftop Rodeo, which is a Town of Estes Park signature event, or to order tickets online, log on to www.RooftopRodeo.com. Other ticket inquiries may be made by contacting the Town of Estes Park Events office at events@estes.org or (970) 586-6104.

GUNNISON, Colo. – For decades, the annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration has been known for its livestock shows, 4H exhibits, the Watershed team ropings and barrel races, the carnival and, of course, the PRCA rodeo. The organizers of this year’s festivities have added something new to the mix: the Cattlemen’s Cowboy Golf Scramble, which will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at Dos Rios Golf Club in Gunnison. The deadline to enter is June 25. “We came up with this idea as a way to provide something new and different to Cattlemen’s Days,” said Karla Rundell, second vice president of the organization’s volunteer committee. “Since we’ve merged the Watershed barrel racing with the team roping on Wednesday night, that opened things up for our Tuesday. “Dos Rios has been a major sponsor for Cattlemen’s Days for years, and they have been great hosts to our contract personnel. We thought this would be a good way to give them some business back during the busy stretch of days during Cattlemen’s Days.” The fee is $100 per person, and each entrant’s name is placed in a hat. The four-person teams are matched together via a random draw. “Brian Turner suggested limiting it to 10 teams this first year and see how this plays out,” Rundell said of the Dos Rios golf pro. “He thought it would be a good way to start, and if it draws as good as we hope, we can always build on it for the future. “We decided to really make this tournament Western by placing the random draw in there. It’s similar to what happens at a lot of team ropings, so it’s a nice twist to something people have been doing for a long time. You won’t know what team you’re on until they are drawn. I think it’s going to make it a lot of fun.” It’s also going to open the door for new friendships. “It’s just different, but I think everyone will like it,” Rundell said. “It’s a great chance for people to have fun together on the golf course.”

PECOS, Texas – The crowds that attend this community’s annual rodeo pack themselves in over four nights each June. The same can be said for the cowboys and cowgirls who want to compete at this historic event. This year’s West of the Pecos Rodeo features than 500 contestants who have entered the rodeo for a chance at the big money available at the event. set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26-Saturday, June 29, at Buck Jackson Arena in Pecos. It’s going to be a who’s who in ProRodeo, with 102 qualifiers to the National Finals Rodeo, the National Finals Breakaway Roping or the National Finals Steer Roping. Of those, there are 21 world champions representing 64 gold buckles. Why? Because the West of the Pecos Rodeo buckle is a trophy they all crave. While rodeo’s gold is the most prestigious, there are some individual honors that carry high recognition, and winning the championship at the “World’s First Rodeo” is definitely one. Whether it’s bareback riders Clayton Biglow and Jess Pope or steer ropers like Scott Snedecor, Cole Patterson and J. Tom Fisher, the list of rodeo greats is long and powerful. The cowboys who are eager to compete inside that storied arena include tie-down ropers like Shad Mayfield and Marcos Costa or team ropers like reigning titlists Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp. But it’s the list of women who make up the most world champions. Hailey Kinsel is a four-time barrel racing winner, and there is a host of breakaway ropers – Jackie Crawford (23), J.J. Hampton (17), and Kelsie Domer and Lari Dee Guy (nine each) – who lead the charge These are people that make their living swinging a rope or riding bucking animals. There are no guarantees in rodeo. They have to beat most of the contestants in the field in their respective events to earn a paycheck, and they pay a fee in order to compete. Unlike other professional sports, there are no teams to pick up the tab on traveling expenses. Every penny counts, whether paying for fuel or building a qualification to the National Finals. In rodeo, dollars equal championship points. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event at the end of the regular season earn a spot in ProRodeo’s finale, and only the top earners when 2024 comes to a close will be crowned world champions. Just two years ago, Pope utilized his victory in Pecos to not only advance to the NFR but also walk away from Las Vegas with rodeo’s gold. A year before that, Kaycee Feild used it to catapult him to a record sixth bareback riding world title, and Patterson collected his first steer roping crown that year. The history at the West of the Pecos Rodeo is filled with greatness, and it continues this June.

BIG SPRING, Texas – Jace Bland’s heritage resides inside the Rodeo Bowl, though he had never competed in the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo before this year. His grandfather, Rich Anderson, served on the board for the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo. On Saturday night during the final performance of this year’s extravaganza, Bland and team roping partner, Tyson Thompson, stopped the clock in 4.1 seconds to not only win the event but also set an arena record. “We knew we had a great steer,” said Bland, 24, of Turkey, Texas. “It was a rerun, and it was a great cow. I was just blessed to get out on the barrier and get him caught, and I knew my man would clean him up.” It worked out just as they’d planned and practiced. For winning the event, they each pocketed $2,565, which will help them in multiple ways. Since both cowboys are from Texas, their regional money will count toward qualifying for the Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo. Bland is No. 7 in the heading standings, and Thompson is 10th. “I just knew if I didn’t mess up, we were going to win, so I was a little bit nervous but got it done,” said Thompson, 27, of Munday, Texas. “The arena record is awesome. It’s exciting to get something like that, knowing the teams that have roped here, so it’s pretty neat.” This year featured the 90th anniversary of Big Spring’s rodeo, and this was the 74th year it has been conducted inside the Rodeo Bowl, a unique feature for this west Texas town. Winning in the fashion they did made for a memorable evening. “I’ve got some family that lives about 30 minutes from here,” Bland said. “They were here tonight, so this makes it even better.” The tandem is striving for greatness. The first step is to make sure the steer gets the appropriate head start. If not, then the team suffers a broken barrier, a roped line in front of the timed-event box that is tripped when the steer leaves on time. If the header leaves a little early, he will break the string that ties the barrier to the chute. Thompson loves the opportunities he’s been getting with Bland leading the way. “I enjoy it, because I know every time we’re getting out on the barrier, we have a good chance to win,” he said. “We’re plenty fast.” They proved it Saturday night, and they have the record to prove it. Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and RodeoJune 20-22All-around cowboy: Seth Hall, $3,530 in tie-down roping and team roping Bareback riding: 1. Tim Murphy, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Rockin The Boat, and Kash Martin, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Borrowed Money, 81 points, $1,494; 3. (tie) Jacob Lees and Luke Thrash, 78, $773; 5. Isaac Ingram, 77, $361; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Ryan Nettle, 4.3 seconds, $1,730; 2. Jay Williamson, 4.5, $1,504; 3. Dylan Schroeder, 4.7, $1,278; 4. Cimarron Thompson, 4.8, $1,053; 5. Gavin Soileau, 5.0, $827; 6. Gary Gilbert, 5.3, $602; 7. (tie) Matt Reeves and Skyler Woolls, 5., $263 each. Tie-down roping: 1. Seth Hall, 8.1 seconds, $2,638; 2. Klay Kirkes, 8.4, $2,294; 3. Cash Hooper, 8.8, $1,950; 4. Landyn Duncan, 9.4, $1,606; 5. Hayden Ford, 9.8, $1,261; 6. Jacob Walters, 10.0, $917; 7. Weldon Watson, 10.1, $573; 8. Word Hudson, 10.2, $229. Breakaway roping: 1. Macy Davenport, 2.2 seconds, $2,829; 2. (tie) Bailey Bates and Addison Elliott, 2.4, $2,193; 4. Baili Herring, 2.7, $1,698; 5. (tie) Jenna Caldarola, Lauren Hopkins, Jaden Usher, Tibba Smith, Jessica Tye and Haley Mason, 2.9, $766 each; 11. (tie) Jordan Hollabaugh, Lindsey Baker, Hali Williams and Kayelen Helton, 3.0, $159 each. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Cooper Thatcher, 85 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Saya’s Eyes, $2,115; 2. Brody Cress, 84, $1,622; 3. Sam Martin, 82.5, $1,199; 4. Ean Price, 79.5, $776; 5. Jarrod Hammons, 79, $494; 6. (tie) Brandon Lansford and Chris Williams, 76, $317 each; 8. Tom Webster, 75, $212. Team roping: 1. Jace Bland/Tyson Thompson, 4.1 seconds, $2,565; 2. Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, 4.8, $2,230. 3. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 5.1, $1,896; 4. Billy Reagan/Neil Jordan, 5.4, $1,561; 5. Roan Oldfield/Zane Pratt, 5.8, $1,227; 6. Seth Hall/Pace Blanchard, 6.4, $892; 7. Jim Breck Bean/Jasper Klein, 7.1, $558; 8. Corey Whinnery/Robert Murphy, 7.6, $223. Barrel racing: 1. Dena Kirkpatrick, 15.79 seconds, $2,141; 2. Jymmy Kay Cox, 15.88, $1,820; 3. (tie) Cheyenne Wimberley and Aspen Adams, 15.89, $1,392 each; 5. (tie) Deb Guelly and Tasha Welsh, 15.94, $910 each; 7. Shannon Griffin, 15.98, $535; 8. Caley Walkoviak, 16.00, $428; 9. Corley Cox, 16.04, $375; 10. LaTricia Duke, 16.05, $321; 11. (tie) Fallon Taylor and Gracen Harman, 16.13, $241 each. Bull riding: 1. Cody Teel, 84.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Brown Bomber, $2,428; 2. Lex Oakley, 82, $1,954; 3. Bryce Jensen, 69, $1,540; no other qualified rides.