Category Archives: Uncategorized

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bret Franks is a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who coached Wyatt Casper to Clarendon (Texas) College’s first national championship when Casper won the saddle bronc riding title in 2016. Even after graduating, Casper is still receiving lessons from Franks, and they’re just a little part of the mix in the younger cowboy’s success in ProRodeo. Sitting No. 1 in the world standings, Casper rode Korkow Rodeos’ Onion Ring for 90.5 points to win Monday’s fifth round of the NFR at Globe Life Field. “After last night, I really needed today,” said Casper, who was bucked off Bar T Rodeo’s Lady Vain on Sunday. “Onion Ring is an incredible horse. I got on him earlier this year at The American and it pretty well felt exactly like he did today. He takes the perfect amount of rein. He goes out there, he is honest and he bucks hard. He just gives you all the time to spur him. “He’s an awesome horse.” It’s his first round title at his first NFR, and he pushed his season earnings to $233,830, nearly $89,000 of which has come over the last five nights. His ride Monday was worth $26,231. Bigger yet, the No. 2 man in the standings, Utah cowboy Ryder Wright, finished out of the money, so Casper extended his lead to nearly $39,000. How big are the stakes for Casper? Because he bucked off Sunday, he sits fifth in the average race with 352 points on four rides; if he stays in that spot through the final five nights of the NFR, he will earn a $22,846 bonus. Wright, who is No. 1 in the average, would pocket $67,269 for winning the aggregate title. That’s actually about the same amount of money Franks won the entire 2000 season. The money in ProRodeo has changed dramatically, for the betterment of the contestants that make a living in this game. “Bret texted me the other day after I got on Miss Valley (Friday),” Casper said of Franks. “He said, ‘Make sure you’re getting a little quicker on your markout on your next one.’ “I was a little late getting to her, and it worked out, but it was just by a hair.” Globe Life Field is the new home to the Texas Rangers and it has a retractable crown that can allow for natural air to flow in on nice days. The powers that be may need to open it, though, if things keep going Casper’s way. “My confidence is through the roof,” he said. “Everything feels really good. We’re just hoping we draw really good horses and keep that confidence up.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The burn has been slow, but things are starting to heat up for tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett. The Georgia-born cowboy had missed paychecks in each of the first three rounds of this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field in Arlington, but he’s starting to find his place. On Monday night, he put together his best run of the week, stopping the clock in 8.2 seconds. With that, he finished third in the fifth round and pocketed $15,654 in the process. He also placed the night before, with an 8.4-second run that pushed him into a tie for fifth place on the night. Through five nights at this year’s championship, he has earned $31,154. “You kind of have to get in the groove, and I’m not ever known to get with the groove right off the bat,” said Jarrett, a 13-time NFR qualifier from Comanche, Oklahoma. “There’s a lot of prize money left. We are going to chip away and get some of it and take it back to Comanche.” In fact, he and his family – wife Shy-Anne and daughter Junree – make the 280-mile round trip home every night for the 10-round championship. It allows him the opportunity to take care of business and sleep in his own bed. “The first couple of nights, I stayed because we were preparing calves the following morning,” he said. “The last few nights, I have gone home; I can get a half day’s work done in the mornings before I come back down, so there’s no need wasting it.” Sometimes being a rodeo cowboy means taking care of cowboy things at home, even while competing at ProRodeo’s grand finale. Each night he arrives in Arlington, his mind is on his business. “The run still didn’t go as good as I wanted,” said Jarrett, the 2005 all-around world champion. “It just kind of worked out. It wasn’t a flawless run. I think my horse needs to work a little better. I need to get a little closer so I can handle my slack a little better to be faster.” His horse is Snoopy, a solid sorrel Jarrett has ridden the last few years. Each night after the rodeo, he drops Snoopy off at Outlaw Equine in nearby Decatur, Texas, and allows the horse to get a little treatment before returning to action the next night. “When we get him here, he’s got his game face on,” he said. “To me, it has been a little easier getting to go home, thinking about something else. Whereas in Vegas, there’s nothing else to think about but rodeo. You go home and refresh, rejuvenate and be ready to win something the following night.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Chad Rutherford had a bit of history with Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire, a powerful horse that’s been prolific for high scores and wild buckoffs. In July, Rutherford and Gun Fire matched together for 90.5 points to win the Cody (Wyoming) Stampede, one of the many rodeos that helped propel the Hillsboro, Texas, cowboy to his first appearance to the National Finals Rodeo. It seems to be a match made in rodeo heaven. The two joined together again Monday for another magical score, as Rutherford scored 88 points to finish second in Monday’s fifth round of the NFR.  It was worth $20,731 and pushed his earnings to $72,374 for the year, nearly $35,000 of which has come over the opening five nights of ProRodeo’s grand championship. “I was just tickled to death when I saw I had him again,” he said. “That’s a strong, great bucking horse. I had this bad habit that whenever I get on a horse that I’ve been on before and done really well on, I relax and don’t do quite what I should or I don’t ride them as strong as I should or as I did the first time. “All I thought today was, ‘Bucker, bucker, bucker.’ Right before I was nodding my head, I was thinking the same thing. He was exactly what I imagined him to be in my head. The ride went exactly how I imagined it, too.” It doesn’t take much imagination when he stairs down the powerful body of one of the best horses in the game. In 2020, the horse from Oklahoma-based Frontier Rodeo was named one of the top five bareback horses in the game. “I like to think of my riding style as aggressive,” Rutherford said. “When I start to feel my feet come back (to the rigging), all I can think about is sending my feet back as hard as I possibly can. On a horse like that, it is exactly what you want to do, because if you don’t, they may get away from you.” This was just his second paycheck of the week so far. He failed to finish among the top six in the second, third and fourth rounds, and was treated quite harshly by Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s San Angelo Sam during his 66.5-point ride in Saturday’s third round. He hasn’t let it bother him, because he understands that’s part of the game. “I’ve become a stronger Christian this year than I ever have in my life,” he said. “This year weas just a great testament to what my life has been like. When I’ve had a weakness or an outcome that has been slightly less than desirable, all I’ve got to think about is the great opportunities God has given me. “I just want to give it to Him and trust that God will be my vindicator for the rest.” With faith like that, Rutherford knows he has five more nights of opportunities.

ARLINGTON, Texas – This is the Tim O’Connell know about. With a somewhat hard-to-track bucking horse, the three-time world champion proved why he owns so many Montana Silversmiths gold buckles by matching move for move with Brookman Rodeo’s Famous Dex for 87 points to finish fourth in Monday’s fifth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “I figured he would throw those moves at me,” said O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa. “I didn’t open up, because I didn’t want to expose myself too much and get into trouble. I watched it back, and it looked a lot better than it felt.” The ride earned him $11,000 and extended his lead in the world standings by $32,000 over the No. 2 man, four-time world champion Kaycee Feild. O’Connell has pocketed $63,036 through five nights of this year’s NFR, the second highest total among bareback riders. Of course, some of that comes with being a veteran of the game. This is his seventh straight NFR. He took a solid game plan into his fifth-round ride, and it paid off. By staying close to the vest and not exposing himself, O’Connell allowed the horse and the spur ride to be solid. “I didn’t know where the next jump was going to be with him,” he said. “I thought he was going to turn back just by the way he felt, but he never did. This was way better than when I him in Deadwood (South Dakota). “I feel like I made a good, aggressive ride. I don’t normally get to mad at myself for making mistakes, but I made one mistake in the end. I tell my traveling partners to never get mad about spurring over one’s neck, because you’re being aggressive. For everything that was going on in that ride, when you have a horse like that and you’re trying to make the best ride you can, making that kind of a mistake is understandable. For me to make only one mistake and it was at the end of the ride, I’m super pleased with that.” He should be. He’s also sitting second in the average race with 427.5 cumulative points on five rides. He’s won the NFR average three times – the same three years he won world titles in 2016-18 – and finished second last year. The aggregate champion will earn $67,269 when Saturday’s 10th round concludes; second place is worth $54,577. He will have another shot to cash in and increase his average chances Tuesday night, where he will be matched with J Bar J Rodeo’s Blessed Assurance, the horse that led Richmond Champion to the first-round victory last Thursday. “I’m really excited,” O’Connell said. “I’ve been wanting to get on that horse for a long time. She’s a veteran, I’m a veteran; it’s just time.” Yes, it is.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Steer wrestler Jacob Edler is quietly having a solid run at the National Finals Rodeo. He’d like to make a little more noise. Through the first five rounds, the State Center, Iowa, cowboy has placed three times and earned $35,385 at Globe life Field in Arlington. Part of that came after his 4.1-second run during Monday’s fifth go-round, where he finished fourth. That was worth $11,000. He has five nights remaining in the 2020 season, and he’d like to add to that total considerably. “I feel great with my bulldogging,” said Edler, who attended Western Oklahoma State College and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on rodeo scholarships. “I feel really good about the starts I’m getting, but it seems like the mare I’m riding is starting not to find cattle. I’m going to make a horse change.” That begins Tuesday. He will mount Mabel, a 9-year-old sorrel mare owned by fellow bulldogger Garrett Henry. Fellow NFR competitor Stetson Jorgensen has been riding the red rocket and has earned nearly $50,000. Jorgensen also leads the aggregate race with a cumulative time of 23.3 seconds on five runs. It’s a solid move for Edler, who finished as the runner-up to his national champion teammate, J.D. Struxness, at the 2016 College National Finals Rodeo while competing for Northwestern. He is tied for second place in the average with Bridger Anderson, a senior at the Alva, Oklahoma, university. “I just need to be a little tighter to the steer,” Edler said. “It seems I’ve been jumping at steers the past few days. I know a guy doesn’t want to think about the average right now, but I’m dang sure going to have the mentality to go after the go-rounds. I also want to have no doubts that I’m able to get my hands on all five of the steers I have left.” Monday’s paycheck was his biggest so far, but in terms of the NFR payout, he’s nickel-and-diming his way toward the top. Go-round winners pocket $26,231 each night, and rodeo is all about crowning the champions with the biggest bank account; dollars equal points, and the contestants with the most money won at the conclusion of the season will earn the Montana Silversmiths gold buckles. “Throughout the year, you’ve got to consistently win checks,” he said. “When there’s an opportunity to win a check, you need to do your job and consistently keep plucking your way. When go-round chances come your way, you need to take advantage. “There’s way too much money up every single night to back off and really think about the average. In bulldogging, everything starts off with the kind of start you get. I plan on blowing the barrier out every night and being fast. The average pays a lot of money, but the go-rounds do, too, and every dollar counts toward that gold buckle.” He’s in the hunt for it, along with Anderson, who has enlisted Ranger rodeo coach Stockton Graves to be his hazer. “This is all pretty neat and it’s been fun practicing with Bridger and Stockton leading up to this and getting to be around them all this week,” Edler said. “We’re going to represent Northwestern all the way through.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Richmond Champion has a pretty nice history of collecting cash in north Texas. Raised in The Woodlands, Texas, and educated at Tarleton State University in nearby Stephenville, Texas, he was the first bareback riding champion at The American in 2014, worth $100,000; as the only qualifier to win, he earned the $1 million side pot. He keeps adding Arlington money during the 2020 National Finals Rodeo. On Sunday night, he matched moves with Wayne Vold Rodeo’s True Grit for 85 points to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the fourth go-round. “That is a great little horse out of one of my father-in-law’s studs back in the day,” said Champion of Stevensville, Montana. “He raised her, then another guy bought her, then ended up owning her and selling her to Wayne. “I won Stathmore (Alberta) on her twice. I’ve been on her one other time in Canada, and it went really well. I was looking forward to it all day.” His wife is the former Paige Lawrence, a retired Olympic figure skater from Saskatchewan whose father is a Canadian stock contractor. That’s just another reason why having the opportunity to ride True Grit at the NFR was special. Through four nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale, Champion has placed three times and earned $55,551. He has increased his season earnings to $119,700 and sits fourth in the world standings with six nights remaining in the season. Of course, he added just $3,667 Sunday night by finishing with the same score as two newcomers, Jess Pope and Cole Reiner. It was a close race to the finish, with five of the top seven scores being within a point and a half of each other. “We do our best job to pick even horses,” Champion said, referring to the process of selecting the top 100 horses to perform at the NFR, then breaking them down into five pens to make for the most even matches possible. “We put them together and give guys an even shot. The guys did their jobs, and the judges have to decipher, within a half point sometimes. “It’s all good stuff, and we got some money won. As long as you’re winning money here, it’s good.” Sunday’s group of horses was set to allow a bit of a break for the cowboys after facing the toughest-to-ride horses in the game Saturday. Now the bareback riders will face the most electric horses in rodeo for Monday’s fifth round. “That’s our TV pen, so let’s do it,” Champion said. “There’s not a bad one in there. The part that gets me is that we’re almost already halfway done, and I feel like we just got here. It doesn’t matter where you are – in Las Vegas or in Arlington – the NFR just flies by.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jess Pope was just glad to show off a little. He’s on the biggest stage in rodeo, and Sunday’s group of horses allowed the bareback riders to show every bit of their ability. Pope rode Three Hills Rodeo’s Devil’s Advocate for 85 points to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the fourth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “I’ve been on him twice now,” said Pope, 22, of Waverly, Kansas, a senior at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri. “I won a round on him at the (Great Lakes) Circuit Finals. I got on her in Carson, Iowa, this summer, and she fell down on me; it was a bad deal. I got on a re-ride, but I really like that horse. “She’s just a good one to get on. I’m excited to see her by my name every time it is.” He may be a newcomer to the NFR, but he doesn’t look like it. Pope earned $3,667 for his Sunday finish, pushing his NFR earnings to nearly $43,000. He sits eighth in the world standings with $92,471. “(Saturday) night with those eliminators, you’ve got to stay close” to the horse during the spur stroke, he said. “With these horses, they don’t have the drop (out of the air), and they aren’t going to whack you in the back nearly as hard. You can really expose yourself and let it all air out. They are just the fun ones to get on. Everybody just loves getting on those horses.” Pope also got a bonus, with traveling partner and three-time world champion Tim O’Connell winning the fourth round. Between them, they added nearly $30,000 to the “rig.” “Our goal is to come in here and one-two this deal every night, whether it be me or him,” Pope said. “Both of us won money, and I’m super happy for him. He has been struggling a little bit, and I’m happy to see him get that round win. Now I can watch him take that back over and get that confidence in him, because he is a bad son-of-a-buck.” Pope has been receiving quite the rodeo education. He’s studying communication, but he’s learning just as much about the business of riding bucking horses. Of course, nodding his head alongside the greatest bareback riders in the game provides the perfect classroom. “Everybody here rides just as good as everybody else,” he said. “When you’ve got the best horses paired up against everybody, it is a pure riding contest and a bit of a drawing contest. You’ve got to be able to draw the right ones to be able to place, but you’ve got to do your part and ride the best. Everybody is really good. It is pretty tough, honestly. “It is awesome. It’s a fight every time you get on. That’s the way it should be.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Tim O’Connell knew the 2020 National Finals Rodeo was going to be a battle. Tough bucking horses and 15 great bareback riders are part of the show, and that means every jump out of the chute can be big time for just about anybody. After faltering a bit in the third round, the three-time world champion rebounded with a 90.5-point ride on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Pop A Top to win Sunday’s Round 5. “(Saturday) night wasn’t near what I wanted to do,” said O’Connell, 29, of Zwingle, Iowa. “I had a great horse underneath me (Sunday). It gave me an opportunity to show off and show out, and that’s exactly what I wanted. We’re in this thing. “I’ve had this No. 1 spot in the world all year, and I don’t ever plan to give it up.” He entered the NFR atop the world standings, but four-time world champion Kaycee Feild had gained ground after Round 3 – Feild pulled to within $1,900 prior to Sunday’s round. By collecting the $26,231 first-place payout, O’Connell extended his lead. There are six rounds remaining to decide this year’s world championship. “Kaycee and I are going to have a slugfest, but he’s not the only one in this thing,” said O’Connell, the 2015 national champion bareback riding champion at Missouri Valley College who earned world titles in 2016-18. “There are a lot of guys in this, and people forget it. There are four or five guys that are real players in tis race, and we’re not even to the halfway point. “I feel confident in my riding; I feel confident in my mind. I’ve got my joy back riding bucking horses, and we’re ready to roll.” It helped to have a horse like Pop A Top, one of the few horses that are at the NFR that O’Connell hasn’t ridden. “I knew he was going to be a shot, especially when I saw him,” he said. “He’s a really built, thicker stud with a shorter back and a little bit smaller. I’d seen him buck, and he’s so electric. He really gave it to me that first jump out of the chute. He fed it right back to me, and I fed it right back to him. “After about that second spur stroke, I knew he was going to take the spur stroke I was going to put to him, so I just let it go after that.” It was a veteran move, but it’s also why O’Connell is on track for his fourth Montana Silversmiths gold buckle.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Most of the time, roller coasters are more fun when the highs are matched with the lows. That’s not the case with reigning bareback riding world champion Clayton Biglow. Twelve months ago, he was riding the highest of highs at the National Finals Rodeo, which culminated in his first Montana Silversmiths gold buckle and a rodeo-best $243,891 in earnings over 10 days of ProRodeo’s premier event. “I like it way better when the roller coaster is going up,” Biglow said with a smile Sunday after riding Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Star for 86.5 points to finish in a tie for third place in the fifth round, worth $13,327. It was just his second paycheck so far at Globe Life Field in Arlington. He bucked off Sankey’s Prairie Rose in the second round, then was manhandled Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Mr. Harry on Saturday night, scoring just 68 points. “You’ve just got to brush it off your shoulder and forget about it,” he said. “That ride tonight feels good. I got a lot of confidence off that, and I’m ready for more.” After two rank rounds of bucking horses, the cowboys were offered the opportunity to show off a bit. The “hoppers,” as they’re called, are the easiest-to-ride horses at the NFR. The degree of difficulty isn’t quite as extreme as the “eliminator pen,” which is featured in Rounds 3 and 8. That’s where Night Star comes in. “I really didn’t know a whole lot about him, but it’s a Pickett horse,” Biglow said. “Whenever you draw a Pickett horse, you’ve got to be happy.” Just a few days shy of his 25th birthday, the Clements, California, cowboy is still a young gun, but this year’s field of NFR bareback riders features five first-timers. It’s a bright spot in the most rugged events in rodeo. “Those guys are wicked, and they’ve got one heck of a future in front of them,” he said. “I’m gad to be part of them, and I’m glad to be riding against them.” One of the keys to Biglow’s success at the 2019 NFR was establishing an earnings record and shattering the record for the best 10-ride cumulative score with 886.5 points. With a no-score and a low score on the board, he won’t be able to repeat as the average champion, but he knows there are still opportunities to cash in. “It’s a pressure that you don’t want off, but the pressure is off,” Biglow said. “Now, we are just going for go-rounds, and there is no holding back. Like I did (Sunday), it is, ‘Just have fun and make the best spur ride you can.’ “It’s going to be a spurring contest for me. I’m going for every point I can get. I’ve had hell the last three rounds. I had some equipment malfunctions for the last three rounds, and I switched back to my old rigging. It feels way better. I’ve got some confidence in my hand and in my equipment.” It showed Sunday night.

ARLINGTON, Texas – In just three nights of ProRodeo’s championship event, Bridger Anderson has made a name for himself. The steer wrestler from Carrington, North Dakota, has placed in just two rounds, but he’s placed high. He won Friday’s round, then he tied for second place in Saturday’s third go-round with his fastest run of the week. He grappled his steer to the ground in 3.6 seconds to tie Louisianan Jacob Talley and earn $18,192. In all, he’s pocketed $51,673 at Globe Life Field in Arlington and has pushed his season earnings to $95,550. He has moved up nine places to second in the world standings. “We knew we had a good one that ran a little bit,” said Anderson, a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “I took a fairly aggressive start, and I wasn’t sure if I broke the barrier.” If he had, he would have suffered a 10-second penalty, but that didn’t happen. He grabbed ahold of the animal’s head, then stopped the clock in a hurry. Only Will Lummus of Mississippi was faster, but by just one-tenth of a second. “That steer was good and felt awesome,” Anderson said. “Looking up and seeing 3.6, I was excited. Stockton (Graves, his hazer) did a great job lining him out for me, and my horse allowed me to get my feet on the ground.” Steer wrestling is always a tight race, and this year is no different. Anderson trails the leader, Matt Reeves, by just $6,900 with seven nights in a row. Although he didn’t earn a check in the opening round, he has performed well enough to sit fourth in the aggregate race with a cumulative time of 13.1 seconds on three runs. “I’m feeling really comfortable,” he said. “The first night, I missed the start and ran him a long way. We knew we had to clean that up. As long as I hit the start and keep making solid runs, I feel real confident about the next seven nights. “I’m really comfortable with my hazer and my horse. Everything feels really confident right now.” Between performances, Anderson takes care of himself and spends time with family, something he doesn’t get to do through the year while living 800 miles from home. Graves, who also serves as the rodeo coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State, handles the horses and makes sure everything’s ready by the time the rounds begin at 7 p.m. each night. “Stockton’s in charge of the horses this week,” Anderson said. “He’s been to the NFR seven times as a bulldogger and several other times outside of when he’s qualified. I’m entrusting him with the horses this week. I can trust him with about anything. “We’ll talk about the draw, but really we bulldog thousands of steers. Take what you’ve got drawn, and see what happens from there.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The history behind Richmond Champion and the bucking horse Killer Bee was not all that great. Things needed to change if his hopes of winning a world championship were going to happen. They did during Saturday’s third go-round of the National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field, with the two powerful athletes matching moves together 87.5 points to finish in third place. “I tried to treat her like she’s any other horse,” he said of the Beutler & Son Rodeo bronc that was named the 2019 Bareback Horse of the Year and is well established as one of the hardest-to-ride horses in the sport. “Between her drop, my rigging falling between my legs, you never know when it’s going to stop. “Of course, then she hits you in the back because she’s kicking over vertical. That’s just a fist fight every single time, and I’ve been on her three times now. It’s a battle not just until the whistle blows but until you’re off on the pickup man.” The third round in bareback riding features the “Eliminator Pen,” which sometimes can prove to be near impossible to make eight seconds on. If the cowboys do make a qualified ride, the tougher horses make the rides less picturesque. That’s happened before with Champion and Killer Bee. “My main goal was to get a good picture on her, because I didn’t get that last year,” he said with a laugh. “I’m tickled. To place on her gives me all the confidence in the world.” The difference in rides came with the adjustments that came during the eight seconds. Because of her bucking ability, Killer Bee has a way of controlling the ride. A year ago, she limited Champion’s hip movement, and won the battle. “Today my feet were coming back to the rigging, and she rolled my hips back again,” he said. “I was able to fight back and get my hips back under me. I’d say my last two spur strokes were the best ones I made the whole ride. “In the middle of the ride, I wasn’t able to get control with my feet, so I was all on my arm, and that’s not at all what I want. I saw all the roof I want to see.” With his ride, Champion pocketed $15,654 and pushed his NFR earnings to $51,885. He sits third in the world standings with $115,034. “I feel really good,” said Champion, who won the opening round. “My first horse was underneath you and gave you a lot of time to make a good ride … the kind you can wind a round on like you want. The horse (Friday), I had to go more back to the basics and play this marathon. “The way this week is going, I’m happy with everything. The first four rounds is about getting the soreness out, then come Round 5, you feel really good and are ready to go on all cylinders.” He’s making the moves necessary.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Even though he’s just a first-time National Finals Rodeo competitor, Jacob Edler realizes that it’s a long 10 days and many things can happen. After struggling a tad on Night 2, he rebounded quite well during Saturday’s third go-round, knocking down his steer in 3.8 seconds to finish in a tie for fifth place. That was worth $5,500 and pushed his NFR earnings to $24,384. “I feel like I did my job,” said Edler, 26, of State Center, Iowa. “I got as good of a start as I could. I caught the steer’s head and got him laid over. He didn’t have as much action as some of the other ones tonight, but it worked out.” The times were insanely fast. A 3.8-second run would have won either of the first two rounds, but it settled for fifth place on Night 3. “A lot of guys went over to Amarillo this fall, and we got to sort through them,” he said. “We knew what they were. It was the hardest pen to pick, because all of the steers were so good. It makes for an even bulldogging. The guys that got the best starts and get out of the steer’s way can win a lot of money.” It can be difficult to manage the situations, especially with so much money being paid out each night. This is ProRodeo’s premier event, and go-round winners will pocket $26,231 each night. It takes a solid team – his hazer, Kodie Jang, his horse and the horse Jang rides – to manage all the challenges that come with a competition like this. “That horse, Ditto, is working great,” Edler said. “She might have been a little tight the first two nights, and that might’ve been caused by me and the NFR jitters. I felt like tonight she back in the box and didn’t bat an eye. Kodie Jang did his job like he always does. It is vital to allow the steer just the right head start. By not doing so, the bulldogger will break a string that is attached to a rope barrier, then will be penalized 10 seconds. The key is to have the horse’s shoulders hit that barrier rope at the same time the steer hits that head-start line. “Doing this well feels great,” he said. “I just need to keep on the barrier and keep doing my job. They’re not going to keep me from walking across the street (to the go-round buckle ceremony) before this NFR’s over.” He’s a man on a mission.

ARLINGTON, Texas – In a pen of really tough horses, Mason Clements found a familiar foe in Frontier Rodeo’s Show Stomper. “That was the fourth time I’ve had Show Stomper,” said Clements, 28, of Spanish Fork, Utah. “That was definitely the hardest I’ve ever been hit by Show Stomper but not the rankest trip.” Scores are based on a 100-point scale, with half going to how well the animal performs and half going to how well the cowboy rides the animal. In bareback riding, the cowboy is scored on how well he can spur in rhythm with the horse’s bucking motion. On Saturday night, Clements and the big bay matched moves for 83 points, good enough for sixth place in the third round and worth $4,231. It was the second time in three nights Clements has earned a paycheck at this year’s National Finals Rodeo. “I’ve just got to go back to the basics and be no different than riding my spur board at home,” he said. “You’ve got to be super strong and super-fast. You have to keep your chin tucked down and keep everything together.” That’s easier said than done on horses like that. The third round featured the “Eliminator Pen” of bareback horses, meaning they were the toughest to ride. The cowboys will have one more sot to ride them this next Thursday during the eighth round. It can be a true test of man vs. beast. “I feel good, and I feel like we’re just getting primed up,” Clements said. “It’s a marathon, so you’ve got to just keep your head in the game. My body is doing good, so it’s just mental work now.” The NFR features only the top 15 cowboys on the money list from the regular season. This is set up to be a test of how well each man can ride different types of animals. There are 100 horses that the 15 cowboys select to be at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and they’re set up in five types of pens. “The next few rounds are going to be really fun, especially with the horses like (Sunday), which are just going to be super nice, easy-to-ride horses,” he said. “Then the next night will be my favorite round and favorite pen of horses, the TV pen, a mix between the semi-eliminators and the eliminators. They will give you a shot to ride them, but if you stub your toe a little bit, they’ll make you look like you’re on and eliminator. “I just love those horses. I eat those horses right up.” He’s earned $32,423 in just three nights. He has moved up two spots to seventh in the world standings, and he’s hungry for more. The good news is he has seven more plates of bucking horses in front of him.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jess Pope arrived at the 2020 National Finals Rodeo as a man on a mission, and he’s getting to live out a fantasy life in real time. “I came here with a goal, and I’m just taking it one horse at a time,” said Pope, 22, a first-time NFR qualifier in bareback riding from Waverly, Kansas. “I’m really enjoying this moment. It’s what I’ve dreamed about my entire life, and I’m here getting to live it now; it’s more than you could ever imagine.” On Saturday night, he earned is second paycheck in three nights by riding C5 Rodeo’s Black Eye for 86 points to finish fourth in the go-round. That’s worth $11,000, and he pushed his NFR earnings to $39,192. More importantly, he’s moved up two spots to ninth in the world standings with $88,804. In the one round in which he didn’t place – he finished in a tie for second place in Thursday’s opening night – he still rode well and sits tied for third place in the aggregate standings with 255.5 cumulative points on three rides. If that continues, he will continue to climb up the money list. Saturday’s round featured the “Eliminator Pen,” the toughest-to-ride bareback horses in the game. Black Eye definitely fit into that category. “I’d only seen him once, but I did my homework on him,” said Pope, a senior at Missouri Valley College. ‘I knew he was really going to buck and have a big rear out of the chutes, and it was going to be a dog fight. He throws his big old head back in the air, and he pushes those shoulders down. “He then whacks you in the back. It’s a boxing match the whole time. The only think I could think before I got on was, ‘If you’re going to start a fight, you better finish it and if he backs you in a corner, you better be ready to fight your way out.’ That’s what I did.” Bareback riding is often likened to a boxing match or even a street fight. The powerful equine animals can pack quite a whollop, and the best way to counter that is to punch back; in this case, it comes in the form of the spurring motion. With the “Eliminator Pen” of horses, their right cross is just a little bit harder than the others. “I was a little nervous, but we’re bucking horse riders,” he said. “That’s what we were called to do, and that’s what we live for. It’s about being able to get on them. Anybody could ride a fluffy hopper (the easiest-to-ride broncs), but not everyone can ride those son-of-a-bucks.” There are 100 bucking horses selected by the bareback riders to perform at the NFR. They are broken down in to five pens, with 20 horses in each. The Round 3 and 8 horses are the rankest of them all, but there will be opportunities for a variety of mounts. ProRodeo’s grand finale is meant to be a test for everyone in the top 15 in each event, and it allows each bareback rider to challenge himself against the best bucking beasts in the game for 10 nights. “We get two more nights in a row of easier horses, then it’s back to the buckers again,” Pope said. “I’m ready for them every round. I’m excited for it.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Technology allows for modern sports to do some different things to help make game plans before a game and adjustments during. Rodeo cowboys do that, too. Take Wyatt Casper, for example. He didn’t know anything about his Saturday night horse, Andrews Rodeo Co.’s Positive Times, but he did some investigating. He found that the animal’s name had been changed, and then watched some videos. It paid off quite well, as the two danced across the dirt at Globe Life Field for 87.5 points to finish second in the third go-round. That was worth $20,731 and pushed Casper’s National Finals Rodeo earnings to more than $62,000 in just three nights. “I just had some Instagram and Facebook videos Sammy had posted of him to go off of, and a couple of guys who had been on him lately, and he looked like fun to me,” said Casper, who increased his lead in the saddle bronc riding world standings to nearly $39,000. “It was a blast. This is fun. It has been a different feeling getting on all these good horses and being able to ride them.” He’s been riding well all season. He kicked off his campaign by winning The American at AT&T Stadium, which is directly west of the Rangers’ ballpark in Arlington. He pocketed $603,000 in March, of which $50,000 counted toward the PRCA’s world standings. He then added another $95,000 through the rest of the regular season to enter ProRodeo’s grand finale atop the world standings. Ryder Wright, the 2017 world champion from Utah, had gained ground on Casper over the first two nights, but the Miami, Texas, cowboy stayed strong. He has placed in the first three go-rounds and feels as strong as he has all season. He also became the first ProRodeo contestant this year to cross the $200,000 mark in season earnings. He sits at $207,600 and still has seven more nights to add to that total. “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m beyond blessed to be here and compete against all those great guys who are just as happy for me to win as they are if they did. It’s just a great bunch of guys. “It’s been that way all year. If you need picked up from the airport, you just look at the list and call one of your buddies, and they’ll drive an hour out of their way to get you. That’s just how rodeo is.” This has been a season of mostly ups for Casper, who also earned his first NFR qualification. Of course, winning that kind of money at one rodeo will do that to anyone. It’s life-changing, but he has bigger visions for his career, and gold buckles are part of his dreams most nights. “I’ve had a lot of good times and very few bad times, and just being here and being able to put the whole thing together is amazing,” said Casper, the 2016 college national champion while competing at Clarendon (Texas) College. “You want to keep chunking away on the and hope you come out on top. “I’m having a blast. I’ve got my whole family here, and we’re all having fun hanging out.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ever since he was a youngster, Bridger Anderson has dreamed of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. Once at the National Finals Rodeo, he wanted to prove just why he deserved to be here. After having a bit of a struggle on opening night, Anderson decided it was time to make something happen. His 3.8-second run on Friday night did just that. He shared the go-round victory with two-time world champion Tyler Waguespack and pocketed $23,481 in the process. “Last night we didn’t have as much luck as we wanted,” said Anderson, 22, of Carrington, North Dakota, now a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “We came in tonight, and I wanted to be a little more focuses and a little more confident in myself. It paid off. We had a good steer, we made a good start, and that was a lot of fun.” Anderson entered the NFR 10th in the steer wrestling world standings. He knocked his first steer down in 5.7 seconds, which was the 11th-best run of the night. The refocusing made a lot of difference. He pushed his season earnings to $77,357 and moved up to fourth on the money list. Waguespack is just one spot ahead in the standings, so both men capitalized on a good situation. “I’ve looked up to Tyler for a long time,” Anderson said. “Watching him at the NFRs and getting to compete against him, in a way, is a dream come true. I’ve studied his bulldogging a lot and taken things he’s done and applied that to my own. It’s great that I get to split a round with him. It’s kind of surreal.” Even at a young age, Anderson is no stranger to winning. He’s been a winner through various stages of his life. As a freshman in college, he won the inaugural Ote Berry’s Junior Steer Wrestling world championship. He was 18 years old. A year and a half later, he earned his biggest prize of his lifetime by winning the steer wrestling national championship at the 2019 College National Finals Rodeo. Since the college finale was canceled because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, he remains the reigning titlist. He still utilizes the education he receives in Alva, Oklahoma, by traveling the rodeo trail with his coach, Stockton Graves, who is also serving as Anderson’s hazer helping keep the steers lined out for the most optimum runs possible. “Before the run, he just said, ‘You’ve got a good one, so get a good start,’ ” Anderson said of Graves. “ ‘Be aggressive, and just go out and have some fun.’ ” The fun continued, as the cowboy took his victory lap alongside Waguespack. “That was pretty awesome,” he said. “I was riding stirrups that are about half my length because they’re set for bareback riders and queens. It’s pretty cool to make that lap and hear everybody cheer.” In North Dakota, they’re still cheering.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Tanner Aus knows how important it is to have a good start at the National Finals Rodeo. Now in his fifth appearance at ProRodeo’s grand championship, the Granite Falls, Minnesota, cowboy has seen a variety of experiences over the years. It can be a true roller coaster of finishes and experiences. After falling off the pace during Thursday’s first round, Aus knew he had the chance to make his fortunes change Friday night. He rode Hi Lo Pro Rodeo’s Wilson Sanchez for 87 points to win the second round and pocket $26,231. He moved up four spots to fourth in the bareback riding world standings with eight nights remaining on the 2020 ProRodeo season. “That was a great big, scary bay horse, and he’s in great shape and had a great trip,” Aus said. “There’s no better place to have a good ride than the National Finals, and I was happy it worked out.  I’m standing there in the winner’s circle in Round 2 against a tough field of competition this year. It means a lot to be here.” He actually got a decent start in the opening round, scoring 83 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Freckled Frog. He was seventh in the round, but the NFR pays only the top six spots on the leaderboard. Scoring the winning ride a night later did some big things to the Minnesota cowboy. “It’s definitely a confidence-builder,” he said. “Everybody wants to jump out there and win the first round and the second round. It helps get momentum going, but it’s 10 rounds long. Last year I put myself out of the average in the first round, and I scraped my way back into the average by the 10th round. “Anything can happen. You just have to focus on one horse at a time.” Because of the pandemic, the NFR was moved from its typical home in Las Vegas for a year, and Globe Life Field in Arlington has opened its doors to the world’s best cowboys and cowgirls for the season. The Thomas & Mack Center is the basketball arena for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, so playing in the home of the Texas Rangers is a bit different than what’s been seen in recent years. “There are pros and cons to the switch,” Aus said. “The atmosphere is different, but it’s still great. The competition is the same. The guys are as hungry as ever. We put on as many miles this year as we ever have, and we rode for less money, so I’m glad we have an NFR. “I love how it’s set up. We’re in a baseball park, so it looks like a diamond.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Wyatt Casper was just moments away from his first go-round victory on Friday night during the second performance of the National Finals Rodeo. Casper matched moves with Powder River Rodeo’s Miss Valley for 89 points to thrust himself into the saddle bronc riding lead. Then 2017 world champion Ryder Wright took his shot, and Casper fell to second place by a single point. “That just shows the caliber of the guys that are here,” said Casper, 24, of Miami, Texas. “I’ll take second place every round if they let me.” The biggest payday each night is $26,231, and it goes to the winner, but second place pays pretty well, too. Casper pocketed $20,731 and pushed his NFR earnings to $41,731. He remains No. 1 in the world standings, leading the money list with $186,869. “That horse tonight was a lot snappier tonight than what I was expecting out of him,” he said. “When I first crawled in the chute, he smashed me and knocked the air out of me. Then he got ahead of me out of the chutes. That sucker was bucking, so I just kept lifting hard.” In bronc riding, the rein is the leverage point to help the cowboy not only stay in the saddle, but lifting the rein as the animal bucks allows each man to perform at a high level. As the spurring stroke happens, the cowboys want to make sure their feet are in the proper place each jump. Half the points are given for how well the animal bucks, while the cowboy earns the other half for how well he rides in rhythm with the horse. To get a score like 89 points, everything had to go well for both athletes. “You can feel it when you’re beating him to the ground,” Casper said, referring to his spurring motion returning to points above the animal’s shoulders as its front hooves hit the ground. “You know it’s good, then you just hope the judges feel the same.” He is one of four cowboys who have placed in both the opening rounds of this year’s championship. He has the second-highest cumulative score on two rides, just a point and a half behind Wright. “Placing that first night helped a bunch,” he said. “I messed with my saddle before (Friday). I felt like my stirrups were a little long, so I shortened them up a notch. I felt like my feet were a little bit snappier. Changing the stirrups made me a little nervous, and I thought about changing them back even after I had the saddle on the horse. “I’m glad I didn’t.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Tim O’Connell doesn’t want to admit it, but he was a little shaken after his first-round ride at the 2020 National Finals Rodeo. The three-time world champion bareback rider put together what many considered a strong ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Shady Nights, a horse he’d had high scores on before. The judges marked the ride 82.5 points, and O’Connell finished in ninth place; only the top six earn a paycheck in each round. Things changed for the better Friday night, when the Zwingle, Iowa, cowboy matched moves with Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Black Kat for 86.5 points – just a half point off the lead. O’Connell finished in a three-way tie with newcomer Leighton Berry and four-time world champion Kaycee Feild for second place in the second round. “I feel like I made the very best ride on both those horses,” he said. “I went to bed pretty uneasy last night wondering how I didn’t get a check. To only be 82.5 on a horse I’ve been 90 and 87 on tried to rock my confidence. “After that ride tonight, it feels like a weight’s been lifted and the NFR’s just beginning. My confidence is back. I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life.  I feel like I’m riding the best I’ve ever ridden at this point.” Everything went better on the NFR’s second night for O’Connell. He matched moves a horse he’s been on several times, and they made magical things happen. “That’s the same ol’ Black Kat,” he said. “I’ve been on that horse four or five times, and she always gives you a chance to win. With that time off this year, I think that really helped her. She felt strong, and she wanted to hit me every jump a little harder than what I remember. She was awesome, and she’s been so consistent. I had her one other time at the NFR, and I’ve won second on her twice now. “I got rolling right out of the chute. I didn’t overhaul her, but I don’t know if that was a horse I could overhaul. I just wanted to show my aggressive style and get the job done.” The job of elite bareback riders continues for eight more nights, and tomorrow’s work load is quite heavy. Round 3 features the hardest-to-ride horses in bareback riding known as the “Eliminator Pen.” “Saturday is the E-pen, which is scary, but I feel like those are my types of pens,” O’Connell said. “I don’t like getting on them, but I’m willing to go to war. It’s going to be a dogfight, but it’s a dogfight for everybody.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The city has changed, and so has the venue, but it’s still ProRodeo’s world championship. That’s important for Mason Clements, now a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Spanish Fork, Utah. Because of COVID-19 limitations at the NFR’s typical home in Las Vegas, the sport’s premier event has moved to Globe Life Field in Arlington. “That felt good,” said Clements, who rode Cervi Brothers’ Ain’t No Angel for 87 points to finish in a tie for second place in the opening round of the 2020 finale. “It felt good to be in Texas, and it felt good to be at the NFR. I’m happy we’re having it, and we’ve got nine rounds to go. It’s a good start. “I’m not jacked up about it yet. I’ve still got a lot of work to do. I’ve got to keep my head down and keep the main goal in my mind.” That goal? He wants to win the NFR average by having the best 10-ride cumulative score by the time the event concludes Dec. 12. With that, he hopes to gain enough money to walk away with the most coveted prize in the game, the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle that is awarded to world champions. “I hadn’t been on that horse, but everyone was telling me she was going to come out of the chute and circle back tight to the left,” said Clements, 28, who attended the College of Southern Idaho on a rodeo scholarship. “She came out and was around to the right. “You’ve still got to ride them jump for jump. You can’t bank on what someone tells you or your past experiences. I think I just did that.” With that, he pocketed $18,192 and moved up two spots to seventh in the world standings. “As far as building off this, it’s a great start, but my confidence is the same,” he said. “I have the vision in mind, and I have to keep that going the rest of the rounds. I’m going to take what I’ve done and be happy with what I have. It’s not over until the 10th round, so you’ve got to keep your head down and keep focused on the task at hand.” That’s helped somewhat by the safety measures officials are taking during the pandemic. Most years, cowboys spend much of their days with appearances and other commitments. That isn’t happening this year. In addition, Globe Life Field has a seating capacity of 40,300, yet Texas is allowing just 50 percent of that to allow for social distancing. “I’m taking advantage of it, but I miss signing autographs, meeting people and shaking hands,” Clements said. “The arena feels good and feels cool. It’s big, but I want to hear fans screaming and yelling like we hear in Las Vegas.” The Thomas & Mack Center in the Nevada desert seats less than 18,000, but it’s packed and the roof is much lower. The sound reverberation is much different than the home of the Texas Rangers. “This is such a great building,” he said. “It all feels NFR to me.” That’s really all that matters.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Let’s face it; Clayton Biglow got a little bit spoiled at the 2019 National Finals Rodeo. The Clements, California, bareback rider won at least a share of five go-rounds, including four outright, and pocketed $243,891 – that was the most of any contestant at last year’s championship event. On Thursday night, he started off the 2020 finale strong by riding Flying U Rodeo’s Lil Red Hawk for 85 points to finish in a tie for fourth in the opening round. “I was damn sure happy to win a check,” said Biglow, 24, a five-time NFR qualifier. “I am going for round wins, but if you’re in the money, you better be happy.” Every dollar can add up, and he knows as well as anyone. He pocketed $8,885 Thursday but has nine rounds remaining to make up ground. He remains fifth in the world standings with just shy of $90,000. The match-up with Lil Red Hawk featured two elite athletes from California. Flying U Rodeo Co. is based in Marysville, California, which is just 82 miles north of Biglow’s home in the northern part of the state. “That was the third time I’d been on her, but the first time at the NFR,” he said. “She’s an old campaigner, but she’s still good. She’s a solid pick. I was excited to see I’d drawn her. I’ve been wanting to draw her. She got me to the NFR the first year I qualified, after I won Reno (Nevada) on her. “She had a better trip today; she was better than me.” That’s an athlete getting hyper critical of his performance, but only the top six in each go-round make money. With 15 cowboys in the field, that means he must have a better score than the majority of the bareback riders. This was a much different season than any before because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. There fewer rodeos and fewer opportunities. Biglow competed at 40 less rodeos than he did the season before. Plus, the NFR has a traditional home in Las Vegas, but it was moved this year because of limitations in Nevada because of COVID. Globe Life Field is home to the Texas Rangers, and it features a unique setting for ProRodeo’s grand finale. It’s just across the road from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys and The American, a unique event that offers incredible payouts and became part of ProRodeo’s regular season in 2019. “This arena is awesome, but it’s got more of an American vibe than a Las Vegas NFR vibe,” Biglow said. “With everything going on, you just glad that we’re having an NFR. It’s still great. You’re still surrounded by the best guys in the world. “When you’re behind the bucking chutes, you still feel at home. It’s still a great setup.” Of course, another world championship is on the line, so he should feel quite comfortable.

ARLINGTON, Texas – At just 22 years old, Jess Pope has already played on some of the biggest stages in ProRodeo. He’s ridden at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans. He’s competed at AT&T Center, home of the San Antonio Spurs. He’s spurred bareback horses at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. On Thursday night, he competed at quite possibly the biggest rodeo of them all, Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers and, most importantly for him, the 2020 National Finals Rodeo. “This place is awesome,” said Pope, a first-time NFR qualifier from Waverly, Kansas. “I don’t know what it looks like from up in the stands, but on the ground it’s really cool. I’m truly blessed and excited that I get to be here. “It’s a big arena, and it’s easy to get lost in. I thought I was going to have to pull up my GPS on my phone just to get around. It leaves you speechless.” It’s also a big moment, and it seems the young gun is thriving. On Thursday night, he rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s William Wallace for 87 points to finish in a tie for second place. That was worth $18,192 and pushed the senior at Missouri Valley College up three spots to eighth in the world standings. “It was awesome, and I don’t know how to explain it,” he said. “I just had to go out there and do my job. I’d been on that horse before. I was really glad to have him. It was a blur from the time I got on him until I got off.” The picture may have been blurry, but Pope’s focus is on point. It’s been that way for a long time. He began riding ponies when he was a youngster while also competing in other events. He trained his attention to bareback riding just a few years ago. Last season, he finished among the top 30 in the world standings. This year, though, he picked things up, even though the COVID-19 global pandemic made every situation tougher. There were fewer rodeos than a normal year, so he was battling face to face with the best in the world at every place in which he competed. “I was a little bit nervous, but honestly, it wasn’t much,” Pope said. “I dreamed and prepared for this my whole life. I came in very confident, and I was just excited. I’ve been on most of these horses before. People have told me I’m not here by accident, so I have to believe in that. I was just really excited to go out there and show my stuff. “I’m right where I want to be.  I have a goal to win the average and see where that puts me in the world standings. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I used up my first one. I just have to go out there after it, and the cards are going to fall where they lay.” He may be just 22 years old, but Pope has his mind locked in.

ARLINGTON, Texas – On Sept. 30, Chad Rutherford accomplished a longtime dream of advancing to the National Finals Rodeo. In the two months that led up to Thursday’s opening night, the excitement and magnitude of his accomplishment has continued to build. Being from Texas and having the NFR just an hour from his home in Hillsboro instead of its typical home in Las Vegas might have just been the cherry on top of a terrific sundae. “As far as nerves to, I was just really excited more than anything,” said Rutherford, who earned his first NFR paycheck by riding Calgary Stampede’s Agent Lynx for 84.5 points Thursday; he finished sixth, worth $4,231. “I haven’t hardly slept in three days because I was so excited. “Leading up to it (Thursday), with me being first out and as fast paced as it was, there was not time for me to think about it. I had about a minute and a half looking at my horse, so there wasn’t enough time to worry about it, much less think about what was going on.” It paid off. He and Agent Lynx danced across the Globe Life Field dirt in perfect rhythm, with Rutherford’s spurring motion matching the horse’s bucking style. That’s why he earned a paycheck. The NFR features only the top 15 contestants in each event pays out only the top six places. That means Rutherford’s score was higher that most that rode. “Words can’t describe getting on my first horse at the NFR,” he said. “The ride itself couldn’t have gone any better. I had an awesome feeling of accomplishment whenever I heard the whistle. It was just pure excitement. “Having your name beside a Calgary bucking horse at the NFR typically brings a check home, and that’s just from watching past NFRs. Nine times out of 10 if you’re on a Calgary horse, you’re going to win money.” The COVID-19 pandemic forced many big changes on 2020, and it looks to be aggravating things into the next year. One of those is the NFR, which was moved to Globe Life Field because of limitations in Nevada. The arena is much different than that of the Thomas & Mack Center, home to the NFR for more than 35 years. The building in Las Vegas is about the size of a hockey rink, while the dirt inside the Rangers’ ballpark is fashioned in the shape of a diamond, only smaller than normal to allow for pens, a warmup area and contestants all in the outfield. With the state of Texas allowing 50 percent capacity, the spacious Globe Life Field offered plenty of seating and space for social distancing. Of course, none of that would matter to Rutherford, whether he was in Las Vegas, Arlington or the rodeo in Weatherford, Texas. “The way I prepare to ride, I typically don’t even look more than 20 feet past the bucking chutes,” he said. “As I was walking up to the arena, there was definitely a moment of awe, saying I was here. Once I got in there, my whole focus was on the horse. “I like to pick my spot. There was a little flat spot about 30 feet out in that arena, and that’s as far as I wanted that horse to get away from the chutes. I like to visualize my ride before anything happens.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – It’s about 85 miles from Wyatt Casper’s place in Miami, Texas, to the Beutler & Son Rodeo Co. ranch in Elk City, Oklahoma. Casper is familiar with the family-based rodeo company that’s been around as long as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He’s seen plenty of good animals over the years, even in his relatively short career of five years. That’s why he felt very comfortable during the first round of his first National Finals Rodeo. “I don’t think I could have hand-picked a better horse to get on,” Casper said after his 85-point ride on Beutler’s Nutrena’s Rage to finish fourth in saddle bronc riding on opening night and earn $11,000 in the process. “I was a little nervous crawling down on him in the chute and still a little nervous on him out in the arena. It was a fun, great ride.” Yes, it was. Casper showed off the style that not only carried him to ProRodeo’s grand championship for the first time, but sent him into the NFR atop the world standings. He remains there with nearly a $30,000 lead over the No. 2 man, former world champion Ryder Wright. Alas, Wright finished a spot higher in the go-round and closed the ground, which is what makes the NFR so exciting. Many things can happen over a 10-day championship. “I’ve been on this horse in Tucson (Arizona) in ’19, and I was 84.5 points on him there,” Casper said. “It’s nice to gain a half point on him, especially at the NFR. That’s a good-feeling sucker.  I’ve seen him a bunch, and he’s got the same trip every time. The Beutlers have a really good horse with that one.” That’s what the NFR features. Not only is it home to the top 15 contestants in each event, the rodeo features the top animals from across the country. The cowboys select them, so they know what’s going to give them the biggest tests and what’s going to offer them the best opportunity to cash in at the NFR. Collecting any cash in a setting like this is big, but it was especially critical for Casper. He needed a pick-me-up, and a first-round payday was just the thing. “I’ve been nervous for two weeks, and I was really nervous all day leading up to it,” he said. “Once I hit the ground, I had a bit of weight lifted off my shoulders. A week ago, I went to Gruver, Texas, to get on three practice horses. I fell off two horses and rodeo one. That made me real nervous to come out here. “Getting this one rode, I hope this will just steamroll things for me.” It was definitely a confidence-booster.