Rodeo Life

Month: March 2026

  • Fire Doesn’t Extinguish Miller Family’s Faith

    Fire Doesn’t Extinguish Miller Family’s Faith

    Bradlee Miller didn’t spend much time in the Texas capital city celebrating his bareback riding victory at Rodeo Austin.

    Instead, he had more important things to tend to 150 miles east.

    Not far from his home in Huntsville, Texas, stands the burned skeleton of Branded for Christ Ministry, a church founded by Bubba and Tammy Miller two decades ago. It is a family ministry, involving Bradlee and his sister, Sonilyn.

    The church caught fire last Wednesday, and while there is much rebuilding ahead, the Millers and their congregation still needed to worship.

    “For the last five years or so, we’ve slowly but surely been building a really big sanctuary with classrooms for the school kids, a game room for college kids and youth events,” said Miller, who sits third in the world standings. “We were finishing up the final steps of it. Recently, we added 50-foot wings on both sides of the building for more classrooms for the private school we have. We’ll have worship there Sunday, and then we’ve got a tent donated that we’ll use until we get the building back covered.”

    School also returned to session.

    “I thought it was one of the best lessons they could learn, that no matter the hard times, disappointments and hardships we face, you don’t take a day off,” he said. “Those kids came right back to school, whether they were helping us clean up, doing the little bit of school they could, or just being there for the people who were hurt the most.

    “All the kids showed up with their families, and there’s not an event that’s going to be canceled because of the fire. We’re not letting it affect anything.”

    Resilience is part of it. Faith is, too. More than anything, the Millers and their congregation are determined to let the fire become part of their testimony, not the end of it.

    “My mom and dad started the church in 2004,” said Bradlee Miller, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “My dad had a barn that he shod horses out of for years, and he started the church in the alleyway of that horse barn with the horse stalls on each side of the sanctuary. There may have been days when there were only four to six people in it. I know there were some days where the only people at church were me and my mom, and I was in a stroller.”

    Like most churches, Branded for Christ Ministry feels like family. In this case, though, that faith has been built by one family for years and now will be built again.

    In the photo are Sonilyn, Bradlee, Tammy and Bubba Miller. Photo Courtesy of Miller Family

  • A great deal goes into RodeoHouston

    A great deal goes into RodeoHouston

    It’s a 19-day spectacle with a total payout of $2,518,500, with $65,000 awarded to each of the nine champions. It culminated Saturday afternoon with the finale, which featured 10 contestants in each event battling in the championship round. From there, the top four advanced to the shootout.

    That’s where the big money was distributed, with $125,000 per event. That was $1.125 million awarded in one day, but big checks were just the icing on the cake. The batter that baked was filled with colorful characters and amazing feats.

    It’s hard to pick just one thing that stands out, so it’s best to start at the beginning of the four-person round. Houston kicks off each performance with tie-down roping, and the race to the championship was one to remember. The NRG Stadium record was 7.4 seconds, established in 2017 by four-time world champion Caleb Smidt.

    Shane Hanchey, the 2013 world champion, was the gunner and threw his hands in the air in 7.2 seconds. Two ropers later, Kincade Henry was 7.3. The last to rope, Riley Webb – the defending Houston champion and reigning three-time world titlist – beat them both with a 6.5. It was Webb’s third title at the stadium that also houses the Houston Texans.

    “They pushed it, and they made me step it up and go faster,” Webb said in a story I wrote for ProRodeo.com. “So, when they started breaking arena records, I just had to shorten my rope up.

    “I knew I had to try the barrier on, try the start on and just go as fast as I can and throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out. There was no choice.”

    The fans were rewarded with greatness, from Stetson Wright winning the bronc riding title after a ride-off with Shorty Garrett to all four cowboys in the shootout having a ride-off in bull riding. Canadian Jake Gardner was the only man to cover in eight attempts. After finishing outside the top 50 in 2025, the British Columbia cowboy now leads the race for rodeo gold with six months left in the season.

    Kassie Mowry has found a sweet spot at NRG Stadium. She won for the third time and was one of three contestants to repeat, joining Webb and bareback rider Rocker Steiner – all three happen to be sporting 2025 gold buckles. With its massive purse, Houston has a way of being a major push. In addition to Mowry, Webb and Steiner, earnings from the Bayou City helped pave the way for steer wrestler Tucker Allen and breakaway roper Taylor Munsell to win gold buckles last season.

    Maybe the same can happen for breakaway roper Madi Williams, the daughter of eight-time heading champ Speed Williams;steer wrestler Holden Myers, the son of 2001 titlist Rope Myers and grandson of Butch, the 1980 bulldogging champ; and team ropers Korbin Rice and Cooper Freeman.

    We’ll have to wait and see, but we can always look back at this past weekend and remember the greatness.

  • Celebrating the History of Rodeo

    Celebrating the History of Rodeo

    In a year that the Unites States celebrates its 250th birthday, it’s only natural to look at history. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to the 1787 Constitutional Convention to the 27 amendments to the Constitution, there’s a patriotic theme that spreads across this land.
    Rodeo has its own history, and it began about a century after the Founding Fathers signed that acknowledgement of our freedoms. The first recognized rodeo occurred on Independence Day 1869 in Deer Creek, Colorado.
    Before we get into that, let’s take a look at what led to all this. In writing the book “World’s Toughest Rodeo” with Steve Gander, I conducted many hours of research to include a little information on the history of cowboys in America. What I found was fascinating.
    As settlers made their way west of the Mississippi River, there was a ruggedness that came with it. Many were crossing into the Mexican Territory, which included Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. Vaqueros were prevalent, because they had incredible horsemanship and amazing talent with a rope.
    Their skills were handed on to men who became the first American cowboys, and the ranches that helped tame the Old West needed them. They herded and corralled, then they led the cattle drives to the railheads. Among these outfits were ranch hands who were quite capable, and contests emerged.
    Rodeo’s name is derived from the Spanish verb, rodear, which means to circle or round up. It’s a natural confluence of human competitiveness, amazing skills and a bit of ego.
    The “World’s First Rodeo” in Pecos, Texas, came about July 4, 1883, when two well-known drovers working for outfits that were making their way through town on their respective journeys had earned reputations of being excellent ropers. The exchanges from their cohorts led to a competition to establish the bragging rights for the best cowboy in the Old West. That hot, summer day in 1883 became launching pad to what we see in rodeo today.
    An excerpt from “World’s Toughest Rodeo”: “Like everything in the pioneering life, the daily work became the chessboard by which the cowboys played their games. Who was the best with the rope? Who could rope a steer and tie it down the fastest? Who could ride that bronc nobody wanted to try?
    “The roots of rodeo run deep. In today’s society, it’s a throwback to a way of life but also a tip of the cap to the generations of people who founded this land.”
    Rodeo’s history should be celebrated, while we also honor the champions of today.

  • Mentors almost meant the world to rookie

    Mentors almost meant the world to rookie

    Two seasons ago, Riley O’Rourke was still dipping his toes into ProRodeo.

    He was in the second year of his PRCA permit, a tryout of sorts. Once a cowboy earns enough money on a permit, he is eligible to become a card-carrying member of the association. During that stretch, the young single steer roper had accumulated $19,005 to lead the permit standings in that discipline

    He had planned to follow that with a third year on his permit. He was just 20 years old and in no rush, but he received an intervention that changed everything.

    “Thomas Smith calls and is like, ‘What are you going to do this year?’ and I was like, ‘I’m just trying to get my permit,’ ” O’Rourke recalled. “He was like, ‘Why don’t you buy your card and try to make the finals? You went to 12 rodeos and almost won $20,000, and it just takes $45,000 to make the finals.’ ”

    “That’s when I decided to do that.”

    Smith is a five-time qualifier to the National Finals Steer Roping. He was just one of the mentors who helped guide the fortunes for O’Rourke, who in 2025 finished second in the steer roping world standings as the PRCA Steer Roping Resistol Rookie of the Year.

    “I really didn’t have a choice, because Jess told me I was buying my card, too,” O’Rourke said with a laugh, pointing out that Jess Tierney is the most veteran of his advisers as a 13-time finals qualifier.

    Also in the mix is Billy Good, a three-time qualifier. The trio helped make O’Rourke’s inaugural year of ProRodeo memorable and profitable. O’Rourke spent the first half of his life in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, dubbed the “Steer Roping Capital of the World,” before his family moved to Skiatook, a town about 30 miles southeast.

    During his career-opening campaign, O’Rourke won $151,000 focused on steer roping. About $40,000 came last July, and another $55,000 was secured during the steer roping finale this past November at Mulvane, Kansas. That’s where he experienced all the emotions of playing on the sport’s biggest stage.

    “I was so nervous before my first steer I couldn’t spit,” he said. “That weekend was a mixed deal, because I roped so bad the first day.”

    He rebounded, thanks to his “big brothers,” who were also in the field with him. Smith finished the year sixth in the world standings, followed by Tierney in eighth and Good in 13th. Their protégé led the charge, though, and he’s even more motivated for 2026.

    “I really don’t like getting my ass kicked,” O’Rourke said with a laugh. “As much as it sucks, it still felt pretty good to have a chance.

    “I’ve had a lot of help this winter, and I feel better about my roping now than I did at the finals.”

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    Photo by Robbie Freeman

  • Any Means Possible: Planes, trucks get players from one short round to another

    Any Means Possible: Planes, trucks get players from one short round to another

    About three hours before the championship round of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, tie-down roper Ty Harris reached out on social media.
    “Anyone have room on a plane or a rig headed from San Antonio to Tucson short round?” asked Harris, a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier.
    Saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper offered an funny response: “Kade Bruno has a Dodge that can fly lol.”
    It was more than a comedic answer; it was a solution. When their competition ended inside Frost Bank Center, Harris grabbed a backpack and a piggin’ string and loaded into the passenger seat of Bruno’s white RAM pickup, along with young cowboy Jack Mitchell, who was on hand to help Bruno along that nearly 900 miles of Interstate 10.
    “We just jumped in the truck after San Antonio’s short round and put the pedal down; I guess the white Dodge did fly,” Bruno said with a laugh.
    They were just two of a dozen cowboys and cowgirls who made the short rounds at both rodeos. Four of those walked away with the La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros titles: bareback rider Jess Pope, tie-down roper Shane Hanchey, barrel racer Emily Beisel and steer wrestler Stetson Jorgensen. Bruno won the short round and moved up to share fourth in the bronc busting average.
    Before grabbing Harris as hitchhiker, Bruno had reached out to Jorgensen and Pope to see if they’d have interest. Both had flights arranged, so they pulled the plug rather quickly.
    “After the Florida run, my wife, son and I drove out to Tucson so Kellie could run barrels Tuesday morning in slack, so they were already in Tucson,” Jorgensen said. “It didn’t matter what I did in San Antonio; I was going to fly back. Kade was trying really hard. He said, ‘You don’t have to drive or pay for fuel or nothing; just sit over there.’
    “I said, ‘Man, I’m going to go to my hotel room and get a good night’s rest, and I’ll see you in Tucson in the morning.’ ”
    Many seemed to have skipped the 12-hour jaunt on the interstate, opting for flights. For his part, Harris put in the miles with Bruno, and the two found easy conversation.
    “Talking with Ty was really fun,” Bruno said. “Throughout my years of rodeoing, I’ve only ever given a ride to a handful of timed-event contestants, and it’s usually so busy in the summer that we don’t have time to visit then. It was cool to be able to sit down with somebody like that and visit about different events and different aspects of rodeo.”
    Harris didn’t stay in the pickup for the return trip to Texas. Instead, he caught a flight for Houston, where he was to compete in Monday’s opening night. That’s when Mitchell’s part of the trip came in handy. 
    “When we left San Antone, I took the first six hours, and Ty took the next six, and I saved Jack for the ride home,” Bruno said. “Right after the rodeo, I went to sleep and had him drive the first eight hours and made it home in pretty decent time.”
    It served as just a little taste of what contestants will experience during the busiest times of the summer run.
    “Yeah, it’s a little early (in the season) to catch flights, but thankfully we didn’t have to charter anything,” Jorgensen said.

    Big money is on the table, so getting a seat is important by any means possible.

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    Photos by Fernando Sam-Sin (La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson)
  • Audrey Bridges ~ Steady Hands, Sure Confidence

    Audrey Bridges ~ Steady Hands, Sure Confidence

    Photos by Primo Morales Photography

    At sixteen, Audrey moves with a composure often reserved for seasoned riders. She did not rush there. She has learned to tune into her horse, to the voices that matter, and to the quiet insights competition reveals when no one is looking. As a committed member of the Cavender’s team, she recognizes that what you bring to the arena weighs as much as what you do inside it.
    Though Audrey lives in Oklahoma today, she grew up in Texas, and horses have been part of her life from the beginning. By age seven or eight, she was already showing cow horses at local cowboy competitions. One particular run stands out, not for a trophy, but for the clarity it provided.
    This is it, she remembers thinking. This is what I love.
    Today, Audrey competes in reined cow horse, reining, and barrel racing ~disciplines requiring feel, timing, and composure. However, when asked about her greatest challenge, she does not mention the run itself.
    “It’s the waiting,” she says. “Sitting back there, listening to scores, counting riders. That’s the hardest part.”
    Before she goes in, Audrey leans on routine. Music, especially Christian music, helps her settle her mind and refocus on what matters.
    “It grounds me,” she explains. “It reminds me why I’m there.”
    It’s not only the rhythm, but it’s also the truth in the words. It refocuses her spirit and brings her back to center. That grounding shapes her view of confidence ~it is humility and preparation. “You have to stay humble,” she says. “People remember how you treat them, not just how you place.”
    Audrey’s horse, Shiny Little Rey “Rey-Rey”, is a seasoned quarter horse with cutting and reining bloodlines, never needing micromanagement. “He’s taught me to leave him alone,” she says. “He knows his job. I’m there to guide him, not control him.”
    Audrey is more hands-on than people expect, often doing her own tuning and small adjustments, a skill she has developed over time, through practice and good instruction. “I can feel when something’s off,” she explains. “A shoulder leaning. A balance shift. Even if someone watching can’t see it.”
    It is an intuitive skill. She considers it a blessing, and she has learned to trust it.
    That trust extends to how she handles setbacks. She recalls a competition where a difficult cow kept her from a top finish. Though disappointed, what stayed with her was the encouragement of an older competitor, who reminded her that one run does not define a rider. “That meant more than winning,” Audrey says.
    When frustration rises, Audrey resets the same way each time ~by riding. “I’ll just saddle up and walk him,” she says. “The arena, the pasture, anywhere. My mindset fixes itself pretty fast.”
    Her achievements reflect her steady approach. Rather than seeking the spotlight, she has built a record of quiet excellence and reliability.
    She earned the title of 2022 Reined Cow Horse World Champion, followed by a third-place finish in the World Youth Cow Horse standings in 2023. That same year, she claimed the UPRA Junior Barrel Racing Championship. In 2024, she placed third in Reined Cow Horse and went on to win the Wild Rag Classic Reined Cow Horse Circuit Championship. Her momentum continued in 2025 with a first-place finish at the Wild Rag Classic Reined Cow Horse, along with the title of SRCHA Youth Bridle Champion.
    Audrey carries the Cavender’s name with intention. It means showing up as part of a team: how you treat people, handle pressure, and respond after a win. “It’s not just a sponsorship,” she says. “You’re part of a family, and you represent that everywhere you go.”
    Criticism, when it comes, is filtered carefully. If it is untrue, she lets it pass. If it is worth learning from, she considers it. She does not let it define her. “There will always be people cheering for you,” she says. “And people against you. Sometimes, just because you won.”
    Amid these experiences, another transition emerges. What matters most to Audrey is the reputation she is building. “When someone mentions my name,” she says, “I want them to say I’m kind, that I work hard, and that I treat everyone the same.”
    For Audrey, responsibility means daily discipline. She chooses a strong mindset and a positive attitude, displaying quiet maturity that needs no announcement. Just as she rides by feel, she lives with purpose: attentive, grounded, and undistracted.
    For a sixteen-year-old with steady hands, sure confidence, and a deep respect for her horse, the future is not rushed. It is steady.
    And that may be her greatest strength of all.

    Audrey’s Accolades

     
    2022 Reined Cow Horse World Champion
     
    2023 3rd in the World Youth Cow Horse
     
    2023 UPRA Junior Barrel Racing Champion
     
    2024 Reined Cow Horse: 3rd Place
     
    2024 Wild Rag Classic Reined Cow Horse: Circuit Champion
     
    2025 Wild Rag Classic Reined Cow Horse: 1st Place
     
    2025 SRCHA Youth Bridle Champion