Haven Meged has visions beyond rodeo. He recently won $150,000 in one week with his futurity horses. “Eventually that is what we will do,” said the tie down roper from Stephenville, Texas. His plan is to continue to make a name for himself and his horses. Haven is no stranger to big wins, coming out in 2019 as the college as well as the world champion tie-down roper – taking home $246,013 in earnings as well as winning the average with a time of 85.7 seconds on 10 head. He has been to every National Finals since.
Haven grew up in Miles City, Montana, where his family ranched and ran the Miles City Livestock Auction. His parents, Bart and Misty, along with his siblings, Hayes, Harley and Holden. He learned the work ethic and tenacity it takes to survive a Montana winter caring for 700 + pairs. “As far as I can remember, my dad’s sent hats to American Hat to get them fixed up – and then we get new ones – they are made to last,” said Haven about his partnership with American Hats. “It’s a cool family and I’m glad I get to be part of it.” Haven explains how the values of American Hat and his lineup. “I try to set a good example – in and out of the arena – not only taking care of business but going above that. I try to rope the dummy and take time with those young kids that are looking up to us – I also look for ways to help the committees.”
Haven hopes to add five more NFR qualifications to his belt before he focuses on training full time. His focus for the immediate future is his wedding to NFBR qualifier Shelby Boisjoli on May 13. “We’re gone for the next month and then we’re off.” The couple will honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. “I’ve never been there.”
The couple basically grew up together in the rodeo world, beginning with the National Junior High Finals and continuing through college. They moved to Stephenville at about the same time. Originally from Canada, Shelby has been part of every group of 15 breakaway ropers at the National Finals. They both know the grind of going down the road – and after they are married, they will still both go down the road in separate rigs.
“I do all the entering,” said Haven. “It’s a lot of work to figure it out – I know how to map it out, and it just works out that we have to take separate rigs.” He knows it won’t be forever. “I like rodeoing, I like seeing the sights, but I don’t like to drive that much.” He likes what he gets to do day in and day out, though. “We love roping and training horses and we get to do it together when we’re home,” he said.”
Blog
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American Hat Presents Haven Meged
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Team Cavender’s Sam Gallagher
“Find who your real self is and bring out the best.”
Sam Gallagher, from Brighton, Colorado, has made it three years in a row to the National High School Finals. He served on the board for the high school rodeo association, where he served as the Chute Dog Director. “That taught me to be flexible. Some calls are hard to make and you’ve got to make it clear to the contestant what they did wrong and that way they learn,” said the senior. “Helping them helped me.” He has taken that knowledge with him through the high school years, helping others learn the skills he has acquired. “I’ve been doing this since 6th grade. My passion is to help younger kids get in the sport of rodeo and be the best they can – in and out of the arena.”
He competes in team roping, tie-down roping, and steer wrestling. His accolades – which includes saddles, buckles, scholarships, and awards, caught the attention of the watchful eyes of the Cavender’s Rodeo Team. “I was recommended to their team and that’s how they heard about me,” he said. “We went down to the Summit, in Tyler, Texas, and it was amazing. They had so much for us to learn.” He learned the history of the company, and the family roots and heritage they bring to the 95 stores and employees. “They brought in pro people – hearing from them helped us see what it would be like to be on the road. Meeting the Cavender family was a great deal – they are amazing people.”
Sam learned the events he competes in through several avenues, including schools and clinics both near and far. The Senior at Holy Family in Broomfield, started at a local weekly rodeo put on by Circle A in Keenesburg, Colo. “It was a blast – I entered every event, even the calf riding.” His whole family went, parents, Paul and Angela; his older brother, David, who is now 20 and attends UW, and two older sisters – Jody 22 and Brittany Smith, 28. He settled on steer wrestling, team ropes, and calf ropes a little.
He wants to continue to give back to the sport. “When I was growing up through high school, and I saw how the pros were helping the younger guys out. Now I get to help others both inside and out of the arena. I like to encourage people to do their best – put in the extra hour and I do it right with them.” He learned from his brother, David Gallagher, and he learned from Eric Martin. He’s also been to Jace Honey’s school and Tom Carney’s Steer Wrestling 101, held at University of Wyoming. “He broke it down – everything I’ve been taught.” Chism Doecheff was another important teacher.
When he graduates in May, he will go to UW. “I understand it’s very important to have a backup plan and I want to run equipment and get a business degree,” he said. “And rodeo – I’m going to try to make the CPRA Finals this summer, then go to a few pro rodeos. His ultimate goal is “to make the college finals my freshman year, then the circuit finals, then the NFR.”
Now he helps others. “My passion to help younger kids get in the sport of rodeo and be the best they can – in and out of the arena. I learned it through my parents – how to be good and humble. I’ve been Catholic my whole life and it teaches me not to brag and be humble and stay humble.” -
The Cowboy Channel Deportes Launches First Spanish Language Feed for PRCA Top 10 Rodeos
March 23, 2023 – Fort Worth, TX — The Cowboy Channel is proud to announce the creation of a separate feed for Spanish-language viewers providing full coverage of all performances of the PRCA’s Top 10 rodeos. Spanish language productions for Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, San Angelo, Reno, Calgary, Cheyenne, Salinas, Pendleton, and the Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas will be offered as part of a monthly or yearly subscription to the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app. The first live broadcast feed of The Cowboy Channel Deportes will start on June 15th with the Reno Rodeo. The Cowboy Channel Deportes will also be offered on a regional basis to Spanish-language cable and broadcast channels to support these rodeos and to help develop new fan support in their respective local markets.
“Our #1 goal at The Cowboy Channel has always been to grow the fan base, and viewership, for rodeo and western sports”, stated Patrick Gottsch, Founder of The Cowboy Channel. “The Hispanic community in the United States, and throughout all North & South America, are deeply involved in the western lifestyle. We believe that The Cowboy Channel can help bridge this small gap by producing a year-long Spanish-language feed so that these fans can now follow the regular ProRodeo season from start to finish, growing attendance and interest for all rodeos across the country.”
“The PRCA will be able to expand our fan base, and audience with the addition of the Spanish language feed for select PRCA rodeos broadcast on The Cowboy Channel,” PRCA CEO Tom Glause said. “The excitement of rodeo transcends any language, and now our Spanish-speaking fans will be able to fully experience the great sport of ProRodeo.”
In partnership with Mexicanal, the veteran Mexican rodeo broadcast team of Luis Fernando Zepeda de Alba and Roberto Valdez will anchor these broadcasts from The Cowboy Channel studios in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. Each broadcast will consist of a pre-show, just like the one produced on The Cowboy Channel prior to each Top 10 rodeo performance. The Cowboy Channel Deportes will simply be an additional option of the various “live” feeds available on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app and archived so viewers can access any of these Spanish-language broadcasts anytime throughout the year. And with this new feed also allows the opportunity for Spanish-language commercials to be inserted into the commercial breaks, specifically on The Cowboy Channel Deportes.
“Mexicanal is proud to be a part of this very important initiative with The Cowboy Channel, bringing western sports programming in the Spanish language to the millions of Hispanics throughout the United States”, Demian Torres-Bohl, President of Mexicanal said. “As a long-time supporter and producer of Mexican style bull-riding programming, Jaripeo, as well as Mexican Rodeo, Charreria, Mexicanal is looking forward to working with The Cowboy Channel to infuse some entertainment into the live broadcasts of the top rodeos from the PRCA and the Wrangler NFR. It is an honor for Mexicanal’s production team to be working alongside their friends and partners at The Cowboy Channel with Luis Fernando Zepeda de Alba and Roberto Valdez, who have been working with Mexicanal for many years in popular shows like Estrellas del Jaripeo and Ahi Viene el Toro. I am sure this will be the first of many successful collaborations between our two companies.”
“We believe this is only the start for expanding the Spanish language feeds for several of our western lifestyle and sporting events,” added Raquel Koehler, Chief Communications Officer for The Cowboy Channel. “The western & cowboy culture knows no borders and was greatly responsible for settling both North & South America. The American horse came from Mexico. Whether he is called a Gaucho in Argentina and Uruguay, or a Vaquero in Mexico, the cowboy has an enduring image now growing in popularity worldwide.”
For the complete broadcast schedule of The Cowboy Channel Deportes on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app, please visit www.cowboychannelplus.com. Subscriptions are available for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
To find The Cowboy Channel on your cable/satellite system,
please visit thecowboychannel.com/find-us-on-tv.
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Briggs, Johnson Strike it Big in Houston
PHOTO COURTESY RODEOHOUSTON
RodeoHouston is definitely a bucket list rodeo that every WPRA member would like to win and have on their resume. Before 2022, this dream was only achievable by barrel racers but thanks to the explosion of breakaway roping events and RodeoHouston adding a second female only discipline for the first time, a whole new group of ladies can now dream of standing in the winner’s circle inside NRG Stadium.
Jordon Briggs
Photo courtesy RodeoHouston
Following the conclusion of RodeoHouston in 2022, after being abruptly stopped in 2020 and not holding the event in 2021 due to the pandemic, reigning world champion Jordon Briggs and three-time WPRA breakaway roping world champion Erin Johnson etched their name in the history books of this prestigious event and shot to No. 1 in the WPRA world standings in their respective disciplines.
Erin Johnson
Erin Johnson
Photo courtesy RodeoHouston
Briggs and her Horse of the Year, Famous Lil Jet “Rollo,” won the sudden-death final round in a time of 14.33 seconds and in so doing hit it big with the $50,000 payout to the winner. Interestingly enough Briggs edged Kassie Mowry, a fellow futurity horse trainer, who rode Famous Ladies Man “Emmitt.” Both Rollo and Emmitt were bred and raised Busby Quarter Horses. Mowry finished in a time of 14.55 seconds, while three-time world champion Hailey Kinsel and Sister was third in 14.80 seconds. World Champion Nellie Miller and her blue roan also know as Sister finished fourth after a downed barrel in a time of 19.80 seconds.
During the semifinal round, Briggs and Mowry went 1-2 as well in times of 14.52 and 14.54, respectively. Kinsel won her semifinals in a time of 14.59 seconds. Briggs has won $90,511 at seven rodeos thus far in 2022, while Kinsel is second with $63,101, with her big win in San Antonio last month. Early indications appear it will be another good horse race between these two ladies and their standout horses.
On the roping end, Johnson made history by being the first woman to win the breakaway roping title. She did so by turning in the only clean run of the final round stopping the clock in 2.7 seconds. Ironically enough, she barely squeaked into the finals after turning in a 12.2-second run to finish fourth in the semifinal round. Amanda Coleman won the semifinal round in a time of 2.5 seconds but a broken barrier cost her in the finals finishing third in 12.4 seconds. Laramie Johnson was second in the final round in 12.2 and JJ Hampton had a no time.
Johnson of Fowler, Colorado, earned $25,000 for her winning time in the finals to move ahead of Fort Worth’s breakaway champion Kelsie Domer. Johnson has won $49,899 at eight events in 2022, while Domer is second with $35,443 at seven events.
Complete coverage of both winners will be available in the April issue of the WPRA News.
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Riley Webb adds to strong start with RodeoHouston title
Listen to Riley Webb talk, and it can raise eyebrows. He sounds young, but he competes like a veteran. He qualified for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as a rookie last season. Still a teenager, Webb continued his meteoric rise in the sport, winning the tie-down roping championship at RodeoHouston on Sunday.Webb, 19, walked away with one of the biggest purses in ProRodeo, pocketing $50,000 with an 8.9 second-run in the Championship Shootout and nearly $10,000 for his steady round runs to reach the finals.
As he enjoyed dinner with his mom and grandma in Houston, Webb revealed why he’s enjoying success. Nothing seems to bother him – not a packed arena of screaming fans or a reporter asking questions as knives and forks click off plates around him.
“It’s pretty cool,” Webb said. “I had my aunt and uncle there (for one round), then my mom and grandma there tonight. It was special.”
That it ended up this way is a testament to Webb’s approach. The stage is never too big. He won’t let it be with his narrow focus and even-keel demeanor.
“You just have to do your job (even in the championship shootout round). When you have a good calf, it’s about making no mistakes and winning what you can win. It’s about not trying to do too much, just doing what you can,” Webb said.
Webb entered the finals with confidence. He placed in every round, including a 9.0- second time in his first RodeoHouston run, posting a win.
“To make that first run like that really helped,” said Webb, who placed 10th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings last season, earning $188,597.
Webb, who hails from Denton, Texas, kept piling up strong performances, finishing third and fourth in subsequent runs before notching a second-place finish in the semifinal qualifier. It set the stage for the biggest regular-season win of his career as he bested Hunter Herrin (9.6, $20,000) and Reese Riemer (15.4, $10,000).
“I had a good feeling going into it,” Webb said. “It was cool.”
Riley was featured in the Rodeo News in July of 2021. Here is a link to that story:
https://reader.mediawiremobile.com/RodeoNews/issues/207284/viewer
Other winners at the $1,950,030 rodeo were bareback rider Leighton Berry (90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Yippee Kibitz); steer wrestler Dalton Massey (4.5 seconds); team ropers Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler (5.5 seconds); saddle bronc rider Sage Newman (90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Womanizer); breakaway roper Hali Williams (3.6 seconds); barrel racer Jordon Briggs (14.73 seconds); and bull rider Ky Hamilton (90.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Dim Tricks).Results from Houston Championship
Bareback Riding: 1. Cole Reiner, 90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Disco Party; 2. Kaycee Feild, 89; 3. Leighton Berry, 88; 4. Keenan Hayes, 87; 5. Tim O’Connell, 86.5, $2,500; 6. Chad Rutherford, 85, $2,500; 7. Jayco Roper, 84.5, $2,500; 8. Jess Pope, 83.5, $2,500; 9. Richmond Champion, 82.5, $2,500; 10. Sam Petersen, 81, $2,500.
Steer Wrestling: 1. (tie) Dalton Massey and Rowdy Parrott, 4.8 seconds; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 5.3; 4. Cody Devers, 6.1; 5. J.D. Struxness, 6.1, $2,500; 6. Clayton Hass, 6.3, $2,500; 7. Jesse Brown, 6.6, $2,500; 8. Stephen Culling, 6.6, $2,500; 9. Stetson Jorgensen, 14.6, $2,500; 10. Jacob Talley, 15.9, $2,500.
Team Roping: 1. Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, 5.5 seconds; 2. Brenten Hall/Paden Bray, 5.7; 3. Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler, 5.8; 4. Nelson Wyatt/Justin Davis, 5.9; 5. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 5.9, $2,500 each; 6. Cory Kidd V/Lane Mitchell, 6.4, $2,500; 7. (tie) Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, Levi Simpson/Caleb Hendrix, Coy Rahlmann/Jonathan Torres and Chad Masters/Trey Yates, NT, $2,500 each.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Sage Newman, 90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Hitman; 2. (tie) Ben Andersen and Zeke Thurston, 88; 4. Chase Brooks, 87.5; 5. Kade Bruno, 86.5, $2,500; 6. Ryder Wright, 86, $2,500; 7. Ross Griffin, 85, $2,500; 8. Brody Cress, 83, $2,500; 9. Isaac Diaz, 81, $2,500; 10. Riggin Smith, 75.5, $2,500.
Tie-Down Roping: 1. Beau Cooper, 8.5 seconds; 2. Reese Riemer, 8.9; 3. Riley Mason Webb, 9.9; 4. Hunter Herrin, 9.9; 5. Caleb Smidt, 10.8, $2,500; 6. Shad Mayfield, 11.8, $2,500; 7. Adam Gray, 11.8, $2,500; 8. Matt Shiozawa, 12.6, $2,500; 9. (tie) Tuf Cooper and Cory Solomon, NT, $2,500 each.
Barrel Racing: 1. Jessica Routier, 14.63 seconds; 2. Molly Otto, 14.66; 3. Jordon Briggs, 14.73, $2,500; 4. Sissy Winn, 14.75; 5. Hailey Kinsel, 14.84, $2,500; 6. Shelley Morgan, 14.88, $2,500; 7. Summer Kosel, 14.90, $2,500; 8. Sarah Rose Waguespack, 15.07, $2,500; 9. Wenda Johnson, 15.28, $2,500; 10. Kassie Mowry, 20.79, $2,500.
Bull Riding: 1. Ky Hamilton, 86.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Flight Risk; 2. Creek Young, NS; 3. J.B. Mauney, NS; 4. Josh Frost, NS; 5. (tie) Trey Benton III, Jeff Askey, Ernie Courson Jr., T. Parker, Chance Schott and Brady Porternier, NS, $2,500 each.
Championship Shootout
Bareback Riding: 1. Leighton Berry, 90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Yippee Kibitz, $50,000; 2. Kaycee Feild, 89, $20,000; 3. Keenan Hayes, 88, $10,000; 4. Cole Reiner, 87, $5,500.
Steer Wrestling: 1. Dalton Massey, 4.5 seconds, $50,000; 2. (tie) Cody Devers and Tyler Waguespack, 4.7, $15,000 each; 4. Rowdy Parrot, 5.1, $5,500.
Team Roping: 1. Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler, 5.5 seconds, $50,000 each; 2. Nelson Wyatt/Justin Davis, 9.9, $20,000; 3. (tie) Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry and Brenton Hall/Paden Bray, NT, $7,750 each.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Sage Newman, 90 points, $50,000; 2. Chase Brooks, 87, $20,000; 3. Ben Andersen, 83, $10,000; 4. Zeke Thurston, 81, $5,500.
Tie-Down Roping: 1. Riley Mason Webb, 8.9 seconds, $50,000; 2. Hunter Herrin, 9.6, $20,000; 3. Reese Riemer, 15.4, $10,000; 4. Beau Cooper, 18.5, $5,500.
Barrel Racing: 1. Jordon Briggs, 14.73 seconds, $50,000; 2. Molly Otto, 14.75, $20,000; 3. Jessica Routier, 14.79, $10,000; 4. Sissy Winn, 19.94, $5,500.
Bull Riding: 1. Ky Hamilton, 90.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Dim Tricks, $50,000; 2. Josh Frost, 86, $20,000; 3. Creek Young, NS, $10,000; 4. J.B. Mauney, Injured, $5,500.
*(all totals include ground money)Total payoff: $1,950,030. Stock contractor: Cervi Championship Rodeo. Sub-contractors: Bailey Pro Rodeo, Calgary Stampede, J Bar J, Big Rafter Rodeo, Silver Spurs Club, Generations Pro Rodeo, The Cervi Brothers, Rocky Mountain Rodeo, Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, Stace Smith Pro Rodeos and Pickett Pro Rodeo Co. Rodeo secretary: Sunni Deb Backstrom. Officials: Butch Kirby, Will Lynd, Mike Todd and Harry Rose Jr. Timers: Molly Jane Twitchell and Vicki Pack. Announcers: Boyd Polhamus, Andy Seiler and Bob Tallman. Specialty act: Shelby Pierson. Bullfighters: Nathan Jestes, Beau Schueth and Dusty Tuckness. Clown/barrelman: Leon Coffee. Flankmen: Chuck Kite, Shad Smith, Ken Rehill and Cullen Pickett. Chute boss: Binion Cervi. Pickup men: Matt Twitchell, Chase Cervi, Gary Rempel and Randy Britton. Photographer: Mallory Beinborn. Music director: Benje Bendele.
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Bull rider Trevor Kastner, seven-time NFR qualifier, calls it a career
Bull rider Trevor Kastner, who qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo seven times in 2011-13, 2018-20, and 2022, confirmed to ProRodeo Sports News he has called it a career.Kastner, 35, joined the PRCA in 2008.
“I’m not calling it retirement because if you retire you don’t have to work anymore,” Kastner said with a laugh. “I was getting a little older and I wanted to spend more time with my family. I just thought it was time. It (rodeo) treated me good. I was wanting to step away whenever I was still competitive.”
Kastner and his wife Katie have two children, son, Korbyn, 3, and daughter, McKenna, 5. The family resides in Roff, Okla.
A year ago, Kastner finished fifth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $255,179. He earned $131,640 at the NFR. Kastner placed in five rounds, highlighted by his Round 7 win with a 90.5-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Midnight Rider at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
During his seven NFR qualifications, Kastner placed in 14 rounds, including winning four.
“I had so many great memories it is hard to pick any single one out,” Kastner said. “I didn’t plan on riding bulls as long as I did, but it worked out that way. I wanted to go out on top of my game and quit on my own terms.”
Kastner’s full-time job now is as a real estate agent. He works for Legacy Land Group based out of Durant, Okla.
“I have always been interested in the real estate stuff, and I got my license and I’m getting started in it,” he said.
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2023 CTEC & Jr Ironman Results
Aggregate Results (total on twenty five head)
“This is life-changing for us,” said Oklahoma cowboy Cody Doescher.“We live in a single-wide, and we’re trying to get out of it because we’ve outgrown it with three kids. We’re trying to get us a place either bought or built. Right now, that money couldn’t have come at a better time. We’ve never seen that much money at one time. To be able to put it to good use, it’s all a blessing in itself.” This is his 10th time competing at the CTEC.- Cody Doescher 312.7 seconds worth $100,000
- Russell Cardoza 321.7 seconds worth $25,000
- Lane Karney 355.3 seconds worth $15,000
- Riley Wakefield 366.0 seconds worth $10,000
- Nelson Wyatt 370.2 seconds worth $7,500
- Marcus Theriot 376.7 seconds worth $5,000
- Clayton Hass 377.6 seconds worth $4,500
- Jess Tierney 396.4 seconds worth $3,000
- Colby Lovell 408.2 seconds
- Paul David Tierney 413.33 seconds
- Erich Rogers 428.8 seconds
- KC Jones 434.9 seconds
- Seth Hall 445.8 seconds
- Kyle Lockett 486.8 seconds
- Justin Thigpen 533.0 seconds
Round Five Results (total on five head)
- Jess Tierney 57.0 seconds worth $3,000
- Clayton Hass 57.1 seconds worth $2,000
- Marcus Theriot 57.5 seconds worth $1,000
- Lane Karney 62.2 seconds
- Cody Doescher 62.4 seconds (tie)
- Russell Cardoza 62.4 seconds (tie)
- Colby Lovell 68.5 seconds
- Nelson Wyatt 85.7 seconds
- Seth Hall 103.3 seconds
- Riley Wakefield 108.5 seconds
- Paul David Tierney 109.6 seconds
- Erich Rogers 109.8 seconds
- KC Jones 130.9 seconds
- Kyle Lockett 152.6 seconds
- Justin Thigpen 211.7 seconds
CTEC Total Payout $6,001,000 (1985-2023)
Jr Ironman Results
Aggregate Results (on twenty head)
Arizona cowboy Ketch Kelton added this title to his others: 2022 Arizona High School Rodeo Association and NHSFR All-Around Cowboy. He is going to a construction trade school and had all kinds of support from his parents Chance and Tammy as well as grandparents Willy and Phyllis Kelton.- Ketch Kelton, 107.4 seconds worth $20,000
- Clay Clayman, 162.6 seconds worth $5,000
- Conner Griffith, 176.3 seconds worth $2,000
- Dylan Hancock, 191.0 seconds
- Mason Appleton, 192.7 seconds
- Caleb Lake, 258.8 seconds
- Wyatt Williams, 270.0 seconds
- Kreece Dearing, 300.0 seconds
- Evan Bottinin 345.1 seconds
- Jake Holmes 401.1 seconds
Round Three Results (on four head)
- Kreece Dearing 33.5 seconds, worth $750
- Ketch Kelton 35.0 seconds, worth $250
- Conner Griffith 57.6 seconds
- Mason Appleton 63.5 seconds
- Dylan Hancock 72.9 seconds
- Wyatt Williams 78.2 seconds
- Clay Clayman 88.9 seconds
- Caleb Lake 101.2 seconds
- Evan Bottini 140.5 seconds
- Jake Holmes 171.4 seconds
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2023 CINCH TEC & Junior Ironman Round 2 Results
TEC Round Two Results (on five head)
- Cody Doescher 48.9 seconds, worth $3,000
- Nelson Wyatt 51.6 seconds, worth $2,000
- Cole Patterson 51.7 seconds
- Riley Wakefield 56.1 seconds
- KC Jones 60.7 seconds
- Justin Thigpen 65.6 seconds
- Lane Karney 68.4 seconds
- Cody Cabral 68.8 seconds
- Colby Lovell 74.1 seconds
- Russell Cardoza 74.7 seconds
- Taylor Santos 75.3 seconds
- Erich Rogers 79.2 seconds
- Kyle Lockett 87.7 seconds
- Clayton Hass 87.8 seconds
- Marcus Theriot 90.8 seconds
- Roger Nonella 96.8 seconds
- Jess Tierney 107.5 seconds
- Paul David Tierney 108.9 seconds
- Seth Hall 111.1 seconds
- Kolton Schmidt 121.5 seconds
Aggregate After Round Two (on ten head)
- Riley Wakefield 121.5 seconds
- Cole Patterson 129.8 seconds
- Russell Cardoza 132.7 seconds
- Lane Karney 138.1 seconds
- Erich Rogers 141.8 seconds
- Justin Thigpen 144.9 seconds
- Cody Doescher 146.3 seconds
- Marcus Theriot 150.6 seconds
- KC Jones 156.7 seconds
- Kyle Lockett 158.6 seconds
- Nelson Wyatt 165. seconds
- Taylor Santos 171.6 seconds
- Clayton Hass 174.9 seconds
- Paul David Tierney 176.4
- Cody Cabral 178.6 seconds
- Colby Lovell 178.8 seconds
- Seth Hall 190.0 seconds
- Kolton Schmidt 193.6 seconds
- Jess Tierney 236.4 seconds
- Roger Nonella 243.7 seconds
Hailing from the wide-open spaces of Northern Nebraska, Cinch Timed Event Championship first-timer Riley Wakefield is ready to capitalize on the opportunity to compete in Guthrie after receiving the call that Haven Meged couldn’t attend due to a RodeoHouston conflict.“This has been something I wanted to do my whole life,” Wakefield said. “It’s something that’s fit me ever since I was young. Growing up my brother and I did every event we could.”Wakefield says his strongest event is calf roping, but the multifaceted cowboy picked up a 2022 steer wrestling win at the Pendleton Round-up.“I’ve had to specialize in the last few years in calf roping because things are so competitive, but growing up I worked steer wrestling, team roping and calf roping equally as hard,” Wakefield said.Steer tripping is the event Wakefield anticipates being his biggest challenge. To prepare, he’s been roping and laying the trip on a breakaway.Wakefield assembled his horsepower immediately after receiving the call to compete. In the calf roping and heeling he’ll be riding personal horses Gator and William, respectively. In the heading he’ll borrow a horse of Danielle Wray’s, and in the steer wrestling he’s hoping to reunite with his old horse “Bondo” he sold in 2022.In the steer tripping he’ll be riding Todd Everly’s horse Mississippi, who was owned by Jess Tierney when he won the event in 2017.Cheering Wakefield on will be parents Jim and Susan Wakefield along with grandmother, Pat.Junior Ironman Round Winners (on four head)
- Ketch Kelton 32.7 seconds, worth $750
- Clay Clayman 37.4 seconds, worth $250
- Mason Appleton 38.5 seconds
- Dylan Hancock 58.4 seconds
- Conner Griffith 59.6 seconds
- Caleb Lake 59.9 seconds
- Wyatt Williams 87.9 seconds
- Jake Holmes 88.5 seconds
- Kreece Dearing 154.5 seconds
- Evan Bottini 155.3 seconds
Aggregate After Round Two (on eight head)
- Ketch Kelton 72.4 seconds
- Clay Clayman 73.7 seconds
- Dylan Hancock 118.1 seconds
- Conner Griffith 118.7 seconds
- Mason Appleton 129.2 seconds
- Caleb Lake 157.6 seconds
- Wyatt Williams 191.8 seconds
- Evan Bottini 204.6 seconds
- Jake Holmes 229.7 seconds
- Kreece Dearing 266.5 seconds
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5 Star Champion Sissy Winn
[ I’ve been using 5 Star pads forever; I’ve tried them all and I love the way they fit.” Sissy has a horse that’s 16.2 hands and she doesn’t have to cinch her saddle up to prevent it from rolling. “I’ve got one horse that’s 16 2, and my saddle doesn’t roll, it has to do with my pad. I don’t have to cinch up so tight.” ]
“Making it to Vegas still brings tears to my eyes,” said 25-year old Sissy Winn. “I put in the hard work and it happened. Looking back, I thought it was going to be easier than it is. What we sacrifice to keep going to the next one is worth it, but we give up a lot. This summer, my dad (Tom) will take one trailer and my mom (Melissa) will take another one and I will fly back and forth.” She is quick to give her parents the credit for her success. She entered her first NFR ranked 7th in the world and finished ranked 13th with $149,156 after winning $47,308.
Sissy, who was named after an aunt that passed away, had her future as a lawyer planned out. She graduated Texas A&M University at College Station Magna cum laude with an ag leadership and development degree. “I was studying for the LSAT, and trying to go down the road,” she said. “I wasn’t doing either one very well, I had the horses to go.” She grew up competing in every event in rodeo offered to young girls in southern Texas. She is a 7x National High School qualifier and won the coveted Texas High School Rodeo Association All Around Cowgirl in 2013.
She and her older sister, Amy, shared horses growing up. “We had the same horse for every event,” said Sissy, who spent a few years getting the horsepower she needed to make her first NFR last year. She has two horses that are NFR capable – Chewy and his newest partner, Scoop. “Chewy is scared of men, he won’t let a man catch him.” Chewy got his name from his habit of chewing things. She was looking for a good second horse and found Scoop. “I’m going to love Houston because I have a horse that will love Houston – Scoop. I got him from Danielle Campbell who trained and futuritied on him and we made the NFR last year.” She travels with one of her parents, two horses, and two “support” ponies. It is a drive to get anywhere from her home in Chapman Ranch, in southern Texas. “I drag them everywhere with me; I don’t go by myself. My mom and I did Jackson this week – 13 hours one way.” Chapman Ranch is a small community that used to be part of the King Ranch. It is 15 miles from Corpus Christi and the Gulf of Mexico; a few hundred miles from the Mexico border. “Anytime we see a horse trailer, I’m so excited and then I wonder who it is.” She didn’t spend much time at the beach as a kid. “I appreciate it more now than I did back then.”
She won the 2022 Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award at the Fort Worth (TX) Stock Show and Rodeo, presented by National Cowgirl of Fame. “I pursued the queen title in junior high because not very many girls competed in rodeo as well as represented the rodeo as a queen; I love to dress up and talk about rodeo.” She was able to do that as she was a former Miss Rodeo Texas Princess (2011) and Miss Rodeo Texas Teen (2015). She and her mom enjoy picking out the outfits. “I want some nice pictures, so it comes easy to dress up.” All her shirts and pants are Rock and Roll and Panhandle. “I love the season I’m in, but I want to have a family and enjoy that in the future.” “Keep going …. It might be better than you ever imagined.” -
Wrangler Team Roping Championships
For a team roper, nothing quickens the blood like a horse and some steers to turn.
And the Wrangler Team Roping Championships have given the team roping world a place to rope, to be horseback, to enjoy friends, and to win money for the past eighteen years.
Founded by Dennis Tryan, the Wrangler Team Roping Championships are headquartered in Huntley, Montana.
They consist of between 45-55 team ropings a year, scattered throughout Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Washington, and Canada.
They average about 4,000 members annually, and at their 2022 finals, held in Billings, about 6,000 teams came to rope.
It started in the fall of 2005 when the UPS truck drove up one day, as Dennis sat in the shade by the bunkhouse. He watched as the driver dropped off a box of goodies for his boys, professional team ropers.
“What I noticed,” he said, “was that the better they got at team roping in the professional ranks, the more free stuff all these companies gave them. Every single day, it seemed like, the UPS truck would stop by, drop off free ropes, leg gear, free clothes, this and that, and it was for my kids.”
He realized that for the ropers who weren’t on the national scene, there were no freebies.
“My brain said, ‘Oh, wow, what if I did that for the amateur team roper, the hobby team roper, that will never get a shot at anything free from these companies?’”
He had already been producing team ropings around the state, and knew there was a need for a new level of competition.
So he called his old friend Allen Bach, co-owner of Cactus Ropes, and pitched the idea to him.
Cactus Ropes agreed, as did several other companies. Wrangler came aboard as title sponsor, and the Wrangler Team Ropings were born.
Dennis designed some of his divisional ropings to be designated for individual companies. For example, the No. 9 roping might be the Cactus roping, and winners from that roping who are using Cactus ropes are rewarded with a check and a multi-month rope contract with Cactus.
“You’re a hobby roper, you won a Wrangler roping, and a national company just took interest in you, calls you and askes you what ropes you want,” he said.
“Here’s what’s unique about what we do: we go to sponsors, and instead of the sponsor writing a check to us, they come with product. Instead of it going into our pockets, the ropers end up with it.
“That’s what makes us different.”
Another thing unique to the Wrangler Team Roping Championships is the Challenge Race. At every roping, ropers accumulate points. At the end of the year, the top point-holders win product: Fast Back Ropes, Cactus Ropes, Boulet Boots, Wrangler clothing, Preifert chutes, Smarty, PRO Orthopedic, and more.
“It’s something else to win at the end of the year,” he said, “and it didn’t cost you a penny to win it.”
Dennis, a team roper himself, began roping in his teens, and in 1984, made the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. But the rodeo life wasn’t what he wanted. He remembers driving to Clovis, N.M., for a rodeo in 1985, going 110 miles per hour to get there on time. “My kids were going to start Little League baseball, and I was 1,500 miles away from them. I thought, ‘is this really what I want to do?’”
So he quit full time competition.
Team roping is so popular, he believes, because it’s a sport that can be done as an adult. After high school and college, there aren’t many sports to compete in, other than golf.
Being around horses is also a draw. “A lot of old ranchers have been around horses their entire life, and anything to do with a horse, they want to do it.”
It’s addictive and a challenge. He remembers watching his younger brother rope in high school, before Dennis started, and thinking, ‘what’s so fun about this?’ Then he tried it. “I got on and tried it and instantly I loved it, and I think a lot of people are like that.”
There’s also a strong sense of camaraderie among the competitors, which Dennis is evident of. “I have friends all over the place. I don’t know a town I couldn’t get broke down in that I couldn’t call somebody.”
His family helps with the business. Wife Pat works in the office; son Travis and his wife Hillary manage the office, and son Brady and his wife Callahan manage the records. His sons Clay and Matt and daughter Taylor are also ropers.
His sons Clay, Travis and Brady are all pro ropers and are the only three-some of brothers who qualified for the Wrangler National Finals the same year, 2010. “That was a cool moment for me,” he said.
He and Travis produce some of the Wrangler ropings, but other people produce as well.
The finals are huge, “an undertaking like you wouldn’t believe,” he said. “That many teams, stalls, and the other details.” Pre-entries are not required for the Wrangler championships, so there’s no way of knowing the exact number of teams that will be in town. The finals used to average between 4,800-5,200 teams, but in 2020, because of the pandemic, the number jumped to 7,000 teams. That year, they roped around the clock. In 2021 and 2022, the number has leveled off to 6,000 teams and Dennis has added a third arena, so the ropings are done by evening time.
The finals are held in two locations in Billings: the MetraPark Coliseum and the Expo Center. They both provide “the atmosphere that’s needed for big events like that,” he said.
Among team roping associations, the Wrangler Championships are in the top five, he estimates. But if the finals are the measuring stick, “we have one of the biggest finals in the U.S.”
He’s pleased with what he’s produced.
“I had a dream, and it came to life, to fruition. I made it work. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s very satisfying.”
More information can be found at WranglerTeamRoping.com -
Back When They Bucked with Bill Nelson
[ “He had that internal fortitude and a lot of try.”]
Bill Nelson dominated the rodeo world for a short time, in two events.
Saddle bronc riding might have been Bill Nelson’s strongest event, but he won the world in the bull riding in 1971.
The California cowboy competed at the National Finals Rodeo in both the saddle bronc riding and bull riding, but it was the bull riding in which he came out on top of the world.
He was born in 1944 in San Francisco, the son of Bill and Irene Nelson. Even as a little kid, he wanted to be a cowboy. He came by it naturally; his dad was from Winnemucca, Nev., and his uncles had made a living by rounding up wild horses and selling them to the U.S. Army at the beginning of the 20th century.
After high school graduation, Bill attended Cal Poly and “one thing led to another,” he said, “and pretty quick I was riding bulls.”
Riding bulls was an easy discipline to start. “All you had to do was buy a bull rope at the feed store,” he said. With other events, a person needs a horse and more expensive equipment.
He caught on quickly to riding bulls, but he really wanted to ride saddle broncs. He taught himself, “but it took forever to learn to ride broncs.”
He bought his membership to the Rodeo Cowboys Association, forerunner to the PRCA, in 1966 so he could compete at the San Francisco’s Cow Palace, and rode bulls there.
By then, he was in college at Cal Poly. At first, he went to school in the fall, winter and spring and rodeoed in the regional shows and worked, trying to make money. Before the school year was over, he was calling his dad and needing to borrow money.
His dad asked, do you want a job? “I said, ‘no,’” Bill replied. When he told his dad he was going to rodeo in place of a job, his dad said, “oh, crap, you won’t have no money.”
But he did. “Things went to clicking, and I had more money than I had the year before,” he said.
Bill changed his college schedule; he attended in the spring quarter only, so as to compete at the big winter rodeos. He remembers winning $3,000 in Houston. “It doesn’t sound like much, but we thought we were rich,’ he recalls.
He began winning more money, so he’d take off in the fall and winter to rodeo, then while he attended college in the spring quarter, he’d rodeo up and down the West Coast and in California.
And he was winning money, so much that he qualified for the 1970 National Finals Rodeo in the saddle bronc riding, the next year in the bronc riding and the bull riding, and in 1972, in the bull riding. In 1971, he finished as the world champion bull rider and seventh in the saddle broncs.
Bill also competed collegiately, finishing as the regional all-around champion twice and the saddle bronc riding champ twice and qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo three times, finishing one year as NIRA reserve champion saddle bronc rider.
He graduated from college in 1972 with a degree in animal husbandry.
In those early days, when he was young, it was fun to rodeo. “We went wherever we wanted,” he said. “We didn’t have to go back and forth to school or work. We’d just take off and go. If we were tired, we went fishing. We enjoyed ourselves, and we had fun.”
In 1973, his dad had a heart attack, and Bill turned out of Calgary and went home. Then his mom got sick, and he married, and “one thing led to another, and after that, I just rodeoed on the weekends.”
He began his lifetime career of managing ranches for absentee landowners in California and Oregon.
He continued to rodeo, but it was more on the weekends only. It wasn’t so enjoyable anymore.
“You’d have to drive all night to get to the rodeo, then drive all night to get back to work,” he said.
He entered his last PRCA rodeo in the early 1980s. He had competed at Caldwell, winning second in the bull riding. But when he got off, he felt a muscle tear: it was a torn groin. “I thought, somebody’s trying to tell me something,” he said. “Things like that hadn’t happened to me before.” He got on a couple more bulls to prove he wasn’t scared of them, then he quit rodeoing.
Bill preferred riding saddle broncs over bulls, but it was the bulls that paid the bills. “If I hadn’t been riding bulls, I’d never have had enough money to ride broncs.”
He remembers some of his favorite bucking horses.
He got on Beutler Brothers’ saddle bronc Descent four times. “I rode him twice and he killed me twice,” he quipped. The first time he got on him was in Tucson, and when he bucked off, “I did a somersault, he was kicking so hard.” Years later, he had him in Nampa, thinking, “Boy, I’ll get rich now.” But he got bucked off again. “He threw me so high the stirrups came off my feet and I was still going up. I lit under the pickup horse.” He did ride the horse once, to win second in Denver.
He also recalls a buckskin named Whiz Bang who was first owned by Andy Jauregui then by Cotton Rosser. Bill drew him fourteen times, four of those consecutive. “He’d rare out and buck me off,” Bill said. “He killed me.” In Yuma, Ariz., Shawn Davis was the judge for one of those buck offs. The horse “drove me into the ground right in front of Shawn, and Shawn said, ‘well, kid, you spurred him out good.’” Bill said to himself, “Big deal. I spurred him out for three weeks in a row and I ain’t rode him for six seconds total yet.” After those four consecutive buck-offs, Whiz Bang only bucked Bill off one time. “I won a lot of money on Whiz Bang.”
His parents supported their son in his rodeo.
“My dad loved it,” Bill said. “He wouldn’t let me play football because it was dangerous, but riding bulls was OK.” For a while, his mom was scared of the bull riding. “If she came to a rodeo, when the bull riding started, she’d go hide. She was scared to death.” But when Bill needed money, she helped finance him.
“A couple years later, when I was broke, she’d pay my fees for half.” One year he competed at Reno, and she went with him. She paid his fees, he won second, and she took her half of the winnings and was ready to pay his fees the next week, too. “I told her, no, I have money,” he chuckled.
“She ended up being my biggest fan.”
It was at the beer stand in Reno that he met his wife, Cindy. They married in 1974 and had two sons: Jay and Billy.
Bill was a world champion when J.C. Trujillo came onto the pro rodeo scene, and Bill mentored J.C.
“When I got out of college and hit the rodeo trail fulltime, he had already won the world’s championship,” J.C. said. “He said, you need somebody that knows what they’re doing. So I jumped in his pickup that he called the Watermelon. He had the experience and the know-how. I ended up going to the National Finals that year.”
Bill had perseverance and determination, J.C. said. “He had that internal fortitude and a lot of try. He would tough it out on a lot of bulls that would buck some guys off. He’d cowboy up and get to the whistle on them. He was a pretty talented cowboy.”
Bill managed a ranch near Whitmore, Calif., before he and his wife Cindy moved to Idaho to be closer to their sons and their families.
Jay is married to Kara; they have a son and a daughter. Billy is married to Shanna and they have three daughters and a son.
Bill reminisces on the best parts of his life.
His family and kids rank at the top.
But the years he rodeoed, when he had no bills and no responsibilities, were good years. “I had more fun than anybody going down the road.” -
On The Trail with Tru Most
Similar to Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, a pair of ruby red shoes were hard to remove from Tru Most’s feet. These, however, were glittering cowgirl boots that accompanied Tru everywhere from the time she was 2 years old until the shoes were no longer sold. They were part of the outfit that brought Tru’s favorite Toy Story character, Jessie, to life. “She was obsessed with those boots and wore them until all the glitter fell off,” said Tru’s mom, Nichole Most. “I probably replaced those boots three times before I couldn’t find them anymore. Tru wanted to be a cowgirl like Jessie, so she had a rope and would chase our English bulldog around the house trying to catch him.” Tru’s older sister, Alivia, took an interest in horses first. At the end of her sister’s riding lessons, Tru found her way into the saddle for a few minutes. It was enough to appease the brewing horse craze, but in a few years that passion would explode and take her family on a wild ride. “My brother [Michael Paulsen] got married and they lived on a ranch with horses,” Nichole explained. “Tru was probably 7 at the time and she’s been hooked [on horses] ever since.”
The Tornado
“We didn’t grow up with horses, but there was no stopping Tru,” said her dad, Josh Most. “When she has a goal in mind, she’s relentless and there’s no stopping her so you might as well get on board.” The Longview, Washington, cowgirl is a tornado, personified. She’s the only type of natural disaster that can be classified as good. Those first few years of lessons were on western pleasure horses. And while Tru loved horses of any discipline, she knew speed was in her future. “We found ourselves in my hometown at the 4-H fair horse show when Tru saw barrels for the first time and that’s all she wanted to do from then on out,” Nichole said.
Diving in with both feet, Josh and Nichole bought Tru a barrel horse. The seller disclosed that the horse, Cash, was herd bound, but that didn’t resonate until they got him home. “We just didn’t know what that meant, so we eventually had to get a pony [Flo] to even get Cash on the trailer,” Nichole said. “For a long time it was Flo and I in the arena while Tru and Cash ran their barrels.” He was a strong, powerful horse that didn’t actually enjoy his job running around the barrels. He loved his little girl and would do anything for her, but their story didn’t begin that way.
“I was scared of him at first and even hated him because of that. Probably because I was used to lesson ponies who listened to me,” Tru said. “We had some family stuff going on at the time and I found my comfort in Cash. He became my best friend, and we formed a bond on the ground. After that we worked a lot better together in the saddle.” That transformation took about six months. Even though Tru trusted Cash, every ride was a little more about survival than anything else according to her dad. He was a lot of horse for Tru, but he’s very likely one of the reasons Tru found success at the 2022 Junior World Finals.A Step Up Mount
“Knowing what I know now, I would have never put my little girl on Cash, but we just had no idea at the time,” Nichole said. “We took him to a clinic put on by Ryan Lovendahl and KC Groves hoping they could fix him.” Ryan and KC fixed Cash’s problem, but not in the way Tru or her parents expected. “Ryan came up to me and said quietly: ‘I’ve seen thousands of horses and only said this to one other person, your daughter is not safe on that horse. He takes care of her, but he hates his job and he’s fighting everything,’” Josh explained of Cash’s immediate retirement. “Ryan and KC got us on the path we’re on now with Tru; from running barrels as a hobby to executing the plan Tru always had in her head.” Leo was one of Ryan and KC’s horses who became Tru’s next barrel mount. He was the type of horse who ran the same pattern every time. Where Cash made Tru fearless, Leo kept her honest and developed her horsemanship as a jockey.
“She’s always been a great rider, but Leo helped Tru get comfortable so she could work on her skills,” Josh said. “He taught her how a barrel turn should feel but he was also the kind of horse who would hit the barrel if she gave him too much rein. It was such a great experience for her.” It only took a year before Tru was ready for her next step up in horsepower. Since Cash always had a home with the Most family, Leo had to move on down the road to make room for Tru’s next mount. “It was really hard for Tru to make that decision, but also for me,” Nichole said. “I looked that horse in the eyes and told him to take care of my little girl. And then we all bonded with him and loved him, and it was hard to let him go.” The Most’s were reunited with Leo in Vegas where he carried his new little girl through the pole pattern. He’s thriving with his new family, just like Tru is with his replacement.The Rocket
Firewater Requests, Rockette for short, comes by her name honestly. The 9-year-old palomino is everything Tru needed in a barrel horse and much more. “We actually bought Rockette two months before I ever rode her,” Tru said. “There was a jackpot nearby when we came to pick her up in Utah. It was a KK qualifier. I had only run her once before we entered up. I was just test running her before we took her home, but we won the qualifier. I was shocked because I didn’t know what to expect from her.” Their honesty about Cash poured the foundation of trust that’s built a strong friendship between Ryan and KC and the Mosts. The fruit of that trust was picked in Vegas when Tru not only won the Junior World Finals in the senior barrels but also took home the youth championship at the All In Barrel Race as well as ninth in the open average.
From the outside, Tru’s success looked easy. Even though Tru and Rockette clicked instantly, their climb to the top in less than a year as a team was anything but. “As Tru finished out junior high last spring, she just swept everything she entered,” Josh said. “By the time summer hit, Rockette started declining; and by that, I mean she wasn’t winning every race she entered anymore. We didn’t know that her hocks could get sore or that she might get ulcers being hauled a lot.” After getting Rockette back to peak condition, Tru had some work to do as a rider. But the pair also had to figure out how to get all 16 hands of Rockette around the NFR-sized pattern, something neither had much experience with at that point.
“We had about four months to really train for Vegas, and all of our high school rodeos were in big outdoor pens,” Tru said. “We ended up going to a local jackpot – Rocky Top – almost every week this fall because the pattern was only 12 feet off what we’d do in Vegas. It was rough at first because I wasn’t sure how to set up such a big horse in a small pen.” Through the trials and tribulations that indoor pen presented, Tru never wanted to throw in the towel. It’s this relentless determination that her parents are most proud of, more than anything Tru’s ever won. “She could’ve walked out of there and said she never wanted to go back, but she didn’t,” Josh said. “She never gave up. By the end of that series, she finished third against some top riders who consistently put up times that were tough to beat. Tru needed to see that she wouldn’t win every time she got on that horse, that she had to work for it. That’s when I knew they were ready for Vegas.” As a push-style horse, Rockette was nothing like other horses Tru had ridden before, with the exception of Cash, who shared one similarity.Fearless Freshman
“When Tru first ran Rockette, Ryan turned to me and said: ‘Because of Cash, she has no idea that she’s riding a literal rocket,’” Josh said. “At 10 years old, Tru learned how to handle a beast and then every other horse out there is nothing by comparison. Her only game plan is to ride well, and it never crosses her mind to be scared to go fast.” It’s this fearless approach that fuels Tru’s confidence. She gets nerves and even entertains occasional doubts much like her peers, but Tru doesn’t let it take hold of what she knows to be true: she’s a skilled horsewoman riding one of the fastest rockets out there.
“Tru went to the world finals never thinking anything less than she could win it,” Josh said.
Taking her turns a bit wide was a safe gamble in the first two rounds of Vegas. Tru knew Rockette had the speed to get them to the finals if they could stay clean. Once in the finals, Tru left it all out in the arena. She pushed Rockette harder simply because she was proud of the fact they even made the short round. Anything after that feat was just extra for Tru. “The whole experience in Vegas was better than I could have ever imagined it to be,” Tru said. “We’ve joked that we won’t be able to top it.”
While outdoing 2022 will be tough, Tru has the determination, work ethic and the horsepower to accomplish anything she sets her mind to.
Tru’s cheering section in Vegas is the perfect illustration of the community surrounding her in this endeavor. “We probably had 15 people fly in from Washington and California to watch her in the short round,” Nichole said. “We’ve all fallen in love with the sport and the people. We get to spend so much time together as a family because of rodeo and that’s been such a blessing.” At 18, Tru’s older sister didn’t pursue horses after hitting the dirt during a riding lesson. “Alivia was a beautiful dancer and later did voice lessons and theater in high school, she just didn’t have any interest in horses like Tru did,” Nichole said. “She’s literally the exact opposite of a cowgirl; like picks up a pitchfork with two fingers.”
Regardless of their divided interests, Alivia is at every one of her sister’s events.
For a family that knew nothing about rodeo only eight years ago, they’ve come a long way together. “Being so big, horses seem like they should be really dangerous but they’re so docile,” Nichole said. “It’s so therapeutic to go out and just brush a horse or clean their stall. I think riding horses makes Tru feel like she’s part of something bigger than herself. She’s a lot more spiritual than anyone else in our family and I think it’s cool that horses brought her closer to God.” Perhaps qualifying for the Junior World Finals was the happiest accident of Tru’s life so far. Or maybe it’s just the very beginning of her story as a barrel racer. “Anyone can be like Tru; yes, it will cost money and be a lot of work, but anyone can make it big,” Josh said. “There are so many kids out there who don’t have anyone propelling them to the next level, but they should all know that it’s within their reach if they work hard.”