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  • ProFile: Kaycee Feild

    ProFile: Kaycee Feild

    Kaycee Feild is 10x WNFR bareback riding qualifier, winning the world as well as the average standings four times (2011-2014). The father of three (Chaimberlyn, Remingtyn, and Huxyn) lives in Genola, Utah, with his wife, Stephanie. Kaycee is the son of 5x PRCA World Champion Lewis and Veronica Feild. He started getting on bucking horses and taking is seriously in 2003, getting his PRCA card in 2007. “I’m fortunate, I’ve broke my riding arm three times, my left collar bone; I’ve had hip surgery, ruptured ribs, cracked my jaw, fractured my skull, but when you’ve done it as long as I have and seen what I’ve seen, I feel fortunate to still do what I love to do.”
    He sustained an injury last year on March 31 in Austin that kept the 32 year old sidelined for three full months. “I hit my head, my face, and got kicked on top of my head. I was unconscious for four minutes and when I came too, my vision was blurry and my brain was swelling. They scanned my brain every two hours to check for pressure.” His recovery took a full three months, and he was able to stay on top of the leaderboard all the way through his recovery time until Clayton Biglow passed him.
    Kaycee has found a product that he relies on to keep him riding strong and hastens his recovery time. He discovered PWRr Pro CBD while searching for a product to help his youngest son, Huxyn. “My little boy has been hospitalized several times with asthma. They’ve had him on every kind of steroid as well as a puffer. All of that was changing who he was. I felt at the age of four, he shouldn’t have a personality change.” When they were at the NFR a year ago, he had a flair-up and had to be rushed by ambulance to the ER. “I found what I thought was the purest CBD oil – I’d heard it helped with asthma. We saw a difference in him,” explained Kaycee. “Before when he knew his breathing was bad, he would get really nervous and panic. With the CBD, and the inflammation fighters in that, it would calm his breathing. He hasn’t been to the hospital since that.” When he returned home from the NFR, he reached out to a friend who had been researching CBD oil and discovered PWR Pro CBD. “My partners have been formulating nutritional products and personal care products.”
    “When I was in the hospital after my accident, my wife and brother got to the hospital the next day and brought my CBD oil. Instead of the nausea I went to sleep,” he remembers. “When I woke up, I didn’t have a headache and I could see. I credit a lot of my success and my comeback on the July 2 to CBD.”
    Kaycee has no intent to stop rodeoing. “I still crave it – there was a point after I lost my dad that I didn’t want to get on bucking horses,” he admits. “I had a bad attitude, but leading up the American when I won it in 2016, there were some things that fell together to make it fun again. Winning the American was like finding the fountain of Youth again. Things changed and I still get hungry to ride. You’ll know when it’s your time – I heard that from my dad and I know that will come someday.
    “I know I can still go – my body is doing great. I want a fifth world title, but with life and the things that It brings – we will see.” He knows that the time will come for him to quit. “My kids will be at the perfect age. It takes selfish time to be in a world champion’s caliber. You have to push a lot of things to the side and keep your head down and focused to ride bucking horses. This is a young man’s sport for sure.”
    “Life after rodeo is important, and I’ve got to take care of business to take care of my family. I want to give back to the sport of rodeo – somehow I will use some of the profits that this company makes to help me give back to rodeo and to the military. I dream of having a ranch someday that I can offer military men and women to come to that are experiencing PTSD and help them.”

    To learn more about the company, go to PWRProCBD.com,
    Or look on the outside back cover

  • Featured Athlete: Hope Thompson

    Featured Athlete: Hope Thompson

    Hope Thompson is one of the lucky women in rodeo who can make her living with horses. The Abilene, Texas cowgirl, a breakaway roper and team roper, trains horses and gives clinics on roping. She was born and raised in Atlanta, Texas and attended McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., where she won the College National Finals Rodeo in 2008 in the breakaway.
    After college, she made her way to Abilene, where she works with Lari Dee Guy, training and teaching.
    She won the breakaway and $7,000 at the WCRA’s semi-finals in Guthrie, and advances to the WCRA’s Royal City Roundup in Kansas City on Feb. 28.
    For the breakaway, she rides an eleven-year-old cutting reject named Ink, who she trained. The mare, who is solid black, “is my partner,” Hope said. “I couldn’t do it without her.” Ink has won horse of the year titles in several different associations and jackpots and was the reserve world champion AQHA Horse of the Year in the tie-down roping. Ink is a sweetheart, she said. “She’s very laidback. She wants to give you 100 percent. She wants to please.”
    For the heading, Hope rides a seven-year-old gelding named Andre. Hope’s heeler is usually Whitney DeSalvo.
    Of her two events, she’s been a breakaway roper longer, and might love it a tad more than the team roping. “I’m most passionate about the breakaway,” she said. “I’ve always been a breakaway roper. But I love anything to do with a rope. I love being able to do all of it.”
    She does it with 5 Star Equine products. Her favorite 5 Star item is the saddle pad. “It’s the best material and the best product I’ve found in our industry. The wool is 100 percent virgin and it conforms to your horse’s back, even when (the pad) is brand new. They don’t break down, either. They last forever. My horses love them, which is important to me, because without my horses I’m nothing.”
    She uses the 5 Star saddle pad with the fleece liner built in, and appreciates it. “Those are new for me. I just started using those and I really like those, too.”
    She also loves the sports boots. “They’re my favorite. They fit well and they’re not bulky.”
    5 Star items can be customized, and Hope values that touch. She owns several different colors of boots and tries to match the embroidery on her horse’s saddle pad to the color of the boots.
    Hope loves training horses. “I’m passionate about training horses. I love getting to start and train them, and when I sell them, I love to see them go and do big things for other people.”
    She also finds great satisfaction teaching people how to rope, and then seeing them compete, sometimes at the same events she’s competing at. “That’s pretty cool when you get to teach somebody your craft and they go and do it, and then you meet up with them again in competition.”
    Working with people inspires her. “It goes beyond teaching people to rope,” she said. Some of her students might have faced obstacles in life, and roping heals them. “Getting to come and do something like that helps them.”
    She is excited about the future of rodeo and breakaway roping. “I feel that more women are going to get to make a living breakaway roping.” The WCRA and the American Rodeo are instrumental in changing rodeo, she believes. “If it’s something young women are passionate about doing, I feel their time is now. (The WCRA and the American) are giving us the opportunity to make the same money as the men.”
    Hope is a member of the 5 Star Equine team.

  • Back When They Bucked with Lyle Smith

    Back When They Bucked with Lyle Smith

    Because of a box of western magazines, and his dislike of cows, Lyle Smith became a saddle bronc rider. The Canada native now living in Reno, Nev., competed at four National Finals Rodeos and finished in the top ten in the world six times, making his mark in the rodeo industry. He was born in 1930 to George and Louise (Reuther) Smith, the third of eight children, on a farm near Donalda, Alberta.
    When he was seven years old, his dad died, leaving his mom with eight mouths to feed and not much to put on the table. The family milked cows, raised chickens and gardened, to make it through. His older brothers milked three cows, morning and night, “so I grew up hating cows,” Lyle said. “I couldn’t get away fast enough from that farm.”
    He attended a country school that went through the ninth grade, and when it was time to go to high school, he couldn’t go. There was no school busing in that district, and the family couldn’t afford to make the sixteen mile trip to Donalda High School.
    So he went to work for a rancher named Herman Linder, and the trajectory of his life changed.

    Linder, himself a world champion bronc rider in his time, had a box of Hoof and Horns and Western Horseman magazines in the attic where Lyle slept. In his spare time, he would read them. “I read about Jerry Ambler, Carl Olson, and others who were world champions, and I thought to myself, ‘that’s the life for me.’”
    So he gave Linder two weeks’ notice, then went home. His cousin, Lawrence Bruce, had bucking horses, and invited Lyle over to try some out for Harry Vold, who was scouting prospects for Leo Kramer, a stock contractor from Montana. Lyle got on four horses that day and bucked off three of them.
    It was 1948, and he helped Lawrence as they drove horses to a rodeo in Holden, Alberta, where Lawrence was taking saddle broncs. Lyle entered the amateur bronc riding and won fourth place and ten dollars. His mind was made up. “That made me think rodeoing would be a way to get away from the farm and working for farmers,” he said. He entered the amateur bronc riding at other stampedes, which was what rodeos were called in Canada at that time.
    In 1949, his big win came in St. Paul, Alberta, over the fourth of July. He won first place and $275 and used it to buy a Hamley association saddle. Prior to that, he had borrowed one from whoever he could.
    The next few years, he competed in the amateur bronc riding at stampedes across Canada, wining here and there. His skills improved in 1951 when he worked for Lawrence, the father of Duane and Winston. He helped build a poplar rail and post arena, and the boys would try out horses and practice each day. “I got to riding better,” he said. He competed again across Canada but added a few stops in the U.S., too, including Lewiston, Idaho, and Pendleton, Ore. That same year, he got his Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) card.
    Rodeo wasn’t his main income; he worked on an oil well drilling rig. He, along with the other cowboys who were short on cash, knew how to stretch their dollar, eating one meal a day and piling into the cheapest hotel rooms they could find.
    It was in 1954 that his rodeo career took off. In Denver, he won fourth in the day money, a check for ninety dollars. But that was it, and Lyle was out of money. He competed at Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Houston, squeaking by on his winter earnings. Phoenix was the last of the big spring rodeos, and after Lyle rode there, he went home with Deb Copenhaver. Copenhaver, a two-time world champion, put Lyle to work on his ranch in Idaho, where he dug postholes and fenced. Deb entered him in Red Bluff, Calif. in April, where Lyle earned a fourth place day money check again. After that, he kept on winning rodeos from Vernon, Texas to Madison Square Garden in New York City, Boston Garden, and San Francisco.
    The good days were here.
    He rodeod all year, across the nation, from Denver to Ft. Worth, and from Baton Rouge to Oakdale, Calif. In 1957, he won $7,100 for the year and bought a brand new 1957 Chevrolet for $1,900. The next year, his annual earnings were $10,264 and he finished sixth in the world.
    In 1959, he went to the first National Finals Rodeo, in Dallas, Texas, where he won a round and fourth in the average. He also was the high mark saddle bronc ride for the Finals, with a score of 187 points on a horse from Ray Kohrs, a stock contractor from California. (At that time, 210 points was the highest possible score in the roughstock; the scoring system changed to its present form of 100 points as a perfect ride in the mid 1960’s.)
    The next two years, he went to the National Finals, wrapping up the 1960 season in sixth place with $11,285 in earnings, and the next year in seventh place, with $10,577 for the year. The year 1962 was the last time he would qualify for the Finals. By that time, Lyle was living in San Diego, working for rodeo cowboy Bob Robinson in a housing development. He was married with a son, and there were bills to pay. “You’ve gotta have money coming in when you’re married,” he said. “You can’t get by on one meal a day.”
    He and his buddies lived in San Diego, working during the week and rodeoing on weekends. At the time, there were lots of little rodeos around the area. “It was probably the best time I had rodeoing,” he remembered.
    In 1964, the job ended. He found work in Reno for a painting contractor. His rodeoing was slowing down, and in 1967, he rode his last bronc at the rodeo in Fallon, Nev., wining first place. Lyle had other priorities: his family and his work. “I was busy working, making pretty good money, and I couldn’t afford to go to a rodeo.”

    He got his contractor’s license in 1971 and has been working as a painting contractor ever since.
    Lyle had met his wife Joan in 1958 in Boston. He and his friends were there to compete at Boston Garden, killing time during the day, walking through Johnny Walker’s western store. She had tickets for the rodeo that night, and now she had a cowboy to cheer for. Her family loved him. They were excellent cooks. When the cowboys came to Boston Garden to rodeo, they would all be invited over for a meal. “Her uncles would cook. They were really great people,” eh said. They married on April 5, 1959.
    Lyle suffered a broken back in 1956 when a bronc fell over in the chute with him at the Oakdale, Calif. rodeo. He was in the hospital for twenty days, and the nurse, who was the same age as his mother, took him under her wing after his hospital stay was over. She was married to a ranch cowboy and understood his predicament, caring for him a month at her home after he got released from the hospital.
    His other two serious injuries were from vehicle accidents. In 1980, he was in a car accident, breaking his right shoulder and a bone in his leg. And eleven years ago, as a pedestrian, he was hit by a car, breaking his pelvis and spending time in the intensive care unit and rehab.
    The couple had a son, Chris, who was born in 1960, and who is married to his wife Seanne. Lyle and Joan have six grandkids, “every one a success and a great kid,” he said, and five great grandkids. One of his grandsons is named after him, and all of the grandsons are in the Air National Guard.
    He and his son Chris still own and operate the painting contracting business, and at the young age of 89, he still goes to the office. He no longer drives; Chris picks him between 5:30 and 6 am in the summer and at 8 or 9 am in the winter. He hasn’t painted for the past five years, but he answers the phone, does paperwork, and bids jobs.
    There’s still plenty to do, and he loves it. “I don’t know what I’d do if I completely stopped and sat in the house. I wouldn’t last long.”
    He was admired by his peers, and still is, says his friend Herb Friedenthal, a bull rider who is ten years his junior. “He was level headed,” Herb said. “He was real popular. Everybody liked him.”
    Herb acknowledged Lyle’s skill in the arena. “He was one of the best. He could ride those big old rank horses, those horses that came out of the north from Canada, Montana, the Dakotas. You would hardly ever see him hit the ground. He might not win every rodeo, but he wouldn’t get bucked off.”
    Lyle loved his rodeo days. “I loved to rodeo,” he said. “I loved the guys I was with. I made friends that I’m friends with, to this day.” Since the Wrangler National Finals moved to Las Vegas in 1985, he’s missed only one year of attending the reunions held in conjunction with it.
    The hardships of his childhood helped him succeed in rodeo and in life and made him tough, he believes. “Learning to make it as a rodeo cowboy got me away from the farm,” he said.
    “He’s a real good guy, a real good guy,” Herb said. “And he still is.”

  • On The Trail with Jordan Tierney

    On The Trail with Jordan Tierney

    “When I was dedicated as a baby, they said I would flow through the lives of people like the Jordan River,” said Jordan Tierney, 2020 Miss Rodeo America. “I remember being at work one day and having this feeling that I was made to do more than that job.” Her sister, Amy, encouraged her to run for Miss Rodeo South Dakota and now the 25-year-old from Oral, South Dakota, has an opportunity to live a bigger life and have a positive impact on those around her. “I want to leave people feeling better after having talked to me.”

    Oral, South Dakota, has a population of 60 and Jordan grew up on a ranch, south of town, riding with her father, Paul Tierney. They raised AQHA horses and cattle. “I just this past year bought my own set of cows and now I’m fully invested.” The youngest of four, Jordan considers herself to be the caboose in the family. “I spent a lot of time with my dad, when he went out to the pasture, I went with him. I was on the stud, Cash, and I remember riding double with him. We had a pony, Teddy, I remember riding him while my dad practiced.” Jordan sees her father as an incredible hard working man. “He works sun up to sun down and is always willing to help anyone that comes along. He gives roping lessons and wants to see people succeed – it all came from his desire to be a rodeo cowboy and that’s taken him far.” Paul qualified for the NFR qualifier from 1977-1986, only missing one year. He was the World All Around Champion in 1980 and Tie Down Champion in 1979.

    Her mom, Robin, was the 1985 Miss Rodeo South Dakota and second runner up to Miss Rodeo America. “She sacrificed so much for our family,” said Jordan. “When I was a junior in high school, my mom switched careers – she had been a dental hygienist for 25 years and quit that to start her own oil field service company.” That job required Robin to be away from home for two weeks at a time while she built it up. “She always made my important volleyball and basketball games as well as my rodeos.” That leap of faith has allowed her the flexibility and freedom to continue her love of raising good horses and riding. “She’s an incredible horsewoman.”

    Jordan has two older brothers, Jess and Paul David, as well as an older sister, Amy. “I’ve followed in her footsteps my entire life, from sports to school leadership. She and my brothers have been huge encouragers to me in my dream to become Miss Rodeo America.”

    Jordan started competing in rodeo in elementary school, competing in 4-H rodeo junior division. She eventually joined the National Little Britches and the South Dakota High School Rodeo Association. “I had a horse accident when I was five on the ranch. I was going out to get cows with my dad and my horse took off with me.” Jordan fell underneath the horse and he jumped over her. “I refused to get on a horse for three years. I started riding again when I was 8 and was very fearful – I didn’t want to go fast. My parents were very persistent and I eventually got faster.”

     

    Robin remembers those three years. “We wanted her to go, but really a neighbor girl, Megan Harkless, is the one who got her going again. She would come over and ride and she would ask Jordan to start coming out with her and pretty soon she was walking the horse around the arena while they talked. She was so patient and understanding.”

    After that, the best part was taking her to her first 4-H rodeo. “She walked the whole pattern and we were so thankful – and it was such a good feeling,” said Robin. “Here’s what we always knew about Jordan – her personality and the way she was – a slow starter and a strong finisher. She finished amazing and we have been so proud of her determination and diligence to perfect her craft.”

    When Jordan got back into rodeo, she didn’t win a lot, but by the time she hit middle school she had a very competitive mare that she ran barrels on (her name was Princess and she was also her brother Paul’s main heel horse). “I won the Junior girls state 4-H championship in goat tying in 2008,” she said. “I do think winning is important because I am a very competitive person so I didn’t like not winning in the crucial times that could’ve resulted in going to nationals, but when you start finding your identity in worldly successes that can be detrimental. I want to be an inspiration for rodeo and ranch girls to try rodeo queening as an addition to all that they do.”

    Her rodeo abilities earned her a scholarship to Chadron State College where she competed in barrel racing, breakaway roping and goat tying. She earned a degree in business administration and plans to continue her education after her reign as Miss Rodeo America. “I would like to get the masters online program and start working in a career path in marketing and the agriculture realm.”

     

    For now, she is watching the calendar fill up with appearances across the country. “I’ve always been a people person – when I went with my dad, he would give us $5 and tell us to meet him back at the trailer. I found friends and that’s how it all started. This past year as Miss Rodeo South Dakota, I was telling people that I thought I was outgoing; I got out of my comfort zone – figuring out how to bring up conversation.” Her secret is asking people about themselves. “I like learning more about people and their history.” Her platform is Rodeo, Agriculture and building relationships with fans and new comers that foster understanding for the western way of life. She uses part of a Bible verse on her autograph sheets. Psalm 139:14. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

    “I shorten it and say you are fearfully and wonderfully made – that’s a verse I’ve carried with me,” explains Jordan. “I am made in His image and I should be proud of that. I want to make people know that I care and they are worth caring about. I love where I’m at now – I’m having a great time and after this year, I will get back to rodeoing, breakaway roping and team roping.”

    “My why is to help build people up the same way that I was built up during my early adolescent years when I had a lack of self confidence. My parents really gave me a strong foundation to stand on with all the good information they gave me to overcome my mountains in life.”

    Jordan hopes that as she represents rodeo and meets thousands of people this coming year that they will see her genuine authenticity for the sport of rodeo and the western lifestyle. “It’s what I was raised in and I’m proud to represent it. I hope they remember me for that genuine feel.”

  • Tara Stimpson & Painted Fling

    Tara Stimpson & Painted Fling

    Tara Stimpson from Lodge Grass, Montana, won the Montana Circuit Finals in barrel racing for the second year in a row. “There are lots of good horses in this circuit and a lot of girls that could go on and make the NFR,” said the 24-year-old who is fortunate to be running one of those good horses – Painted Fling sired by a Streak of Fling from Fulton Family Performance Horses.
    “He came from Sara Cheeney, who trains futurity horses,” explained Tara. “I bought my other good barrel horse, Peanut, from Sara, and I’d watched Painted Fling at some futurities and bought him two years ago. I’ve never gotten along with psycho horses and he’s real quiet. Nothing really bothers him too much – he’s real push style and he’s been pretty easy to ride.”
    Tara started competing in 8th grade. “I’d always rode horses on the ranch, and since I didn’t grow up in a rodeo family, we didn’t do it. Both of my older sisters wanted to but we couldn’t take the time or money to go.” The family ranch, Stimpson and Brothers, located in Lodge Grass, is located 45 minutes north of Sheridan and an hour and a half from Billings. “I had some friends in middle school that rodeoed and I jumped in with them with an old ranch horse and that’s how it started.” She joined the Wyoming High School Rodeo Association her sophomore year in high school. “I was a way better roper through high school than a barrel racer. I almost made the National High School Finals my senior year in the team roping.”
    Her mare, Peanut, is the horse that lit a fire under Tara for barrel racing. She bought Peanut her junior year at MSU Northern, and she got Tara going to where she wanted to do more with barrel racing than roping. Now, she ropes at the brandings and occasionally at a breakaway roping. “I sold all of my good rope horses to buy Peanut.”
    This will be her second trip to Florida, which according to Google Maps, is a 34 hour drive. “The hospitality there is great – what they do for everybody is fun.” She will break up her trip this year by stopping first at the American Semi Finals where she is qualified to make a run at the AMERICAN.
    Although she spends as much time as she can going to rodeos, she has an obligation to the ranch. “I come back and help my dad with his cows and my cows as much as I can.” One of her goals is to make a run for the NFR, and she plans to go to a few winter rodeos in Texas to see how it goes. “If it goes well, I’ll keep going. I’d like to get out of my comfort zone and go to some of the bigger rodeos.”
    Her family is behind her 100% of the way. “My mom, Tana, and my sisters, Stephanie and Ashley, were in Florida with me last year.” Her dad, Dale, stays home to run the ranch. “It’s hard to leave – it’s my home, but I want to try for the NFR someday.”

  • J.R. Vezain gets surprise check while continuing rehab

    J.R. Vezain gets surprise check while continuing rehab

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Veteran bareback rider J.R. Vezain continues to progress after suffering a broken back while competing at the Pasadena (Texas) Livestock Show & Rodeo when he was riding Frontier Rodeo Company’s Brazos Bash, Sept. 22, 2018.

    The injury required surgery and has left him with mobility issues from the waist down.

    Last week, Vezain found out he will be receiving a $3,700 check from Wyoming’s Unclaimed Property Division of the State Treasurer’s Office.

    “It was good news,” said Vezain, 27. “It (the check) was from my Wyoming sponsorship at the end of 2018.

    That’s when the wreck and stuff went on. I don’t know if the check got sent home and we never got it or what the deal was. My mom (Shilo) got a letter for me a month ago and told me I should check it out. It was from Unclaimed Property for $3,700. I didn’t know if it was a scam or what. It ended up being legit. It ended up being an old sponsorship check. It was a huge blessing and will help with some continued rehab for sure.”

    Vezain, a six-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (2012-14 and 2016-18), rehabbed in Houston for a month and then another six months in Sandy, Utah. He returned home to Melstone, Mont., April 5, 2019. Vezain’s wife, Shelby, gave birth to their first child, a boy, Ryatt, May 17.

    “I went down in the first part of September back to Utah and got re-tested, and I jumped a level on every test,” Vezain said. “We’re still progressing. I’m not where I want to be yet. I have a long way to go. Right now, I can walk on a walking machine, but they still have to move my legs. I still can’t bear my own weight all the way yet.

    “I’m gearing up to go down to Panama City, Panama, for some stem cell treatment in the next couple of weeks. I also got involved in a trial situation down in Houston to try an exoskeleton for three weeks two different times, and I’m going to do that in the first part of March.”

    Vezain said his plight has given him a new perspective.

    “We have had a ton of growth spiritually, mentally and emotionally,” Vezain said. “It has been a huge learning curve not only the obvious life in a wheelchair, but even just patience. I have grown spiritually how to have patience in the Lord and really dig back into the word and put my trust where trust needs to be.

    “We have grown as a family and I have a rockstar wife who could’ve left me a long time ago, and she will not give up on me. That makes me want to keep striving to be better. We’ve had tons of family and friends and even people we didn’t know supporting us financially, emotionally. We had people step up and help us get our house built. We have people helping Shelby out around the house doing jobs I can’t do. Days are frustrating, but at the end of the day we have learned to be thankful for the little things and not taking anything for granted.”

    Vezain knows he doesn’t have time to make excuses.

    “Even in my situation, you can always find something to be thankful for, and be careful what you complain about because there are people out there who are wishing they had what you had,” he said. “Every day you wake up you have a choice, you can sit and complain about the situation you’re in or dust yourself off, pick yourself up and keep rolling, and that’s what I try to do every single day.”

    JR writes a monthly column in Rodeo News … click the link below to read more:

    https://mwdatademo1.com/category/articles/jrvezain/

  • Fort Worth Countdown for Cowboy Entrepreneur Scott Knudsen & Mustang Heritage Foundation Ambassador HERITAGE

    Fort Worth Countdown for Cowboy Entrepreneur Scott Knudsen & Mustang Heritage Foundation Ambassador HERITAGE

    FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (Jan. 20, 2020)— Cowboy Entrepreneur Scott Knudsen may have his own heritage as a 5th generation Texas cowboy, but this week he cleared his calendar for appearances with Heritage to support the Mustang Heritage Foundation, January 23-26, 2020, when the debut Mustang Magic Celebrity Freestyle happens at Will Rogers Coliseum during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Knudsen (pronounced kah-newd-son) will ride and do meet-and-greets with the Foundation’s once-wild-turned-ambassador, Heritage, when the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Mustang Magic, bring true Western icons to the public, at the landmark Fort Worth events.

    “The first time I saw Heritage was exciting and humbling,” said Knudsen who met the resident ‘mascot,’ while visiting the Mustang Heritage Foundation with his new online show Cowboy Entrepreneur and went behind the scenes with Director of Marketing Matt Manroe last summer. “I could tell Matt was a very ‘outside the box’ thinker. Someone who is very accomplished, yet always looking for a better way to do things,” said Knudsen.  “When he and I came up with this idea [Knudsen appearing with Heritage in Fort Worth], we felt this would not only get more people engaged with the Mustang Heritage Association, but would cross-market all over our industry.”

    “Here was this amazing Mustang standing impressively,” recalled Knudsen, an AQHA Professional Horseman and AQHA Ambassador, who’s ridden rough stock to race horses, team roped, penned, and sorted, ridden cutting horses, worked rescues, and trained Thoroughbreds to Morgans and Mustangs. “I could see why Heritage was the Foundation’s ambassador. Once I got near him, I realized how truly great he is. Gentle, yet so strong.” (Interestingly, Knudsen grew up in Georgetown, Texas, the Foundation’s headquarters.) From the action in Fort Worth, Knudsen also will do live call-in radio segments for Texas Hill Country’s 103.7 FM, The Buck.

    “Being invited to appear with Heritage at a major event like Extreme Mustang Makeover and the first-ever Mustang Magic Celebrity competition, is something I will never forget,” said Knudsen, a gifted entrepreneur and speaker, who intersects the horse world and business. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to show the public how truly magnificent the Mustang breed is and to do it with Heritage,” he added.

    The Extreme Trail Horse Association which Knudsen founded and directs, already supports the Mustang Heritage Foundation and its mission to promote adoption adoption of BLM-housed American mustangs through innovative gentling competitions and awareness programs. www.mustangheritagefoundation.org

    Visit: www.cowboyentrepreneur.com

    To schedule speaking engagements and interviews with Scott Knudsen, contact

    Elizabeth McCall at 310-720-4096 or elizmccall@earthlink.

    About Scott Knudsen: A 5th generation Texas cowboy, with a Fortune 50 background as an award-winning national sales rep, Knudsen, 51, brings the best of the West together with business acumen to make the horse world fun and profitable. Headquartered at Lightning K Ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, his family owns Knudsen Equine Center, Knudsen Horses, and Knudsen Cattle Company. An AQHA Professional Horseman and AQHA Ambassador, Knudsen’s ridden rough stock to race horses, team roped, penned, and sorted, ridden cutting horses, worked rescues, and trained Thoroughbreds to Morgans and Mustangs. In 2005, he was struck in the head by lightning and had to relearn how to read and write.

    As President of the Board for the San Antonio area’s top-rated theater company, Knudsen’s helped turned the non-profit’s balance sheet into a $1 million-plus operation. He founded and directs the Extreme Trail Horse Association, with destinations in the US and Canada.

    In his new online show Knudsen takes viewers behind-the-scenes at the Mustang Heritage Foundation, joins music entertainment pal Derek Spence “From the Saddle to the Stage,” and appears at HEEL-O-MATIC’s bustling booth at Cowboy Christmas in Las Vegas, interviewing rodeo celebrities to NFR fans. Upcoming shows include Richard Winters, World Champion Team Roper Ty “Blaster” Blasingame, Olympian Steffen Peters, and more.  A captivating speaker, Knudsen’s presentations have inspired audiences far and near, including: Western States Horse Expo, Sam Houston State University, and Texas A&M.

    For information on becoming a show sponsor, visit cowboyentrepreneur.com  or email knudsenhorses@yahoo.com.

  • Cowboy Church

    Cowboy Church

    Courtesy of Payton Walter

    Growing up as a Cowboy Pastor’s kid (a C.P.K.), I believe that I can adequately give an accurate description of what a cowboy church is.

    According to Wikipedia, a Cowboy church is defined as a “local Christian church within the cowboy culture that is distinctively Western heritage in character. A typical cowboy church may meet in a rural setting in a barn, metal building, arena, sale barn, or old western building; have its own rodeo arena, and a country gospel band.”

    That’s a decent answer but still leaves quite a few questions, which I will now provide the answers for.

    What a Cowboy Church is Not

    When most people think of a church they picture a white steeple building with pews and carpeting. These churches are filled with well-dressed members, the men often in suits and the women in dresses. The pastor preaches from a pulpit and the choir leads the congregation in their most beloved hymns. Each week there are such activities as a youth group, Bible studies, and even bingo night.

    As for the cowboy church my dad pastors, we look a bit different than your typical church.

    Instead of a white steeple church, we meet in a barn. After all, it was good enough for Jesus.

    We also have no dress code. Often our members are coming in from working and caring for their livestock. This means dirty jeans, muddy boots, and of course cowboy hats. This dress attire is not restricted to members only. The pastor is never seen without his cowboy hat on and as his child, I can tell you that I’ve only seen him in a suit maybe three times in my life.

    Speaking of the pastor, his weekly messages aren’t what you’d be used to at a traditional service. If you’re not familiar with the fundamentals of Rodeo then you most likely won’t understand half the analogies. Agriculture examples are often used including calving, breeding, castration and other such delightful everyday tasks of a rancher’s life.

    The music is also countryfied with our two-stepping version of I’ll Fly Away and Amazing Grace. Most of the songs we play on a Sunday morning are also the same ones we play at our annual barn dances. Many a George Strait and Willie Nelson songs have been tweaked to share the gospel message via acoustic guitar and a bit of twang.

    As for our weekly events, youth group is replaced by open arena nights and ropings where most of our attendees are students of the local high school and college rodeo teams. Bible studies take place at our many rodeo events, as the messages are shared by the pastor on horseback. And for our upper aged members, a combination of barn dances and mini ropings are a way of ensuring that all ages have a blast. If you don’t know what mini roping is, you’re missing out.

    Along with these western events, we also put on a yearly Rodeo Bible Camp where kids ages 8-18 come to be taught by some of the world’s best rodeo cowboys and cowgirls while also learning about the word of God and His love.

    What a Cowboy Church Is

    With this understating as to what a Cowboy church looks like and how it functions you might now be interested in stopping by and checking out one in your area.

    Now hold your horse. Before you buy yourself a cowboy hat and a pair of boots I’d like to inform you of one last thing. The Cowboy Code of Cowboy Churches.

    The entire reason cowboy churches exist is for two main reasons.

    #1. To Share the Word of God with those who otherwise would never step foot into a church.

    Stinky odors, conversation topics, and not to mention the lifestyle choices that often find their way into these cowboy’s lives, keep most them from ever stepping into a church building in fear that the ceiling will fall in on them. These are the people we at cowboy churches are out to reach.

    My dad has said many times before that when you walk out into our parking lot you should see beer cans in the back of pickup truck. Otherwise, we’re not doing our job.

    With this said, we don’t condone poor lifestyles, but just as our Lord and Savior came to seek and save the lost, we make it our mission to meet these people exactly where they are and love them with all our hearts. We don’t expect people to become perfect to walk in our doors. We welcome them as they are and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of saving.

    For this reason, we have all kinds of people sitting in our seats any given Sunday. Cowboys passing through from the rodeo the night before, ranchers that have never opened the bible let alone know what’s in it, truck drivers who needed a place to turn around, even bikers. Yes, bikers.

    This atmosphere is focused on the agricultural lifestyle but the down to earth openness attracts people from all walks of life.

    #2 To Preserve and teach the character traits and lifestyle of agriculture.

    This is not just a show. This is our way of life.

    Our pastor doesn’t just put on an act for Sunday service, he makes his living by working cattle and training horse. This isn’t a John Wayne twist for entertainment purposes. Our members are proud to live the lives they have chosen. Ones that require them to get up at the break of dawn to care for an animal or tend a field. This is a hard life that requires hard people with soft hearts.

    It is this life that we wish to pass on to the next generation to ensure that we don’t disappear in history along with the beliefs that we hold so dear.

    Conclusion

    So before you go out and buy yourself a cowboy hat and pair of boots, try just stopping in, the way that you are. Cowboy Church isn’t for cowboys, it’s for all who will hear. Our desire is simply to be that voice that cries out to all who will hear, sharing with them the coming of our Lord. (Matthew 11:15)

  • Sunflowers and Rodeo Crowns

    Sunflowers and Rodeo Crowns

    Kansas cowgirl wins national rodeo title

    Abilene, Kan. (January 22, 2020) – A New Cambria, Kansas cowgirl has been named Miss Rodeo USA.

    Brooke Wallace, the former Miss Rodeo Kansas, was crowned on Sunday, January 19 prior to the International Pro Rodeo Association Finals Rodeo, held in Oklahoma City.

    Wallace swept the categories, winning each one: photogenic, test, horsemanship, speech and personality.

    In December, she competed at the Miss Rodeo America pageant in Las Vegas and finished as third runner-up.

    As Miss Rodeo USA, she will represent pro rodeo and the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA), at rodeos across the nation, especially in the south, where there are many IPRA rodeos.

    She is a 2017 graduate of Kansas State University, where she earned a bachelors in apparel design. A talented designer and seamstress, she designed a shirt to be worn at the Miss Rodeo USA pageant that represented her home state. Her shirt had sunflowers and wheat heads on it, with the state seal on the back. She won people’s choice for the shirt during the ladies luncheon at the Miss Rodeo USA pageant.

    Wallace has held several titles throughout her career, starting with Miss Rodeo Junction City (Kan.) in 2015, Miss Rodeo Kansas State in 2016, Miss Central Plains Rodeo Association the next year, and Miss Rodeo Kansas last year.

    For winning Miss Rodeo USA, she will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

    She is the daughter of Mark and the late Julie Wallace and is sponsored by the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene, Kan.

  • Forrie J. Smith

    Forrie J. Smith

    Forrie Smith fell off a horse in front of his mom and step dad when he was 6 and proclaimed that he was going to be a stunt man. 54 years later, he’s doing just that. Forrie plays Lloyd Pearce on Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone and recently completed shooting the third season of the show. He has been involved in Yellowstone since season one. “I was a guest star and now I’m on contract. I’m the cow boss. We started shooting season three the first week of August, and just finished up. It takes 8 days to do an episode.”

    Rodeo paved the path from bronc rider to stunt man. Born in Helena, Montana, and raised on his grandpa and grandma’s ranch southwest of there, he spent his early years going down the rodeo road with his parents. “I went to grade school at Montana City – there were 13 kids in 8 grades.” He started competing in rodeo when he was 8. “I was on my second pair of chaps already – I wore one out riding at home.” His grandma (Josephine Palmer) didn’t want him riding bucking stock, so he was raised in the timed events. “My granddad rodeoed when they circled the cars and snubbed the horses,” recalls Forrie. “I was drawn to it. I’m known as a horseman. I’ve started a lot of warm bloods for the equestrian people.” He always knew his call was riding bucking stock. He started riding bareback horses when he was 11. “I would get on turnout horses and people like Pat Linger and Steve Loney would help me out.”

    He was still spurring bucking horses in 2009, taking after his dad. “I was raised in the back seat of a station wagon. My dad was winning checks until he was 52 in the RCA.” His mom, Chick, was a barrel racer and when she had troubles with her horse she would time and secretary. “I started working the labor list when I was eight under guys like Sonny Linger, Reg Kesler, and the Big Bend Rodeo Company.” Through the years, he did anything necessary at a rodeo including flanking, loading, and riding. “I’ve been on 17 horses in one day and 11 head of bulls in one day. Everything good in my life was because of rodeo.”

    He is quick to say that it was rodeo that got him into the film business. “I use a lot of the things I learned from rodeo in the film industry – like breaking things down into steps, thinking positive and not being negative. Thinking about what you did wrong and forgetting it; thinking about what you did right and building on it. Hurry up and wait – that’s all learned from rodeo.” He relates his acting to riding a bucking horse. “You read that dialog and figure out the scene and why you’re saying what you’re saying. If you look at the script and say ‘I got this’ – that positive attitude will work out for you and the energy will carry you – same as riding a bucking horse. If you say you’re not going to ride it, you probably won’t.”

    Forrie has been a stunt man for 25 years. His first part was in Desparado. “I had started in the movie business a year before as a wrangler, my first movie was that remake of Stagecoach with Willie Nelson. Then they needed a guy that could rope a guy off a roof. I was the only one that showed up with a rope long enough to reach him. Then I had to get the dialog … my name was Harley.” He had only been in the film business for a week when he went to sign up for the teamsters union. “I had to have references and they were all old rodeo partners. The guy looked at me and said ‘who are you, you come with some of the best and highest recommendations I’ve ever seen’ – that was 1986 – almost to the day I got my screen actors guild card.”

    With his look and voice, he was encouraged to take acting lessons. “I just wanted to do stunts .. but I went to Lawrence Parks for acting lessons and learned how to break down a character and a script. That was 25 years ago and I’ve been in it ever since.” Everybody that was in the stunt business back then had some kind of rodeo background. The hardest stunt he’s had to do are horse falls. “There’s a lot of components that go into that – you’ve got to hit your mark, set your horse up and follow through with it. Doing high falls isn’t as bad – it’s just that first step that’s hard. And I didn’t really like the fire gigs – you usually lose all your eyebrows.”

    Forrie was raised in Helena, Montana, and moved to Arizona 30 years ago, and now calling San Acacia, New Mexico, home. “I fed cows with a team and sleigh when it was 50 below and it was 106 in August when I was setting posts,” he recalls of his days in Montana. “I drove my cousin back to Texas – 20 years ago – right after Urban Cowboy came out and cowboys were in.” He started doing day work and rodeoing, competing in open rodeos and he filled his permit in 1982 and started competing in pro rodeos. “That was easy back then, there were 100 rodeos in Texas.” He was part of the National Senior Pro Rodeo Association, joining in 2006, when he was 47. He competed for three years there, never winning the world, but winning his circuit twice and taking the average at the Finals. “I was raised to make money – if I didn’t make money rodeoing, I didn’t do it.” He spent his off time wrangling or hauling horses before getting his gig with Yellowstone. He still does wrangling jobs, the latest one for an upcoming Tom Hanks movie.

    At 60, Forrie has no plans to slow down. “Thank God to the movie business I’ll have a decent retirement through the teamsters guild. As long as I can stick my feet in the stirrup, I’ll always do day work and I’ll still do movies.” Any chance he gets, he goes home. “I like sleeping in my own bed, petting my own dogs, and saddling my own horses. It’s getting better around home about going out and having a meal and not getting interrupted. I’m not complainin’ – it’s so cool – the excitement and joy you bring people with just a hug and a picture. Without them, I wouldn’t have a show. It’s kind of wild.” Season three of Yellowstone comes out in summer 2020. “I’m a very blessed man – I thank God and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I’m still on the ride. It ain’t over yet.”

  • Louisiana couple has great night at National Western Stock Show Rodeo  

    Louisiana couple has great night at National Western Stock Show Rodeo  

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 21, 2020) —The National Western Stock Show Rodeo on Tuesday night is going to be among Taylor and Alishea Broussard’s favorite rodeo memories.

    Taylor is a bareback rider from Louisiana who fell in love with a barrel racer from Oregon. They got married three years ago and now enjoy any opportunity they get to compete at the same rodeo. With Taylor packing a rigging bag and Alishea hauling horses, competing at the same rodeo doesn’t happen as often as they would like.

    It happened in Denver and while the first round on Monday didn’t go as well as they had hoped, Wednesday night was one for the books. Taylor had the high-marked bareback ride of the evening at 87 points.

    His ride aboard Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Baby Face also gives him a chance to be back here on Saturday. He had a 71 here Monday and is 17th in the overall standings. The top 24 advance to Saturday’s semifinals so he will have to wait and see how his fellow competitors do here over the next three days.

    Monday was also disappointing for Alishea who hit two barrels in the cloverleaf pattern and had 10 seconds of penalties. She came back Tuesday night and set the pace with a 14.94-second run. Alishea won’t have another opportunity to compete here but does stand to get a nice paycheck based on her second-round performance. She currently has the fastest time of this year’s rodeo.

    Wednesday will see two rodeos in the Denver Coliseum as a new group of contestants tries to be among the qualifiers for Saturday’s semifinals. Action starts at 1:30 and 7 p.m.

    ###

     

    DENVER, Colo. — (Jan. 19, 2020) The following are results from the National Western Stock Show Rodeo.

     

    Seventh Performance –

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 87 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Baby Face. 2, Cole Goodine, Carbon, Alberta, 82. 3, Tim Murphy, Cleveland, Texas, 81. 4, Tristan Hansen, Dillon, Mont., 80.5.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Cade Goodman, Waelder, Texas, 4.8 seconds. 2, Winsten McGraw, Greeley, Colo., 5.0. 3, Chase Crane, Oklahoma City, 5.1. 4, Denard Butler, Checotah, Okla., 5.3.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Kade Smith, Post, Texas, and Levi Tyan, Wallace, Neb., 5,0 seconds. 2, Coy Rahlmann, Ellsinore, Mo., and Ryan Von Ahn, Palmyra, Mo., 5.3. 3, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 5.6. 4, Lane Santos Karney, Creston, Calif., and Jerren Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 14.1.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D., 86 points on The Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Jimmy Lee’s 2 Cookies. 2, Leon Fountain, Socorro, N.M., 81. 3, Kash Deal, Dupree, S.D., 78. 4, Tanner Butner, Daniel, Wyo., 71.

     

    Tie Down Roping: 1, Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas, 7.8 seconds. 2, Preston Pederson, Hermiston, Ore., 8.2. 3, Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo., 9.0. 4, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 9.8.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Alishea Broussard, Estherwood, La., 14.94 seconds. 2, Kim Schulze, Larkspur, Colo., 15.26. 3, Carley Cervi, Roggen, Colo., 15.32. 4, Amy Jo Reisdorfer, Cheyenne, Wyo., 15.49.

     

    Bull Riding: 1, Tyler bingham, Honeyville, Utah, 89.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Big Dog. 2, Hawk Whitt, Thermopolis, Wyo., 87.5. 3, Brody Yeary, Morgan Mill, Texas, 86. 4, (tie) Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho, and Garrett Uptain, Craig, Colo., 84 points each.

     

    Current Leaders –

     

    Bareback Riding: (first round) 1, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 88 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Black Sunday. 2, (tie) Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., and Chance Ames, Rock Springs, Wyo., 85 each. 4, Mason Clements, Draper, Utah, 84.5. (Second round) 1, O’Connell, 87.5 points on Cervi Brother’s Living the High Life. 2, Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 87. 3, Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La., 86.5. 4, (tie) Kory Hart, Bloomfield, N.M., and Spur Lacasse, Calgary, Alberta, 85.5 each. (Total on two) 1, O’Connell, 175.5. 2, Shadbolt, 168.5. 3, Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, 167.5. 4, Lacasse, 167.

     

    Steer Wrestling: (first round) 1, Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla., 3.9 seconds. 2, (tie) Jace Melvin, Fort Pierre, S.D.; Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho; and Jacob Edler, State Center, Iowa, 4.0 each. (second round) 1, Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho, 3.8. 2, Justice Johnson, Bismarck, N.D., 3.9. 3, Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont., 4.0. 4, Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas, 4.1. (total on two) 1, Melvin, 8.2. 2, Edler, 8.8. 3, Jorgensen, 9.2. 4, Cade Goodman, Waelder, Texas, 9.3.

     

    Team Roping: (first round) 1, Kade Smith, Post, Texas and Levi Tyan, Wallace, Neb., 4.7 seconds. 2, Brenten Hall, Jay, Okla., and Chase Tryan, Helena, Mont., 4.8. 3, Charly Crawford, Stephenville, Texas, and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M., 5.0. 4, Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 5.3.  (second round) 1, Travis Bounds, Clifton, Colo., and Joe Roderick, Loma, Colo., 4.2. 2, Steven Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore., and Jason Duby, Hereford, Ore., 4.5. 3, Ty Blasingame, Casper, Wyo., and Cody Hintz, Refugio, Texas, 4.6. 3, Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho and Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark., 4.7. (total on two) 1, Smith and Tyan, 9.7. 2, (tie) Snow and Eaves; and Hall and Tryan, 10.3. 4, Coy Rahlmann, Ellsinore, Mo., and Ryan Von Ahn, Palmyra, Mo., 10.4.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round) 1, Leon Fountain, Socorro, N.M., 85.5 points on Cervi Championship’s The Edge. 2, (tie) Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., and Kobyn Williams, De Berry, Texas, 83 points each. 4, Mitch Pollock, Twin Falls, Idaho, 82. (second round) 1, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 88 points on The Cervi Brother’s Tank. 2, Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D., 86. 3, Kobyn Williams, 85.5. 4, CoBurn Bradshaw, 84.5. (total on two) 1, Williams, 168.5. 2, Ryder Wright, 166. 3, Chet Johnson, Douglas, Wyo., 163.5. 4, (tie)  Rusty Wright, and Bradshaw, 159.

     

    Tie Down Roping: (first round) 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 6.9 seconds. 2, Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif., 7.7. 3, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 8.1. 4, Westyn Hughes, Caldwell, Texas, 8.6. (second round) 1, (tie) Harris and Chase Williams, Stephenville, Texas, 7.3 each. 3, Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 7.7. 4, Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas, 7.8. (total on two) 1, Harris, 15.4. 2, Williams, 16.4. 3, Hughes, 16.6. 4, Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 16.8.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: (first round) 1, Tillar Murray, Fort Worth, Texas, 14.97 seconds. 2, Ivy Hurst, Springer, Okla., 15.03. 3, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 15.10. 4, Wendy Hoefer, Fort Lupton, Colo., 15.23. (second round) 1, Alishea Broussard, Estherwood, La., 14.94. 2, Tillar Murray, 15.00. 3, Jimmie Smith, 15.10.  4, Jennifer Sharp, Richards, Texas, 15.19. (total on two) 1, Murray, 29.97. 2, Smith, 30.20. 3, Hurst, 30.34. 4, (tie) Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas, and Jill Tanner, Stephenville, Texas, 30.73.

     

    Bull Riding: (first round) 1, Matt Palmer, Poplar Grove, Ill., 86.5 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Political Promise. 2, (tie) Dillon Tyner, Eaton, Colo., and Cole Fischer, Jefferson City, Mo., 85 each. 4, Clayton Sellars, Fruitland Park, Fla., 84.5. (second round) 1, Toby Collins, Stephenville, Texas, 90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Rawhide. 2, Tyler Bingham, Honeyville, Utah, 89.5. 3, Hawk Whitt, Thermopolis, wyo., 87.5. 4, (tie) Sellars and Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho, 86.5 points each. (total on two) 1, Collins, 174. 2, Sellars, 171. 3, Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, 158. 4, Coy Pollmeier, Fort Scott, Kan., 157.5.

  • Clements having success at National Western Stock Show

    Clements having success at National Western Stock Show

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 16, 2020) — The 2020 rodeo season is looking good for bareback rider Mason Clements if the success that he has had at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo continues.

    Clements, from Draper, Utah, took the early lead during the first performance of this year’s rodeo with a 89.5-point ride on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s horse named Fargo. That ride is just shy of the 91-point arena record and will give the rest of the field something to strive for throughout the next eight days.

    The competition here features two full rounds. Clements will have his second horse at the Friday matinee. He is hoping for another top ride and a chance to advance in the new tournament-style format here. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned events started Thursday night, Eight groups of contestants compete twice through the first 16 performances.

    Their times and scores will be added together with the top 24 advancing to one of three semifinals performances that will be held on the final Saturday of the show, Jan. 25. They will all start on an even playing field and the top four in each event will compete in Sunday’s Championships. Those 12 contestants will once again start at zero. Whoever has the fastest time or highest score then will be crowned Denver’s champion.

    Clements finished last year’s season in 16th place, one spot out of qualifying for his third Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Watching events on television isn’t his style and there is nothing he wants more than to be back in Las Vegas next December. After missing part of 2019 on the injured list and having knee surgery, he is healthy and has big goals to accomplish.

    “I feel really good,” Clements said. “I stayed busy all of December and that helped, but I hated missing the finals. I’m excited about how well things are going and plan to be in Las Vegas next December.”

    Clements competed at Denver’s invitational Colorado VS the World rodeos last Saturday and won the bareback riding. He won nearly $10,000.

    “I hope I can keep it rolling,” Clements added. “So far Denver has been great. That momentum can go a long way.”

    The 114th National Western Stock Show will have two rodeo performances on Friday at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m.

    ###

     

    DENVER, Colo. — (Jan. 16, 2020) The following are results from the National Western Stock Show Rodeo.

     

    First Performance –

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Mason Clements, Draper, Utah, 84.5 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Fargo. 2, Connor Hamilton, Calgary, Alberta, 87.5. 3, Anthony Thomas, Houston, Texas, 84. 4, Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La., 80.5.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis., 4.5 seconds. 2, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 5.3. 3, Justice Johnson, Bismarck, N.D., 6.1. 4, Bear Pasco, Morro Bay, Calif., 13.7.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Charly Craford, Stephenville, Texas, and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M., 5.0 seconds. 2, Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah and Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, 6.0. 3, Riley Minor and Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 9.8. 4, Nick Sartain, Bandera, Texas, and Blaine Vick, Breckenridge, Texas, 11.2.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Mitch Pollock, Twin Falls, Idaho, 82 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Big Casino. 2, Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah, 80. 3, Luke White, Lincoln, Calif., 77.5. 4, Justin Lawrence, Exeter, Calif., 65.

     

    Tie Down Roping: Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 8.7 seconds. 2, Randall Carlisle, Athens, La., 8.7. 3, Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 9.6. 4, Colt Papy, Henrietta, Texas, 10.4.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Ivy Hurst, Springer, Okla., 15.03 seconds. 2, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 15.10. 3, Wendy Hoefer, Fort Lupton, Colorado, 15.23. 4, Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas, 15.33.

     

    Bull Riding: (three rides) 1, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 82 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Crazy Nights. 2, Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, 78. 3, Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas, 70.