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  • RFD TV and THE COWBOY CHANNEL Announce Canada Launch as well as launch of ProRodeo Tonight.

    RFD TV and THE COWBOY CHANNEL Announce Canada Launch as well as launch of ProRodeo Tonight.

    Pro Rodeo Tonight is launching tonight that will feature only PRCA rodeo coverage with anchors Justin McKee and Joe Beaver. “It’s beyond a dream,” said Justin. “It has potential to change the game by creating fans that truly are excited about following the game because they can understand the story lines from week to week.” He is so excited about this opportunity that he is making the sacrifice to leave the ranch and cattle operation he has built up to make the six hour commute to his new job. Justin and Joe will have different guests every night. Jeff Medders will take over the Western Sports RoundUp, with co-hosts Amy Wilson and Steve Kenyon.

    “Steve and Amy will be focused on our daily broadcast of rodeo, we are doing 23 days of Ft. Worth starting tomorrow. Amy will be the behind the scenes reporter for all 23 broadcasts,” explained Patrick Gottsch, Founder & President of Rural Media Group, Inc., pictured below with his daughter, Raquel Gottsch (The Cowboy Channel CEO).

    The expansion to Canada will transpire February 1 thanks to a partnership with Canada’s top-rated outdoor adventure network WILD TV., to launch RFD TV and THE COWBOY CHANNEL CANADA beginning February 1st, 2020. “We get lots of requests from Canadians that want this up there, so we finally got that answered,” said Patrick. “I’ve been trying to get into Canada for 20 years and I’m really excited about this. The dedication to agriculture and to embrace the Western lifestyle knows no borders, and we are so pleased to be working with Ryan Kohler of Wild TV Inc. to finally bring these two cultures together to connect city with country throughout North America.”

    Wild TV is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week nationally to Canadian households, and available to a growing number of European countries. With hundreds of top tier outdoor personalities, over 3,000 shows and beyond 125,000 hours aired, they are the leading destination for all hunting, fishing and outdoor enthusiasts. The programming will be a mixture of content. “We will be producing programming from Canada, but will be mostly what we’re doing with RFDTV and the Cowboy Channel.”

    For Patrick and the entire team at Rural Media Group the future keeps marching along. “We’ve got the Ft. Worth rodeo, then the AMERICAN, then Rodeo New York and then the NFR. We have adopted a new culture, acquired a powerhouse sales team, and increased our staff to accommodate even more new channels in addition to RFD TV Canada and The Cowboy Channel Canada.”

     

  • BO PICKETT WINS RAM COLUMBIA RIVER CIRCUIT FINALS RODEO AGAIN

    BO PICKETT WINS RAM COLUMBIA RIVER CIRCUIT FINALS RODEO AGAIN

    YAKIMA, Wash. – In similar fashion, tie-down roper Bo Pickett returned to the Yakima Valley SunDome to defend his average title at the RAM Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo and secure his second trip to the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

    A year ago, Pickett clinched the average title at the RAM CRCFR and not much has changed. The Caldwell, Idaho, cowboy won the three-head average in 27.0 seconds Sunday.
    “I’ve had good luck here,” Pickett said. “The first round I knew I had a good calf from when we broke them in, and I knew he was going to be pretty soft. I just got a really good start and made a solid run, 8.9 (seconds) was winning the round when I went in.”
    Pickett won the first round in 8.0 seconds and the second round posed the same scenario for him. Once again, 8.9 seconds was splitting first and second in the round, and Pickett finished in 8.3 to win the round.
    “I had another really good calf – pretty much the same run – good start and made a good solid run. My horse worked really good all week,” Pickett said. “I just stayed behind the barrier and made good runs.”
    Pickett went on to take fourth in the final round in 10.7 seconds.
    “I had a second-and-a-half lead in the average and the second-place guy was 11 flat (Sunday),” Pickett said. “I knew I had some time and I missed the barrier a little bit more than I wanted to today. I kind of misread my calf and I went a little further down the arena, but when I got her caught, I knew all I had to do was tie her down. She was good on the ground, so I just made sure she stayed down to win the average.”
    Pickett earned $6,337. His win came aboard his 15-year-old mare, Hollywood. Hollywood was injured in the fall and the RAM CRCFR was her first rodeo back since the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up in September.
    “I’ve ridden Hollywood since my sophomore year in high school when I bought her as a 6 or 7-year-old, and I’ve ridden her for eight years,” Pickett said. “I have another horse too, and I’m going to pick and choose when I ride her. But in situations like this when there are good calves in these buildings, she’s hard to beat. I’m really comfortable on her, so it’s hard for me to get on anything else right now.”
    Pickett’s return to the RAM NCFR in Kissimmee, Fla., in April is also one he’s looking forward to after his debut last year didn’t go as planned.
    “I didn’t do any good – I didn’t rope good,” Pickett said. “I was 10 (seconds) on my first one and came back and tried to pull off a shot I didn’t need to, and I missed. So, to get to go back, I’m eager because I really thought I dropped the ball there.”
    Although Pickett is a fourth-generation cowboy, he also played football and basketball. The offensive lineman was a 3A Snake River Valley Conference first-team selection his senior year.
    “I played sports – roping was never pushed on me,” Pickett said. “There are so many other ways to make a living, but I was drawn to roping. My dad, Rich, taught me how to rope and then later my uncle stepped in and started helping.”
    While athleticism may be the obvious crossover from playing sports to roping calves, it’s being coachable that Pickett describes as being his takeaway from sports that helps him pursue his goals in rodeo.
    “Early on, I learned how to get coached and how to take criticism, and it’s helped me in the rodeo world,” Bo Pickett said. “A guy has to be coachable.”
    In addition to his dad, those coaches are eight-time world champion and ProRodeo Hall of Famer Joe Beaver and Pickett’s uncle Dee Pickett, another ProRodeo Hall of Famer and two-time world champion.
    “I’m not in this alone,” Bo said. “I’m sending all my runs to my dad, my uncle and Joe. My uncle has been a huge part of the horsepower part of it in the last few years, and Joe is where I get my fine tuning. They’re all helping me.”
    Speaking of goals, the ambitious young tie-down roper has his sights set on big dreams.
    “The goal I’ve set out for since I was a kid is my goal this year,” Pickett said. “I really hope to make the (Wrangler) NFR this year. That’s been my goal and that is why – for whatever reason – I keep going. Until I accomplish that I don’t see myself quitting.”
    Other winners at the $153,154 rodeo were bareback rider Trenten Montero (245 points on three head); steer wrestler Blake Knowles (17.1 seconds on three head); team ropers Riley Minor/Brady Minor (16.7 seconds on three head); saddle bronc rider Tate Owens (235 points on three head); barrel racer Olivia Train (40.57 seconds on three runs); and bull rider Jordan Spears (173 points on two head). Caleb McMillan was the all-around cowboy ($2,988, tie-down roping and bull riding).

    For more coverage on the RAM First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo, check out the Jan. 24 edition of ProRodeo Sports News.

  • Back When they Bucked with Veach Saddlery

    Back When they Bucked with Veach Saddlery

    Monroe Veach was fascinated when he saw his first cowboys. His dad took him to Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show in Saint Jo, Missouri, when he was eight. He was amazed at how they dressed, their horsemanship and ability to rope. He saw a Charro spin a rope like he’d never seen before. Once he got home he began to practice trick roping, he trained his horse to do tricks — he was hooked!
    Monroe Veach was born in Missouri in 1896. The frontier had moved westward by then so when he was offered a job to cowboy near Eads, Colorado, in 1916. When he arrived at the train depot he unsaddled and unbridled his horse, slapped him on the butt and his horse headed home. Monroe took the saddle and bridle with him. He didn’t tell his family he was leaving. He hopped a freight train and headed west. He knew how they felt about his ‘cowboy ways’ so he wrote a letter when he arrived in Colorado. The folks thought Monroe’s cowboy dreams were a young man’s folly and he would grow out of it. Although his father raised sheep and trapped he wasn’t surprised at Monroe’s choices and accepted his decision.

    The following year his cowboy job ended due to World War I. He joined the Army and was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, to the cavalry division, which he hoped would allow him to utilize his horsemanship skills. Much to his dismay his military time was spent in the saddle and equipment repair shop. Little did he realize how much impact this brief time in the saddle and equipment repair shop would mould his later career and allow him to continue in cowboy fashion. This was the only professional leather-making training he ever got. Monroe’s training as well as his creativity in working with leather expanded his horizons.
    Monroe left the Army in 1919 and went home to Missouri and started a leather shop in a small building on his home place near Trenton. Mostly repairs on harness, saddles and such kept him busy in the shop. Shortly thereafter he married his childhood sweetheart, Alta. They had six children over a span of twenty years; with Billy, the oldest, Imogene, Mary, Letty, Ben and Peggy, the youngest.
    When a friend asked if he could build a western saddle he had enough experience with saddle repairs that he knew he could do it. He made the saddle to the friend’s satisfaction. Meanwhile, as his children grew up he introduced them all to the leather-making business and at one time or another they were all trained in various aspects of the business, particularly saddles.
    But Monroe had other talents as well. He loved ‘The West’ and his trick roping talents had expanded. He was asked to entertain at the local movie theater between silent movies. He also joined Foghorn Clancy’s rodeo and performed trick roping and trick riding. Trick riding was just getting popular and Monroe could see how necessary and important for the trick riding saddle to be strong enough, with the rider’s variety of tricks. They generally always used the saddle as their base. It is not surprising that his children also became fascinated and were passionate about the rodeo world of competition and performing.
    His shop on the family place finally became too small for all the work he was hired to do. After a time, 1938, he moved to a location in Trenton on Main Street. The following year, Fred Lowry, a well-known steer roper who had won many of the biggest rodeos in the country, contacted Monroe. Lowry had won a trophy saddle, made by Monroe, and liked it so well he wanted a second saddle made like it with a few minor adjustments. The adjustments Lowry requested were for a stronger saddle than generally made. Lowry roped steers weighing 800 pounds or more and the weight was hard on a regular saddle. Lowry wanted a double rawhide saddle tree for additional strength. Once Monroe had made the new saddle and named it the, “Fred Lowry Roper” the orders from steer ropers all over the country came pouring in.
    When World War II began Monroe found that the few companies who furnished a saddle-tree, which is the basis of every saddle, were hard to come by. Most all materials were going to the war-effort and were difficult to get for any reason other than the military. Monroe decided to make his own saddle trees. He used the Linn tree for wood, because it was strong and would not split when nails were used. He brought it to the shop to dry. Letty’s husband, George McAlister, ran the first ‘tree shop’. Monroe was very innovative in this endeavor, as he was in many things he did through his life.
    He tried to get a foundry to produce metal saddle horns, but again the war-effort was using the majority of the metal. Monroe explained he was building saddles for ranchers, the very people who raised cattle to feed the soldiers. Once the company executives heard that they immediately agreed to provide them. “Those boys need beef!” He got their attention, and his metal saddle horns!
    Monroe set the standards high in saddle-making. He set the trends for years to come and demanded a product (saddle) that was not only functional but of the best materials. He became the premier trick riding saddle-maker and had as many as ten people working in his shop. Having been a trick rider he had an edge on knowing what was most important in the development of trick saddles and made sure they were of the finest quality. Today an old Veach trick riding saddle is an important find, but a retired trick rider will seldom let their Veach saddle go.
    Monroe and son, Billy, produced rodeos by Veach Rodeo Company. While Monroe ran the shop, Billy did the ramrodding of a rodeo but Monroe would perform, and act as secretary and timer. Other family members were always present to handle a variety of duties and responsibilities required to put on a good rodeo. At one of the rodeos son-in-law George McAlister was the announcer, and just prior to the Saturday night rodeo, a deluge of rain came and the performance had to be postponed until Sunday. George couldn’t stay over until Sunday afternoon because he had to head back to Trenton. When he let Monroe know he enlisted Clem McSpadden to take over his first announcing chores.
    The Veach Saddlery grew and a boot department was added. His daughter, Imogene loved working in the shop and learned to weave cinches and stitching boot tops on a treadle sewing machine. In time, she got to do more intricate designs made by Monroe. He always had a pencil handy and once he created a design Imogene would then stitch it out.
    When Peggy was ten or eleven, she recalled the pony business was booming and a gentleman in the Midwest had a large pony ranch and held a two day sale every year. He commissioned Veach Saddlery to make pony halters out of white latigo leather so each pony he sold was wearing a white halter at the sale. Monroe had all the leathers cut, and Peggy could put together a gross (144 halters) in a day. Peggy remembered her dad took her to the pony sale one year and saw all her halters leaving the auction area on those ponies. The Veach Saddlery was truly a ‘family affair’.
    When Robert Robinson, Peggy’s husband, went to work for Monroe he built saddle trees. Robert remembered being taken to the tree shop, and Monroe showed him the patterns, the band saw, and described the process of making a saddle tree. “When I went to ask a question I turned around and Monroe was gone” recalled Robert. “He let his employees learn from their mistakes,” said Robert and Peggy’s son, Craig, who also has been on the payroll since he was fourteen. Monroe never got mad. He’d just say “Don’t let that dog bite you again.”
    Veach Saddlery sold to numerous dealers across the country. They began putting out a catalog of their various leather goods and inventory. Robert Robinson was their salesman and he traveled and called on dealers in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Indiana. They also had a booth at the Western Market in Denver in the 1960s and 1970s. Other dealers ordered from the catalog. The last catalog was sent out in 1983 and was #14.
    In 1976, the Bicentennial USA year, Monroe went to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D. C. at their invitation to do a saddle-making demonstration. It was held near the Washington Monument Mall and in addition to the saddle that he made there, he brought a completed ‘Bicentennial’ saddle that he gave to the Smithsonian. Bryan Dew, a film-maker from New Zealand, attending the event watched Monroe build the saddle. Visiting with Bryan, Monroe’s passion for the West became evident and Dew began an extensive film shoot featuring Monroe. Dew and his crew worked on this project for ten years. Although it took longer to complete than Dew had anticipated Peggy remembers that it was her job to keep Monroe in the same shirt, hat, etc. – – – for the ten year span so the resulting documentary looked like it was done in a brief length of time. “A Ten Dollar Horse and a Forty Dollar Saddle” was the result, and was released in 1986. It was all about Monroe and his talents in the leather-making industry, his love of rodeo and performing as a trick roper, and telling tales of the West and so much more. When it was completed Dew learning that Monroe was ninety years old, and not in good health, hurried to Trenton and the film was shown at the local junior college for the entire community. Monroe passed away that year on Christmas Day. Two years later “A Ten Dollar Horse and a Forty Dollar Saddle” was given a Bronze Wrangler Award by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK. In 1993 Monroe Veach was inducted to the Rodeo Hall of Fame there as well.
    Veach Saddlery has continued to prosper, with Peggy, husband Robert and son Craig in charge. Things have changed somewhat but the basic principles taught family members, spouses and friends have never been forgotten. In fact, knowing how far-reaching Monroe’s creativity and his love of the West have spread, it seems the entire family can be called ‘Throwbacks’. The definition of throwback is: ‘a return to a former type or ancestral characteristic’. A tradition in the family of Monroe Veach and his talents and desires that have carried over and influenced the lives of each and every generation since then.
    Peggy, Robert and Craig, have continued to build saddles and leatherworks. Craig started his career sweeping floors. He has moved up to the responsibility of becoming their custom saddle expert. Peggy, who has kept her dad’s books which include the list of saddles by serial number (which is the actual number of the saddle made at the shop) remembered that in 1932 the first trick riding saddle was made for Lucyle Richards, a beautiful trick rider and lady bronc rider that the family kept a friendship with for her lifetime. Peggy also reported that the last saddle finished at the end of 100 years was number 18,949!
    In their spare time the Robinsons have been ropers. In fact, Peggy, cut her thumb off roping, a common roping injury. Fortunately, she was able to have it reattached. They also attend and keep up with the rodeo world and the people in it, not only in their home state but across the country and in Canada. Through the customers they have satisfied during the past century they can name people from every state, as well as Canada, and they have sent saddles to Belgium and South Africa.

    Billy, Munroe’s first born, put on rodeos until he was killed in a truck accident in 1957. Many members in the family came together to complete his rodeo contracts, after his demise, then sold the rodeo stock. Billy’s sons, Kenny and Cary both worked in Monroe’s shop, and now have their own shops. Kenny Veach Custom Leather is in Mount Vernon, Missouri. Cary after being a saddle bronc contestant makes and repairs rodeo equipment for the roughstock events, and is located in Ankeny, Iowa.
    Roughstock rider, Charley Beals, married oldest daughter, Imogene, and once World War II was over Charley worked for Monroe and learned the trade. In 1945 they opened Veach Saddlery in Tulsa Oklahoma. Rodeo cowboys traveling through Tulsa never hesitated to stop at the shop and say hello. Charley and Imogene had one daughter, Donna Kay. She married Duke Clark, a roughstock rider from Trenton, who also trained horses, played polo, and has competed in pulling horse contests and presently ranches. Duke did work in the Tulsa shop and Imogene trained him to tool and make saddles. Charley retired in 1985 and closed the shop. In 2007 their grandson, Drew re-opened it at Colcord, OK. One of his specialties is the Doug Clark Roping Saddle. Doug, another grandson, was All-Around Cowboy at Cheyenne Frontier Days and Steer Roping Winner at Pendleton RoundUp, two of the largest, prestigious rodeos in the country. He also trains timed-event horses and has had horses he trained in National Finals rodeos every year for over 35 years. Doug and wife Linda’s daughter, Darcy, and her husband, Billy Good are roping presently and doing well. Third grandson to Charley and Imogene, Derek, was a saddle bronc contestant and qualified for the National Finals Rodeo fifteen times.
    Mary, second daughter of Monroe, and husband Al Cunningham, had a Veach Saddlery shop in Branson, Missouri, for a time. Both are deceased. Letty, Monroe’s third daughter, and husband, George McAlister, not only handled the tree shop in the beginning for Monroe, but also announced rodeos for the Veach Rodeo Company. Letty in her younger years was a trick rider and she and her three sisters were always available when Monroe did his trick roping horse catch of the four girls.
    Ben, Monroe’s youngest son, invented a stainless steel, one piece, stirrup buckle. He was the rodeo clown in the 1940s rodeos for Veach Rodeo Company .
    Throwbacks, each and every member of Monroe Veach’s family and their off-spring and the next three generations are connected in some way to the world he created. When interviewing these individuals their answer to the question: “Have you ever considered doing anything else?” The answer is always the same, “No, why should I? I love what I do.”
    A hundred years later there is no question to the stability of Veach Saddlery in Trenton, Missouri, and the others scattered around the country that came from Monroe’s passion for the cowboy life. The legacy he created and left has only expanded the commitment and desire for saddle-making, trick roping, trick riding, and competing in rodeo. Some of his youngest family members may not do it all, but they at least are involved in one or more aspects of the life he lived.
    Monroe Veach was posthumously inducted to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1993. His son-in-law Charley Beals was inducted in 2010. His great-grandson, Derek Clark was inducted in 2018. His daughter, Imogene was the recipient of the Tad Lucas Memorial Award, and his great-grandson, Doug Clark was the recipient of the Ben Johnson Memorial Award. These honors were bestowed on these members of Monroe and his family because “they loved what they did for a living”. Can it be any better than that?

  • On the Trail with Colton Bugis

    On the Trail with Colton Bugis

    ‘Where did this guy come from,’ is undoubtedly on the minds of many team ropers in the IPRA that watched a rookie 21-year-old header, Colton Bugis, climb from the bottom to the top of the team roping leaderboard since June. With nearly $1900 separating him and the next header in line, Colton is excited to be traveling to the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma for the IFR50 to see if he can finish the season as a world champion team roper.

    Originally from Highland, Michigan, Colton’s start in horses didn’t give much of a clue that he would be where he is today. His parents Ed and Penny Bugis and younger sister, Eva, have a family farm where his dad sells grain, and also operates a septic company, King Septic; and none of them had a rodeo background. There was a love of horses in the family, and Colton’s grandma, Carol Redman, bred and raised Welsh ponies that became projects for Colton and his sister. “We were really young, but we would ride and drive the ponies she raised and turn them into show jumping and dressage prospects for other kids. My mom and sister were both really big into dressage and hunter jumpers, so I competed in that world growing up. I was in the Michigan Hunter Jumper Association and the Pony Club of America and did all that until I was about 13 years old.” In his heart however, he was a cowboy, “I always thought I was a little cowboy, running around with a rope when I was a kid. I went over to a roping school near us when I was young and learned to rope goats and got hooked. I started chasing everything I could on my pony, Lightning. A guy down the road, Tim Brown, took me to a roping pen at Rocky Alberts’ Blue Ridge Stock Farm one day, and that was all I wanted to do after that. My dad was glad to see me getting away from the hunter jumper riding and bought me a really good rope horse. It was a big deal for an old farm family to pay that much for a rope horse, but my dad bought me a black 7-year-old gelding named Player that really gave me a good start.”

     

    Colton’s mom explained, “Roping is a better fit for Colton. He’s always been a little cowboy from a very young age. We are so excited to go watch him at the IFR50 in January. There is a whole group of his Michigan roper family going out to Guthrie with us to watch him compete. We are all extremely proud of him.”

    Before graduating from Hartland High School in 2016, Colton competed in the Michigan High School Rodeo Association for three years, heading for Cale Johnson his sophomore through senior year of high school. The team won the MHSRA champion team roping title in 2015 and 2016 and qualified for national finals all three years they competed together. Colton also competed in calf roping and trap shooting during high school, but team roping was his main focus. Over the years, he’s even ridden ranch broncs for fun. “I come from a very supportive family, and even though my mom and sister didn’t like that I switched to roping, they still always came to watch me and support me in all that I do. They will be traveling to the IFR to watch me compete at my first IPRA finals rodeo, and hopefully watch me win the title there.”

    Over the past few years, Colton has spent a lot of time at amateur rodeo associations and team roping jackpots. He attended a horse shoeing school in Purcell, Oklahoma in January 2017. “I didn’t stick with that as a profession, but I did learn enough to do some of my own horses when I need to.” He did, however, make a friend with Baker Roush while at the school, and Baker invited him to his family ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas for the winter. “He and I ranched cows, shoed horses, hauled cattle, and did odd jobs. His family had a wedding venue, so we helped set up things for weddings and maintain the property. I roped some, but mainly did whatever I could come across to make some money while I was there, and then I’d go back home to Michigan for the summer.” While Colton was riding a friend’s calf horse at a rodeo when he was in Michigan for the summer, Mike Culhain made a phone call that began a change in the course of Colton’s roping career. “I told everyone I talked to that I wanted to go back to Texas for the winter. Mike told me he was friends with Bob Masters, and that he would call him and put me in touch with his son Chad Masters. I ended up going out to Chad’s for the winter in 2018.”

    Colton started out as the low man on the totem pole at Chad’s, mucking stalls, feeding cattle, and fixing fence. “I did whatever needed done, just trying to do my part. I also got to ride and rope with Chad and worked my way up. Chad taught me how he needed me to ride the horses and how he wanted things done. After winter, Chad went back to competing, and I decided to try rodeoing in the IPRA for the 2019 season. I didn’t really have a partner starting out, but I met Ty Parkinson at the Fort Worth Stockyards and we decided to start roping together in June. Ty is from Australia, and he’s a phenomenal heeler, he’s qualified for the IFR multiple times. We started out doing well together, and really went hard at the rodeos. From June until the end of the season we entered probably 75 rodeos and placed regularly. We won the team roping at St. Tite in Quebec, Canada, and just kept climbing in the standings as the months passed. Going into the IFR50, I’m leading the heading and Ty is leading the heeling.”

     

    A little dark brown mare named Betty has helped Colton make his mark in the heading competition. “My good horse ended up having ringbone, and Chad had gotten Betty in from a guy and made me a good deal on her. I’ve been riding her since this spring. She’s a little mare, maybe 14.3, but she is such a good horse and has made my job so much easier. I’m so grateful Chad helped me out with her. Coming from Michigan to Chad’s ranch in Lipan, Texas was very eye opening. It’s a totally different ball game. In Michigan, roping is more of a hobby that you do for fun, but here it’s the real thing; this is what they do. You learn a lot! I learned how to ride my horses better, how to use a rope better, and how to rope smart.” Colton is currently at the Masters’ ranch for his third winter and honing his skills so that he is as ready as possible for the IFR in January.

    “My main plan for the IFR50 is to get ready to catch them all so we can go for the average. I don’t get to practice with Ty much, he’s all over the place. But we’ll get together right before we head to Guthrie and make some runs together and we’ll be fine. After the IFR my goal is to just keep getting as good as I can get and see how far I can take it. I’ve been able to learn a lot from several people over the years, and I’ve been lucky enough that people have seemed to like helping me. I plan to take all of it and see where it leads. I may not have come from a rodeo background, but it’s in my blood and I’m here to stay.”

  • Featured Athlete: Jennifer Sharp

    Featured Athlete: Jennifer Sharp

    ennifer Sharp competed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last month. It was the first qualification for the 5 Star Equine team member, who lives in Richards, Texas. She and her husband Robbie own and operate Sharp Performance Horses, riding colts for the public and training barrel and performance horses.
    Last year, her horse Six French Smooches “Smooch”, an eight-year-old mare, took to the training and rodeo world well, “so we kept going,” Jennifer said. “We hadn’t planned on rodeoing for the Finals this year, but we realized we might have a shot at it.”
    So she and Smooch, plus a second horse, KR Famous Tequila “Tequila” hit the road, competing at more than ninety rodeos, and qualifying for the Wrangler NFR for the first time.
    In November, two weeks before the Finals started, Jennifer got kicked in the right shin, fracturing the fibula head and tearing the PCL. Doctors told her she’d need twelve weeks of rest, but that wasn’t an option with the world championship of rodeo around the corner. So she did physical therapy twice a day, to get her quad muscle working.
    She wore a hard brace, and at the Finals, visited the Justin Sportsmedicine trainers two and a half hours prior to each night’s rodeo. They taped it and used a TENS unit (a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device) to alleviate pain and get the muscles to fire.
    She wasn’t able to ride Smooch at the Finals, as the mare suffered an injury during the Texarkana, Ark. rodeo in September. So Jennifer took Tequila to Las Vegas, along with a second horse, Mitos Cutter, “Commander.” Tequila ran in all of the rounds except for round eight, when Commander took over to give Tequila a break.
    Tequila does very well in smaller pens, Jennifer said, and is good when he knows the first barrel isn’t near the fence. “He’s definitely going to turn his barrels,” she said. The first barrel is blind at the Thomas and Mack arena, and Tequila “knew that first barrel was there and he was going to it,” she said. Unable to use her right leg fully to guide him, she “wasn’t able to be as aggressive as I needed to be,” causing several tipped barrels.
    As a 5 Star Equine team member, Jennifer loves using their saddle pads. “I use the three-quarters inch thickness, and I love those pads. They hold up, I have no issues with them, and my horses’ backs never get sore.” She also uses 5 Star’s sports boots. “I love that they don’t get any dirt inside of them, their legs look clean when they come off, everything about them.” The color choices are good, too. “And obviously I love the color selection.” She tries to coordinate boot colors with whatever she’s wearing.
    In Las Vegas, her husband and a friend, Chris Bradshaw, took care of her horses. “They brought horses to me every night, and took them back (to the place where they were staying.) They fed and watered. I didn’t get to see my horses much, which I did not like, but I knew they were taken care of.”
    The couple has been together for ten years and spends their working and relaxing time together. “We’re together twenty-four, seven,” Jennifer said. “We have an awesome relationship. We complement each other in aspects that we need.” With the business, Robbie, a team roper, starts colts, puts them on the barrels, then Jennifer finishes them. If they need a tune-up, Robbie works with them.
    Now that the Wrangler NFR is over, Jennifer will let her leg heal. Smooch will make a full recovery, and then the two of them will hit the rodeo road again. “I hope to be back at the NFR, without a broken leg,” she said.
    Jennifer placed in two rounds, both times aboard Tequila. She finished the rodeo season in fourteenth place in the world.

  • ProFile: Tory Johnson

    ProFile: Tory Johnson

    Tory Johnson knows how good it feels to achieve goals. And the Oklahoma man did just that, when he won the Permit Challenge in December, held at the South Point Casino Arena in Las Vegas.
    The steer wrestler didn’t begin his rodeo career in that event. He high school rodeoed as a tie-down roper. In college, first at Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla., then at Langston (Okla.) University, he rode bulls and added steer wrestling, in part because of the adrenaline rush. “I was more of an adrenaline junkie,” he said, “and steer wrestling and riding bulls have more adrenaline activity for me than just roping calves.”
    Actually, his bulldogging career began in unlikely fashion. He was in college as a roper, watching the bulldoggers practice, when he talked smack to them. “I got to talking noise with them,” Tory said, when eight or nine of them decided to put $25 each in a hat, and if Tory would run and throw a steer, they’d pay him. “Me, being the daredevil I am, I did it.” That was in 2004, and he came home from college that summer and worked hard, learning all he could from world champions and other steer wrestlers like Clarence LeBlanc, Jesse Guillory, Romon Jones, and others. “I took to it like a natural.”
    After graduating from Langston in 2009 with a degree in business agriculture, he came home to Oklahoma City, working as a cement truck delivery man, and rodeoed.
    For the past ten years, he’s competed in the Bill Pickett Rodeo organization, the United Pro Rodeo Association, the Cowboy Pro Rodeo Association, based in Texas, and the Texas Cowboy Rodeo Association. Between the four organizations, Tory has won ten steer wrestling titles, three reserve titles, two tie-down titles, one bull riding title, and five all-arounds.
    In 2019, he decided to do things differently. He had purchased his PRCA permit ten years ago, filling it several times over but never getting his rookie card.
    Last January, the time was right. “I’ve been wanting to (be a PRCA member) for the longest time,” he said. “I got out of my comfort zone and said, hey, I have the horsepower, I have the talent, I’m ready, I’m going to do it.”
    The thirty-four-year-old wrote his goals down, three big ones: fill his permit again, qualify for the permit challenge, and qualify for the Prairie Circuit Finals. He did all three, finishing the rodeo season twelfth in the Prairie Circuit and finishing as the number one permit holder.
    At the permit challenge, he was the only man to throw both steers, thus winning the average and the title of champion.
    The permit challenge wasn’t his first monumental win, though. At the World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA), he won the average at Guthrie, Okla., and second in Green Bay, pocketing $25,000. And in the Prairie Circuit, he won or placed at rodeos in Ponca City, Henrietta, and Elk City, Okla.; Texarkana and Hot Springs, Ark., and others.
    Competing in Las Vegas at the permit challenge while the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was taking place was a thrill, Tory said. “It was pretty awesome to feel like you were one step out of being in the ‘big house.’ It was fun to be able to run a steer in Vegas, at the same time the Finals were going on.”
    He had a large cheering section, too. More than 25 people: cousins, aunts, friends, his dad, even sponsors, were on hand to cheer him on.
    For much of the year, he rode Queenie, an eleven-year-old mare owned by Denise Mooney and Marvel Rogers. “Me and her have been clicking everywhere we’ve been,” he said. She’s a typical mare, though. “She’s fun to be around. She can act like a mare every now and then, she gets moody, but she’s a winner and that’s all that matters.”
    When he’s not rodeoing, Tory works installing window blinds in new homes across Oklahoma.
    He’s set his 2020 rodeo plans, written in the same calendar book where he keeps pro rodeo entry information. His new objectives: win rookie of the year, and make a run at the NFR. “I’d like to go to the Thomas and Mack and run ten (steers).”

  • Untitled post 18145
    Bull rider Sage Kimzey wins sixth straight PRCA world title

     

    LAS VEGAS – Sage Kimzey is still the king of PRCA bull riders.

     

    The Strong City, Okla., cowboy won his sixth consecutive world championship at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo before 16,904 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center, Saturday night.

     

    Kimzey finished the season with a PRCA bull riding record $480,797, breaking his record of $436,479 set in 2017. Kimzey also won the average with 709 points on eight head.

     

    “It was just a grind,” Kimzey said. “I had a lot of bumps and bruises, but I put my best foot forward, and every bull matters – that made the difference. There are times we are sore and tired and question why we do this, but the guys with the gold buckles can block that out, and that is what I really excel at.”

     

    Kimzey tied Jim Shoulders’ PRCA record for consecutive bull riding world championships at six. Shoulders won seven career bull riding titles and six in a row from 1954-59.

     

    Don Gay holds the PRCA record for most bull riding world titles with eight.

     

    “It’s hard to put into words, it is something that will take a long time for me to realize what it means,” Kimzey said. “I’m just riding bulls and having fun. I feel good about it (passing Gay’s record). It’s a tall mountain to climb, and I knew that when I set out to do it. To be one step closer feels great.”

     

    Winning world titles has become common place for Kimzey, but he appreciates the work it takes to capture just one gold buckle.

     

    “Each one is special,” Kimzey said. “I don’t get emotional often but this one is special. The road it took to get here, this year I didn’t know if I could ride (due to an injury suffered at the 2018 Wrangler NFR), and then I found a brace that worked for my elbow, and kudos to Justin Sportsmedicine because there were a lot of them. This year was a grind. Some years are smooth sailing, and this was a tough year. I learned a lot about myself in those tough times and set the stage for the year I had. I’m thankful for the tough times because I wouldn’t be the man I am without them.”

     

    Rookie Stetson Wright captures all-around title

     

    Rookie Stetson Wright came in as the leader in the all-around standings and held off all challengers to win the prestigious title with $297,923. He edged team roping header world champ Clay Smith ($279,672) for the crown. Tuf Cooper, the 2017 all-around champ, finished third in the standings with $265,794.

     

    Wright became the first roughstock rider to win the all-around crown since ProRodeo Hall of Famer Ty Murray did it in 1998.

     

    Wright, who also is a saddle bronc rider, finished third in the bull riding standings with $267,345.

     

    “I don’t know, I guess I just got lucky all year or something,” Wright said. “It’s pretty awesome. I don’t have much to say, but I’m super happy right now.

     

    “You can’t control much other than what you do in your event. In the all-around you aren’t competing against them; you just have to do your events. Clay Smith and Tuf Cooper are two of the greatest cowboys I’ve ever seen.”

     

    Although Wright is young, he was thrilled to come through in the clutch like a veteran.

     

    “I do it for these moments right here,” he said. “Being a world champion is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. Hopefully (I can win) many more world titles. I hope to win a bunch more and have a healthy season (in 2020).”

     

    Clayton Biglow caps dream Wrangler NFR with gold buckle

     

    Bareback rider Clayton Biglow had a Wrangler NFR for the ages to claim his first career gold buckle.

     

    The Clements, Calif., cowboy won five rounds at the Wrangler NFR, including winning Round 10 with an NFR record-tying ride of 93 points on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks.

     

    It was all part of a victory binge for Biglow. He also won the average with 886.5 points on 10 head and earned $243,891 at the Wrangler NFR – not counting ground money. That total was the most money earned of any contestant at the Wrangler NFR and won him the RAM Top Gun Award.

     

    Biglow also set a bareback riding record for most money won in a regular season counting the Wrangler NFR at $425,843. The record was $374,272 by Tim O’Connell in 2016.

     

    “This is crazy,” said Biglow, 23. “I have been dreaming of this for a long time, and I don’t know what to say. This is something you work for your entire life and when it finally happens, you don’t realize it happened. It hasn’t hit me yet, but it will. It’s hard to put into words.”

     

    Biglow won five rounds at the 2019 Wrangler NFR, one short of the bareback riding record of six set by Kaycee Feild in 2011. He also made history by becoming the first bareback rider to win four consecutive rounds at the Wrangler NFR, winning Rounds 5 through 8.

     

    “This is the Finals I dreamed of and to have it come true I literally laid in bed every night for the last three months thinking about this moment,” Biglow said. “I got this gold buckle. That’s the only thing I was worried about this week. That gold buckle is going right on my belt.

     

    “A lot of the time, to get my mind off the gold buckle, I just kept thinking go win that Top Gun. If you win that Top Gun, the world championship is yours because you’re going to win more money than anybody else. I’m so glad I drew great horses all year long and here.”

     

    By winning the Top Gun Award, Biglow earned a 2020 RAM 3500 Heavy Duty Truck, a one-of-a-kind RAM Top Gun-branded revolver from Commemorative Firearms, as well as a custom Top Gun buckle from Montana Silversmiths.

     

    “I’m going to rodeo with that truck next year and drive the wheels off it,” Biglow said.

     

     

    Rookie Haven Meged is tie-down roping world champ

     

    When the 2019 Wrangler NFR began, rookie tie-down roper Haven Meged wasn’t in the title talk.

     

    Well, Saturday night, the Miles City, Mont., cowboy was holding the gold buckle with $246,013. He also won the average with an 85.7-second time on 10 head.

     

    The 21-year-old Meged narrowly defeated Shane Hanchey, the 2013 tie-down roping world champ, by $1,181 for the world championship.

     

    Meged, the 2019 PRCA | Resistol Rookie of the Year, is the first rookie to win a tie-down roping gold buckle since Joe Beaver in 1985. Meged also became just the fourth person in ProRodeo history to win a college championship and a world championship in the same year, following in the footsteps of Ty Murray (all-around, 1988); Matt Austin (bull riding, 2005); and Taos Muncy (saddle bronc riding, 2007).

     

    “It’s a dream come true,” Meged said. “I hurt myself three weeks before here and have just had faith in God that it would be alright, and this is his plan. To come together, to win Rookie of the Year, the average saddle and this (a gold buckle), it’s unbelievable.”

     

    Meged didn’t have any complex approach to his first Wrangler NFR.

     

    “Honestly, just keeping it simple,” Meged said. “Coming in here, everybody talks about how cool it is talking to guys who have roped here. To be in the Top 15 in tie-down roping and now the world champion at such a young age is unbelievable.

     

    “I kind of kick myself for not placing better. I let a couple calves get away from me. I went out (Saturday) morning and practiced to slow down, think about why I’m here, and to not overdo anything. To do what we do, focus on why and how we got here, just try not to make it complicated.”

     

    Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston claims second gold buckle

     

    For the second time in four years, saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston is PRCA world champion.

     

    Thurston snared the world championship by earning $347,056. That season total is a record, breaking the mark of $284,938 set by Ryder Wright in 2017.

     

    Brody Cress finished second in the world standings with $286,372 and won the average with 840.5 points on 10 head.

     

    “It’s awesome,” Thurston said about winning his second gold buckle. “Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I wanted this second one worse than I wanted the first one. I came close last year, but it was a roller coaster out here. Lots of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

     

    Thurston, of Big Valley, Alberta, became the first cowboy to win a PRCA world championship and Canadian Professional Rodeo Association world title in the same year since saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy in 2011.

     

    “Man, the first one (gold buckle), I didn’t know it was coming because I was coming from behind,” Thurston said. “This year, just being out front and having everybody chasing you, I’d rather have it the other way. It’s pretty stressful, starts playing tricks with your mind and you think you’re losing it, but it all worked out.”

     

    Steer wrestler Ty Erickson snares first world championship

     

    Ty Erickson came into the 2019 Wrangler NFR as the regular-season leader for the third time in four years. Each previous time he came up short of winning a gold buckle.

     

    That’s not the case anymore.

     

    The Helena, Mont., cowboy earned $234,491 to win the world championship. Matt Reeves won the average with a 48.4-second time on 10 head.

     

    Erickson finished fifth in the average with a 62.7-second time on 10 head. He earned $22,846, which helped him secure the world championship by $17,129 over second-place finisher Bridger Chambers.

     

    “Oh, man, that’s better than I expected,” Erickson said about the sound of him being the world champion. “This is a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little kid. Now that it’s happened, it’s pretty surreal.”

     

    Erickson tried to keep his emotions in check before Round 10.

     

    “Today, I was just focused on my job and what I wanted to do,” Erickson said. “I wanted to get a good start and just go make a good run. After I saw what I had drawn, I knew I had a good, honest steer tonight and would be able to do what I wanted. I was just outside (the money) in the round, but that’s OK because I made the run I wanted tonight, and everything worked out.

     

    “I slept pretty well last night, because I was just trying to stay focused and do my job. I tried as best as I could to not let the outside noise affect me too much.”

     

    Erickson was the last steer wrestler out in Round 10 which added to his stress.

     

    “When you have to wait for 14 bulldoggers to go, then you get to go and you know all you have to do is throw one down, that’s pretty hard,” Erickson said. “I think it’s harder to just go throw one down than if you have to go and be 4-flat. That was nerve-racking going last, but it all worked out.”

     

    Erickson acknowledged his world title was a group effort. He was handed the gold buckle by his aunt Judy Wagner, of Montana Silversmiths.

     

    “This means everything,” Erickson said. “This is all we’ve been working for the last seven years. Every morning, this is what we get up and work toward, so now that it’s actually come true and we’ve accomplished that, it couldn’t mean any more to me. My aunt being the one to hand me the buckle made it even more special.

     

    “This makes all the all-night drives, not doing well at a rodeo, all the tears, sweat and blood all worth it now.”

     

    Clay Smith wins second consecutive gold buckle

     

    Team roping header Clay Smith now has won back-to-back gold buckles.

     

    The Broken Bow, Okla., cowboy earned $268,820 to edge Cody Snow ($256,938).

     

    Smith – with partner/heeler Jade Corkill, who finished fourth in the world standings – placed in six rounds, including winning Round 2 to clinch his world title.

     

    “I really want to thank Jade for heeling steers, and there were ones only he could heel this week,” Smith said. “I feel bad, like I let him down. It is a team deal and I didn’t do well enough for him to win too. He is the best heeler in the world.”

     

    Smith said capturing another gold buckle was a grind.

     

    “It’s a long process throughout the year and it seems like 12 months all year long with the rodeos, but I was blessed to have a good partner and good horse – but it’s bittersweet not having my partner win the world, too,” Smith said.

     

    Smith took a moment to digest what his second gold buckle means to him.

     

    “It means a lot to me – it comes in order of faith for me, then my family and this is No. 3, and it’s all I think about,” he said. “We were raised in rodeo, and to win the world is an accomplishment, a big one for me, and I’m very thankful.”

     

    Team roping heeler Wesley Thorp grabs gold buckle No. 1

     

    Team roping heeler Wesley Thorp left the Thomas & Mack Center as a world champion for the first time.

     

    The Throckmorton, Texas, cowboy – roping with header Cody Snow, who finished second in the world standings – earned $249,181 to finish atop the world standings. Heeler Junior Nogueira was second with $238,243.

     

    Snow/Thorp won the average with a 43.8-second time on eight head.

     

    “It means that these are the guys I looked up to the most growing up and I put on a pedestal still as heroes,” Thorp said. “It’s like they were on a different playing field and even today they are guys I look up to, and to be one of them is amazing and a dream come true. You hope it could come true, but you never grasp what it feels like. I’m at a loss for words on it, but it feels unbelievable and I’m happy with everything. We came with a game plan and stuck with it. I had tremendous support the whole time.”

     

    Thorp also praised his partner Snow for helping reach the pinnacle of rodeo success.

     

    “I’m so proud of how he has done this week,” Thorp said. “I truly thought he had more control with his roping and his horse than anyone in this arena, and that goes a long way. He made my job easier and he ropes phenomenally all year long, and he is one of my best friends.”

     

    Barrel racer Hailey Kinsel wins second consecutive gold buckle

     

    For the second consecutive year, barrel racer Hailey Kinsel finished the season as a world champion.

     

    Kinsel, of Cotulla, Texas, earned $290,020 to finish atop the world standings. Ivy Conrado-Saebens was second with $264,673. Conrado-Saebens also won the average with a 138.44-second time on 10 head.

     

    “Definitely not,” said Kinsel when asked if winning her second world title had sunk in. “I wish I’d have finished stronger, and I think that’s still on my brain a little bit. Other than that, I’ve dreamed of this, and it’s awesome. I’m floored, and it’s very emotional.”

     

    Kinsel was quick to praise her horse, Sister, whom she rode for both world championships.

     

    “She’s incredible. I can see how incredible she is, and I hope others can, too,” Kinsel said. “She’s just done things that I don’t know how many other horses can do. It’s incredible, and I’m thankful because I hardly have to ask for anything from her to give me her best effort. She just does it.”

     

    Tenth Performance Results, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019

    Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

     

    Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 93 points on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks, $26,231; 2. Tim O’Connell, 91.5, $20,731; 3. Trenten Montero, 89.5, $15,654; 4. Orin Larsen, 89, $11,000; 5. Tanner Aus, 88.5, $6,769; 6. Tilden Hooper, 88, $4,231; 7. Richmond Champion, 87.5; 8. Clint Laye, 85; 9. Steven Dent, 84.5; 10. Ty Breuer, 84; 11. Taylor Broussard, 82; 12. Kaycee Feild, Caleb Bennett and Jake Brown, NS. 15. Austin Foss, INJ. Average standings: 1. Clayton Biglow, 886.5 points on 10 head, $67,269; 2. Tim O’Connell, 871.5, $54,577; 3. Richmond Champion, 860, $43,154; 4. Orin Larsen, 857.5, $31,731; 5. Tilden Hooper, 851, $22,846; 6. Clint Laye, 840.5, $16,500; 7. Trenten Montero, 839, $11,423; 8. Tanner Aus, 783 on nine, $6,346; 9. Kaycee Feild, 770.5; 10. Caleb Bennett, 696 on eight; 11. Steven Dent, 680.5; 12. Ty Breuer, 594.5 on seven; 13. Taylor Broussard, 576.5; 14. Austin Foss, 563.5; 15. Jake Brown, 434 on five. World standings: 1. Clayton Biglow, $425,843; 2. Orin Larsen, $296,404; 3. Tim O’Connell, $261,091; 4. Richmond Champion, $238,983; 5. Tilden Hooper, $238,239; 6. Kaycee Feild, $232,320; 7. Caleb Bennett, $208,902; 8. Tanner Aus, $173,460; 9. Clint Laye, $170,416; 10. Trenten Montero, $170,296; 11. Jake Brown, $133,415; 12. Austin Foss, $126,587; 13. Ty Breuer, $120,911; 14. Steven Dent, $103,799; 15. Taylor Broussard, $93,502.

     

    Steer wrestling: 1. Dakota Eldridge, 3.5 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Bridger Chambers and Tanner Brunner, 3.8, $18,192 each; 4. (tie) Will Lummus and Cameron Morman, 3.9, $8,885 each; 6. Matt Reeves, 4.0, $4,231; 7. Hunter Cure, 4.1; 8. (tie) Ty Erickson and Tyler Waguespack, 4.4; 10. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.5; 11. Tyler Pearson, 7.5; 12. Kyle Irwin, 8.3; 13. J.D. Struxness, 8.5; 14. Riley Duvall, 10.1; 15. Scott Guenthner, NT. Average standings: 1. Matt Reeves, 48.4 seconds on 10 head, $67,269; 2. Riley Duvall, 54.8, $54,577; 3. Bridger Chambers, 55.2, $43,154; 4. Tyler Pearson, 57.8, $31,731; 5. Ty Erickson, 62.7, $22,846; 6. Stetson Jorgensen, 66.6, $16,500; 7. Dakota Eldridge, 68.5, $11,423; 8. Hunter Cure, 75.9, $6,346; 9. Kyle Irwin, 89.1; 10. Tyler Waguespack, 39.0 on nine; 11. Cameron Morman, 42.4; 12. J.D. Struxness, 50.3; 13. Scott Guenthner, 67.0; 14. Will Lummus, 34.6 on eight; 15. Tanner Brunner, 46.1. World standings: 1. Ty Erickson, $234,491; 2. Bridger Chambers, $217,362; 3. Stetson Jorgensen,   $197,246; 4. Tyler Pearson, $196,904; 5. J.D. Struxness, $190,137; 6. Matt Reeves, $183,131; 7. Tyler Waguespack, $177,925; 8. Dakota Eldridge, $177,834; 9. Riley Duvall, $166,194; 10. Hunter Cure, $164,914; 11. Will Lummus, $163,382; 12. Scott Guenthner, $148,853; 13. Cameron Morman, $140,576; 14. Kyle Irwin, $134,934; 15. Tanner Brunner, $109,911.

     

    Team roping: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.1 seconds, $26,231 each; 2. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 4.4, $20,731; 3. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 4.5, $15,654; 4. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 4.7, $11,000; 5. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 6.8, $6,769; 6. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 9.4, $4,231; 7. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 11.6; 8. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 12.7; 9. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 14.3; 10. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 20.4; 11. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, Clay Tryan/Jake Long, Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison and Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, NT. Average standings: 1. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 43.8 seconds on nine, $67,269 each; 2. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 56.7, $54,577; 3. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 59.3, $43,154; 4. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 93.0, $31,731; 5. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 44.4 on eight, $22,846; 6. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 47.3, $16,500; 7. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 50.1, $11,423; 8. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 54.9, $6,346; 9. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 62.5; 10. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 68.1; 11. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 60.8 on seven; 12. Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 54.2 on six; 13. Clay Tryan/Jake Long, 36.9 on five; 14. Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, 20.3 on four; 15. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 27.2 on three. World standings (headers): 1. Clay Smith, $268,820; 2. Cody Snow, $256,938; 3. Kaleb Driggers, $240,923; 4. Brenten Hall, $237,061; 5. Riley Minor, $207,707; 6. Chad Masters, $196,067; 7. Luke Brown, $182,093; 8. Coleman Proctor, $153,241; 9. Tate Kirchenschlager, $147,225; 10. Clay Tryan, $147,222; 11. Tyler Wade, $135,856; 12. Ty Blasingame, $132,220; 13. Erich Rogers, $128,634; 14. Matt Sherwood, $124,704; 15. Jake Cooper, $103,851. World standings (heelers): 1. Wesley Thorp, $249,181; 2. Junior Nogueira, $238,243; 3. Chase Tryan, $234,480; 4. Jade Corkill, $226,946; 5. Brady Minor, $207,707; 6. Joseph Harrison, $198,816; 7. Paul Eaves, $186,600; 8. Ryan Motes, $158,089; 9. Kyle Lockett, $153,364; 10. Jake Long, $150,954; 11. Tyler Worley, $142,677; 12. Cole Davison, $134,371; 13. Travis Graves, $133,896; 14. Hunter Koch, $132,807; 15. Caleb Anderson, $103,050.

     

    Saddle bronc riding: 1. Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 91 points on The Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s RodeoHouston’s Womanizer, $26,231; 2. Jake Watson, 89.5, $20,731; 3. (tie) Ryder Wright, Zeke Thurston and Dawson Hay, 88.5, $11,141 each; 6. (tie) Rusty Wright and Colt Gordon, 87.5, $2,115 each; 8. Jacobs Crawley, 86.5; 9. (tie) Spencer Wright and Jesse Wright, 85; 11. Chase Brooks, 82; 12. Sterling Crawley, Mitch Pollock, Bradley Harter and J.J. Elshere, NS. Average standings: 1. Brody Cress, 840.5 points on 10, $67,269; 2. Spencer Wright, 762.5 on nine, $54,577; 3. Rusty Wright, 756, $43,154; 4. Zeke Thurston, 699.5 on eight, $31,731; 5. Jacobs Crawley, 646.5, $22,846; 6. Jake Watson, 610.5 on seven, $16,500; 7. Jesse Wright, 588.5, $11,423; 8. Dawson Hay, 523 on six, $6,346; 9. Chase Brooks, 516.5; 10. Colt Gordon, 416.5 on five; 11. Sterling Crawley, 407; 12. Ryder Wright, 348.5 on four; 13. J.J. Elshere, 252 on three; 14. Mitch Pollock, 171.5 on two; 15. Bradley Harter, 86.5 on one. World standings: 1. Zeke Thurston, $347,056; 2. Brody Cress, $286,372; 3. Ryder Wright, $273,129; 4. Spencer Wright, $258,015; 5. Rusty Wright, $241,153; 6. Jake Watson, $236,406; 7. Dawson Hay, $197,747; 8. Chase Brooks, $194,681; 9. Jacobs Crawley, $191,935; 10. Sterling Crawley, $156,722; 11. Jesse Wright, $155,159; 12. Bradley Harter, $127,543; 13. Mitch Pollock, $125,196; 14. J.J. Elshere, $119,004; 15. Colt Gordon, $112,635.

     

    Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Shane Hanchey and Adam Gray, 7.1 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. Marty Yates, 7.7, $15,654; 4. Tyson Durfey, 7.9, $11,000; 5. Haven Meged, 8.0, $6,769; 6. Tyler Milligan, 8.1, $4,231; 7. Michael Otero, 8.7; 8. Shad Mayfield, 10.6; 9. (tie) Caleb Smidt and Taylor Santos, 11.2; 11. Tuf Cooper, 12.4; 12. Riley Pruitt, 15.8; 13. Rhen Richard, Ty Harris and Cooper Martin, NT. Average standings: 1. Haven Meged, 85.7 seconds on 10 head, $67,269; 2. Tyson Durfey, 85.9, $54,577; 3. Tuf Cooper, 90.7, $43,154; 4. Taylor Santos, 97.3, $31,731; 5. Riley Pruitt, 103.0, $22,846; 6. Caleb Smidt, 107.8, $16,500; 7. Shane Hanchey, 80.3 on nine, $11,423; 8. Tyler Milligan, 84.0, $6,346; 9. Marty Yates, 66.8 on eight; 10. Cooper Martin, 80.2; 11. Michael Otero, 83.1; 12. Rhen Richard, 67.1 on seven; 13. Shad Mayfield, 74.5; 14. Ty Harris, 49.8 on six; 15. Adam Gray, 60.3. World standings: 1. Haven Meged, $246,014; 2. Shane Hanchey, $244,832; 3. Tyson Durfey, $237,532; 4. Riley Pruitt, $226,445; 5. Marty Yates, $212,854; 6. Tuf Cooper, $211,631; 7. Caleb Smidt, $196,900; 8. Tyler Milligan, $196,884; 9. Ty Harris, $186,765; 10. Taylor Santos, $182,484; 11. Adam Gray, $151,885; 12. Shad Mayfield, $127,075; 13. Cooper Martin, $125,593; 14. Michael Otero, $116,155; 15. Rhen Richard, $111,988.

     

    Barrel racing: 1. Lisa Lockhart, 13.71 seconds, $26,231; 2. Cheyenne Wimberley, 13.79, $20,731; 3. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 13.86, $15,654; 4. Jessica Routier, 13.87, $11,000; 5. Shali Lord, 13.88, $6,769; 6. (tie) Dona Kay Rule and Ericka Nelson, 13.89, $2,115 each; 8. Lacinda Rose, 13.92; 9. Nellie Miller, 14.06; 10. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 14.10; 11. Emily Miller, 18.65; 12. (tie) Hailey Kinsel and Amberleigh Moore, 18.85; 14. Jennifer Sharp, 19.11; 15. Stevi Hillman, 23.71. Average standings: 1. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 138.44 seconds on 10 runs, $67,269; 2. Emily Miller, 143.25, $54,577; 3. Lisa Lockhart, 144.47, $43,154; 4. Nellie Miller, 144.63, $31,731; 5. Shali Lord, 144.73, $22,846; 6. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 144.77, $16,500; 7. Lacinda Rose, 145.17, $11,423; 8. Hailey Kinsel, 147.42, $6,346; 9. Jessica Routier, 148.45; 10. Dona Kay Rule, 148.84; 11. Jennifer Sharp, 165.38; 12. Amberleigh Moore, 167.51; 13. Cheyenne Wimberley, 175.22; 14. Ericka Nelson, 175.45; 15. Stevi Hillman, 154.30 on nine. World standings: 1. Hailey Kinsel, $290,020, 2. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, $264,673; 3. Emily Miller, $255,799; 4. Lisa Lockhart, $250,698; 5. Nellie Miller, $235,899; 6. Amberleigh Moore, $207,982; 7. Dona Kay Rule, $192,392; 8. Jessica Routier, $191,197; 9. Shali Lord, $173,391; 10. Stevi Hillman, $157,219; 11. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $152,100; 12. Lacinda Rose, $138,917; 13. Cheyenne Wimberley, $127,861; 14. Jennifer Sharp, $114,024; 15. Ericka Nelson, $112,318.

     

    Bull riding: 1. Jordan Hansen, 88.5 points on Four Star Rodeo’s Hell Hound, $28,981; 2. Sage Kimzey, 88, $23,481; 3. Tyler Bingham, 86.5, $18,404; 4. Jeff Askey, 86; $13,750; 5. Stetson Wright, Trevor Kastner, Josh Frost, Koby Radley, Garrett Smith, Daylon Swearingen, Jordan Spears, Trey Kimzey, Clayton Sellars, Boudreaux Campbell and Trey Benton III, NS. Average standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, 709 points on eight head, $67,269; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, 624 on seven, $54,577; 3. Jordan Spears, 517 on six, $43,154; 4. Tyler Bingham, 516, $31,731; 5. Stetson Wright, 448.5 on five, $22,846; 6. Koby Radley, 435, $16,500; 7. Jeff Askey, 426.5, $11,423; 8. Jordan Hansen, 356 on four, $6,346; 9. Trey Benton III, 352; 10. Clayton Sellars, 347.5; 11. Daylon Swearingen, 270 on three; 12. Garrett Smith, 178.5 on two; 13. Trey Kimzey, 168; 14. Trevor Kastner, 86 on one; 15. Josh Frost, NS. World standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, $480,797; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, $344,573; 3. Stetson Wright, $267,345; 4. Tyler Bingham, $246,399; 5. Jordan Hansen, $214,792; 6. Jordan Spears, $211,933; 7. Koby Radley, $195,349; 8. Trey Benton III, $186,995; 9. Daylon Swearingen, $179,799; 10. Garrett Smith, $171,769; 11. Trevor Kastner, $161,216; 12. Clayton Sellars, $158,018; 13. Jeff Askey, $157,329; 14. Josh Frost, $129,561; 15. Trey Kimzey, $124,960.

     

    All-Around Standings: 1. Stetson Wright, $297,923; 2. Clay Smith, $279,672; 3. Tuf Cooper, $265,794; 4. Caleb Smidt, $210,190; 5. Trevor Brazile, $129,754; 6. Daylon Swearingen, $138,881; 7. Rhen Richard, $117,980; 8. Landon McClaugherty, $112,119; 9. Steven Dent, $111,577; 10. Josh Frost, $92,732.

     

    RAM Top Gun Award standings: 1. Clayton Biglow, $243,891; 2. Sage Kimzey, $217,942; 3. Boudreaux Campbell, $203,135; 4. Brody Cress, $180,500; 5. Ivy Conrado, $171,404; 6. Zeke Thurston, $170,064; 7. (tie) Wesley Thorp and Cody Snow, $161,885 each; 9. Cody Snow, $161,885; 9. Emily Miller, $157,654; 10. Chase Tryan, $148,135.
  • Roper Review Erin King

    Roper Review Erin King

    Erin King knows she’s led a blessed life, and the blessings keep coming.

    The cowgirl who lives in Wickenburg, Ariz. with her fiancé Brandon Bates and their daughters, Madison and Brooklyn, has loved every bit of her life.

    She grew up in Sheridan, Wyo., a member of the King ranching and roping family, with parents Bob and Debbi King who were horse people. Debbi did combined training with horses, and Bob, who co-owned King Saddlery with his family, was a highly respected team roper.

    Even though her family made the world-renowned King ropes, she and her younger sister Kristen were never forced to rope as kids. “We didn’t grow up roping, which is funny, because our dad made the ropes,” Erin said. “He never pushed that upon us. He knew, when we wanted to rope, we’d come to him.”

    The girls were involved in a variety of activities, though. Erin was a member of 4-H, FFA, gymnastics, dance, and ran barrels, poles and breakaway roped throughout junior, high school and college. Debbi always told her daughters there were two kinds of people: those who loved horses, and those who were in love with horses, and Erin was the latter.

    It was when Erin met Brandon twelve years ago that the roping bug really bit. Erin had dabbled in breakaway, but it “wasn’t her thing,” she said. She was riding and training horses, but when Brandon came into her life, that changed. “That’s all they do,” she said, referring to their roping and riding, “and rodeo for a living. I was thrown into the atmosphere.”

    Erin learned quickly, in part because of her horsemanship skills. Because she knew how to ride and had ridden colts, barrel horses and jumping horses, the riding part was easy. Brandon helped her learn how, providing the best teacher she could have: a good horse. “That horse took me to the same spot every time and backed into the box the same every time. I still remember the first money I won. It was at a round robin, it paid $700 and I thought I was the coolest thing ever.”

    She headed for a while, then after selling two good head horses, switched to heeling for a good reason. “Brandon’s a heeler, so we’ll always have good heel horses around,” she said. The heeling did good things for her heading. “I love heeling,” she said, “but with heeling, your arm has to be stronger, and heading became more simple for me.” Her heading improved, and “I started winning a lot and they raised my number,” she laughed.

    For several years, the couple lived in Idaho, then moved to Texas and California. But those places weren’t a good fit for them, so they moved to Wickenburg a year ago.

    Wickenburg, the team roping capital of the world, is the perfect place for them. They just opened up their new place: the Wickenburg Winter Cowboy Camp.

    WWCC, as it’s known, boasts sixteen plug-ins for RVs and trailers, two barns with thirty stalls combined, a third barn under construction, and two arenas.

    The plug-ins are full electricity and water with most of them having sewer as well. A lot of people park their RVs or trailers and rent or borrow a smaller trailer to haul horses to ropings so the big trailer doesn’t have to be moved.

    “We’re more than a place to stay and plug in,” Erin said. “People can come here and do it all in one spot.” They offer lessons, horse training, and their arena is open from 10 am to 4 pm every day, for ropers to practice or train a horse.

     

    Erin and Brandon also take in consignment horses, and Brandon is building a deck onto a barn so they can host cookouts as well.

    Erin has qualified for the World Series Finale, held in Las Vegas at the South Point Hotel and Casino, in December. This is her first time to compete at it, even though she’s qualified four previous times.

    She loves what the Arizona atmosphere has done for team roping. “No matter what roping you go to, the cattle are incredible, the competition is unbelievable, and you have to be your very best. You can’t make mistakes, and I think that is amazing.

    Her dad used to compare team roping with golf to explain its complexities and challenges. “He said, ‘how do you ever conquer them?’”

    The environment in Arizona also makes it fun. “Everybody’s in a good mood,” she said. “Everybody’s on vacation and is so happy to be here. It’s sunny, it’s dry, and we feel so blessed to be here.”

    And Erin is thankful for her family, her horses and her roping. “It makes you truly appreciate being here and doing what we love to do.”

  • Tickets on Sale for St. Paul Rodeo

    Tickets on Sale for St. Paul Rodeo

    More than 50,000 people attended the rodeo this year, making it one of the bigger events in the area.

    It’s a long-time tradition, said Cindy Schonholtz, general manager of the rodeo. “There simply isn’t a better place to spend the Fourth of July than at the St. Paul Rodeo. Fans enjoy the patriotism, the bucking horses and bulls, the fireworks, even the novelty of arbor vitae trees in the arena. They appreciate being part of the history and tradition of St. Paul and the American West, and they are delighted and surprised when they come to the rodeo, because it’s so much more than rodeo.”

    Tickets range in price from $16 to $26. All seats are reserved, so purchasing tickets early guarantees a better selection of seating, Schonholtz said.

    Tickets can be purchased online at www.StPaulRodeo.com. For more information, visit the website or call 800.237.5920.

    The rodeo is a fundraiser for many service and youth organizations around the area; it is produced by nearly one hundred percent volunteer labor.

  • Thursday, Dec. 12: WCRA to Make Announcement at Las Vegas Convention Center Regarding The Triple Crown of Rodeo

    Thursday, Dec. 12: WCRA to Make Announcement at Las Vegas Convention Center Regarding The Triple Crown of Rodeo

    LAS VEGAS – On Thursday, Dec. 12, the World Champions Rodeo Alliance (WCRA) will make a major announcement regarding the Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR) at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Rodeo Row at the Days of ’47 booth at 1 p.m. PT. PBR CEO Sean Gleason, Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo General Manager Tommy Joe Lucia, and President and CEO of Days of ’47 Dan Shaw will accompany WCRA President Bobby Mote as each representative speaks on the state of the TCR and it’s future.

    The TCR is an annual bonus that will pay $1,000,000 to any one athlete or collection of athletes whom win first place in any three consecutive WCRA $1,000,000 Major Rodeos.

    The current WCRA 2020 schedule includes three major rodeos where athletes can qualify for the TCR $1,000,000 bonus, beginning in Kansas City, Missouri for the Royal City Roundup on February 28. The Kansas City event will be followed by the May 17 Stampede at The E in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The 2020 series is scheduled to wrap-up in Tacoma, Washington on August 28 with the Puget Sound Showdown.

  • Benny Binion Statue at South Point

    Benny Binion Statue at South Point

    The huge statue sitting in the walkway of the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas of Benny Binion on his horse, Trece, has traveled far to find a home here in this very busy thoroughfare within the confines of the headquarters of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association when the National Finals Rodeo comes to town. It is a larger than life bronze 15 feet tall and 16 feet long, weighing 2,800 pounds created by well-known sculptor, Deborah Copenhaver.

    Benny Binion was a successful businessman, who found his fortune in gambling in Dallas, Texas before moving to Las Vegas. The horse was owned by his daughter, Brenda, but Benny, who always wanted to live the western way of life, wanted her to sell him to her to use on his ranch in Montana. “No dice,” she said. Trece was one of 18 foals from the mare, Brenda Joe. “I think my dad thought if he made a bronze of him, I’d let him have the horse,” explained Brenda Binion Michael. The Texas Historical Society paid for Copenhaver to sculpt the bronze. It was placed in front of the famous Billy Bob’s, The Largest Honky Tonk in the World, in the Stockyards at Fort Worth, Texas and was unveiled on Benny’s 80th birthday. When Billy Bob’s was sold, Ronnie Campbell hauled the statue to Las Vegas and it was placed in front of the parking garage of The Horseshoe, Benny’s casino, on 2nd Street in downtown Las Vegas.
    Michael Gaughan, owner of South Point, wanted it once Binion’s were no longer owners of The Horseshoe. “It was out in a back street collecting bird shit,” said Gaughan. “Mr. Binion was very close to me – he never said no to me. I tried to get the statue a couple of times, and finally got it for $1. Getting it into South Point was a challenge. First it had to be cleaned – which took two people three days working on it. “We were told not to tilt it or use steel wool,” explained Gaughan, “So we used warm water, soap, and Irish-cut oatmeal to get it cleaned up. They cut a hole in the building, and a second hole to get it into the casino. It took an entire day – it was like moving a Trojan horse.”

    Benny Binion had a love of the west, and a high regard for cowboys. He was very instrumental in getting the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association National Finals Rodeo to move to Las Vegas. Since South Point has become the destination of the PRCA Convention, the Benny Binion World Famous Bucking Horse Sale, and so much more during the National Finals Rodeo plus so many other western events and competitions held there during the year the bronze of Benny Binion and Trece is destined to be a focal point at South Point forever.

  • Bareback rider Clayton Biglow wins third consecutive round

    Bareback rider Clayton Biglow wins third consecutive round

    LAS VEGAS – Bareback rider Clayton Biglow couldn’t have picked a better time to be riding his best.

    The Clements, Calif., cowboy won his third round in a row at the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo when he captured the Round 7 title with a 91.5-point ride on Rafter G Rodeo’s Ankle Biter before 16,786 spectators Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center

    Biglow’s score tied the Wrangler NFR bareback riding Round 7 record set by Bobby Mote on Big Bend Rodeo’s Spring Fling in 2008.

    “That was the best bull ride I ever made,” Biglow, 23, said with a laugh. “When she turned back, I was just trying to keep my feet up in her neck and stay with her, and she was really whipping it around there.”

    Ankle Biter also was voted top bareback horse of Round 7.

    Biglow is having an amazing Wrangler NFR. He won Round 5 with a 92.5-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Scarlett Belle and shared Round 6’s top honor with Caleb Bennett and Tilden Hooper, as all three riders had 88.5-point rides.

    Biglow’s ride in Round 6 came on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Freckled Frog. Biglow came into the Wrangler NFR as the leader in the PRCA | RAM World Standings, and he remains there with $292,786.

    Biglow has earned $110,834 at the Wrangler NFR and leads the average with 615 points on seven head.

    “I’ve been drawing really good and I feel good, and I want to keep the ball rolling,” Biglow said. “I’ve been very blessed that’s for sure. I’ve just been trying to keep my confidence in my head and forget about what’s going on. You don’t want to have your highs too high and your lows too low.

    “You only get on one horse at a time, so I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I’m taking it jump for jump and night by night, and I’m coming at it every night like it is a one-header. I’m giving it all I have when I nod my head.”

    Biglow is a four-time qualifier for the Wrangler NFR – 2016-19. His career-best finish was fourth in the world standings last year.

    Sage Kimzey wins his first round at this year’s Wrangler NFR

    Sage Kimzey, the reigning five-time PRCA world champion bull rider, has had a stout performance at the 2019 Wrangler NFR, and it got even better on Wednesday night.

    The Strong City, Okla., cowboy won his first round of this Wrangler NFR with a 90-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Smoke Wagon.

    “I wasn’t really paying attention, all I had to do was my job,” Kimzey said. “My mantra is ‘No noise,’ and I just climb on and take care of business.”

    Smoke Wagon is making his Wrangler NFR debut, but Kimzey had some history with him before Round 7.

    “He threw me off at Houston a couple of years ago, and it feels good to get him ridden for sure,” Kimzey said. “He’s been a bucker for a long time and was good tonight.”

    By winning the round, Kimzey earned $33,564 counting ground money. He leads the world standings with $363,816. He has a $113,378 lead over second-place Boudreaux Campbell.

    “That’s good – it all helps, and it all spends the same,” Kimzey said. “I am just trying to stay on nine bulls now since I was bucked off one. The rank bulls are out (Thursday night) and that’s all I’m worried about. I feel really good. I feel strong and healthy and all good.”

    Saddle bronc rider Zeke Thurston wins with round record – RodeoBum.com

    Zeke Thurston, the 2016 saddle bronc riding world champion, matched up with Northcott Macza’s Get Smart, the 2019 saddle bronc Pendleton Whisky “Let ’er Buck” Stock of the Year, in Round 7, and the results were historic.

    Thurston set the Wrangler Round 7 record with a 92.5-point ride. The previous Round 7 record of 90 points was shared by Billy Etbauer (2009), Chase Brooks (2018) and Wade Sundell (2018).

    “Yeah, that horse I’ve been on probably seven or eight times, and it’s gone good every time,” said Thurston, who was pumping his fist moments after his eight-second performance. “It’s one of those horses that, when you draw him, it could be his day or your day. It’s easy to underestimate him, because he’s not very big but bucks big and has a big heart. I’ve won a lot of money on that horse. He’s pretty special.

    “For him to win the world (saddle bronc horse of the year) this year and to be able to draw him at the Finals and ride him is pretty fun.”

    Thurston leads the saddle bronc riding world standings with $277,953. He also won Round 1 win an 88-point ride on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue.

    “It’s just about getting things going,” Thurston said. “I started off good (winning Round 1) and placed here and there. I had a couple nights of bad luck too, but you just look past it and keep rolling on. You just stick to the basics, and they’ll tell you who wins at the end.”

    Thurston, of Big Valley, Alberta, is happy to be part of a strong showing of Canadian saddle bronc riders. Jake Watson, of Hudson’s Hope, British Columbia, and Dawson Hay, of Wildwood, Alberta, won rounds 5 and 6, respectively.

    “Jake (Watson), Dawson (Hay) and I traveled together this year, and we had a blast,” Thurston said. “We had a lot of fun rodeoing, all had good years, won lots and made the Finals, which was really special. It’s Jake’s second time and Dawson’s first, and for us three to come here and do well just makes it all the better. Rodeo is a huge family, and having guys like that you get to be around all the time is pretty cool.”

    Team ropers Cody Smith/Wesley Thorp win round with record-tying run

    Team ropers Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp claimed their first round win of the 2019 Finals in record fashion.

    Snow and Thorp stopped the clock in 3.6 seconds to capture top honors in Round 7.

    That tied the Round 7 Wrangler NFR record shared by Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz

    (2009); Clay Tryan/Travis Graves (2012); and Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith (2015).

    “I try to do the same thing every time and ride hard across the line and put it on the steer’s head before I think about being fast,” Snow said. “It means a lot for this time in the NFR. We have placed along the way, and it’s good to get a win like that, but there are still some (rounds) left to build momentum.”

    Thorp was happy with how things unfolded.

    “That was the best steer we’d drawn, and I was in a better position to go faster,” he said.

    The $26,231 payday also was welcomed with open arms by Thorp. Snow and Thorp have each earned $62,885 at this year’s Wrangler NFR. They are first in the average with a 28.7-second time on six head.

    “We just need to keep the momentum going,” Snow said.

    Thorp is upbeat about the remainder of the Wrangler NFR.

    “I feel good,” Thorp said. “We haven’t changed from Round 1, and it just shaped up quicker tonight. It’s relieving to know we won’t need to change anything, just make the same run.”

    Team roping header Clay Smith ($234,551) and his heeling partner, Jade Corkill, ($192,676) are leading their respective world standings.

    Steer wrestler Stetson Jorgensen wins first career Wrangler NFR round

    Steer wrestler Stetson Jorgensen will never forget his first appearance at the Wrangler NFR.

    Now, the Blackfoot, Idaho, cowboy has even more reason to remember the experience after capturing his first career round win with a 3.4-second time in Round 7, the fastest of the rodeo through seven rounds.

    “It did feel good,” Jorgensen said. “Knowing I had a good steer like that and with my horse working good, I knew I had a good shot tonight. That (victory lap) was pretty awesome. Watching the NFR when I was 10 or 12, I always wanted to be here, and making that victory lap was an accomplishment and a dream come true. I’m just so grateful to be here doing what I love.”

    Jorgensen kept his head despite not getting a check in rounds 3 through 6.

    “I broke out last night, but I finally got the start down and knew I had to just not back off,” Jorgensen said. “I’m kind of out of the average, and the go-rounds are going to pay more than the average, so that’s what I’m going for. I’m feeling dangerous.”

    Jorgensen also was quick to praise his horsepower.

    “It’s a horse called Mable, who’s owned by Garrett Henry from Wyoming,” he said. “This is actually her first year going, and she’s working really good, so far. My expectations for her are way up there.”

    Ty Erickson is atop the steer wrestling world standings with $185,414.

    Tyler Milligan scores Round 7 win in tie-down roping

    Tie-down roper Tyler Milligan’s Wrangler NFR debut got better Wednesday night.

    The Pawhuska, Okla., cowboy clocked a 7.5-second run to win Round 7, the first of his career.

    “It was awesome, I don’t how else to explain it,” Milligan said. “It’s my first time here and this win is really humbling.

    “I knew she was pretty good, but she had a couple bad outs, the first guys that ran her didn’t do well with her. But she turned out good tonight.”

    Milligan had a witty answer to why his fortune changed in Round 7.

    “I got my boots shined, I think that might have something to do with it,” he said.

    Milligan was quick to credit his horse, Big Time, the 2019 Purina Tie-down Roping Horse of the Year presented by AQHA.

    “He’s doing really good,” Milligan said. “I’ve been the only person at fault for not winning as much as we should be, but he’s been really good.”

    Shane Hanchey is leading the tie-down roping world standings with $209,928.

    Hailey Kinsel gets her first round win of 2019 Wrangler NFR – RodeoBum.com

    Barrel racer Hailey Kinsel is finding her groove at the right time.

    The Cotulla, Texas, cowgirl recorded a 13.60-second run to win Round 7, her first of the 2019 Wrangler NFR.

    “Oh, it feels really good,” Kinsel said. “It’s nice to move up the dirt again. I kind of used my mulligan earlier when I had my first good ground draw, so I was glad to move back up and have a really good shot at it tonight. My horse has been trying hard, so I was glad to give her a good shot at it.”

    Kinsel has earned checks in four consecutive rounds and took over the world standings lead with $236,713 while aboard her horse, Sister.

    “Yeah, she’s loving it,” Kinsel said. “I wanted her to peak around this time of the week instead of early on and then have her get to where she wasn’t feeling good later on. She feels really strong, and she’s feeling better and better every night. That works for me.”

    The Round 7 victory was a big boost for Kinsel at the right time as she aims to win back-to-back world championships.

    “Oh, it’s really exciting,” Kinsel said. “Every little bit helps, and more than anything, she worked really honest and tried really hard. She was really firing, and that makes me excited to make three more runs.”

    Stetson Wright leads tight all-around world standings race.

    Rookie Stetson Wright still leads the all-around race in the 2019 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $247,576. He has a slim lead over reigning world champion team roping header Clay Smith ($245,402). Tuf Cooper, the 2017 all-around champ, is third in the standings with $222,640. Wright, who is third in the bull riding world standings, is trying to become the first roughstock rider to win the all-around crown since ProRodeo Hall of Famer Ty Murray did it in 1998. Smith cut into Wright’s lead after he and his partner – heeler Jade Corkill – took second in Round 6 with a 4.2-second run and earned $20,731.

    Barrel racer Amberleigh Moore leads RAM Top Gun Award standings

    Barrel racer Amberleigh Moore has earned the most money of any contestant at the 2019 Wrangler NFR – not counting ground money – with $114,923, putting her in the driver seat to win the RAM Top Gun Award.

    Bareback rider Clayton Biglow ($110,833) and bull rider Boudreaux Campbell ($109,000) are second and third, respectively.

    Another element of excitement at the Finals is the RAM Top Gun Award, which goes to the contestant who wins the most money in any single event at the Wrangler NFR.

    Seventh Performance Results, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019

    Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

    Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 91.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Ankle Biter, $26,231; 2. Orin Larsen, 90, $20,731; 3. Tanner Aus, 88, $15,654; 4. (tie) Richmond Champion and Tim O’Connell, 87.5, $8,885 each; 6. (tie) Clint Laye and Jake Brown, 86.5, $2,115; 8. Steven Dent, 86; 9. (tie) Kaycee Feild and Ty Breuer, 82; 11. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Caleb Bennett, 81.5; 13. Trenten Montero, 81; 14. Austin Foss, 51; 15. Taylor Broussard, NS. Average standings: 1. Clayton Biglow, 615 points on seven head; 2. Tim O’Connell, 609; 3. Richmond Champion, 604; 4. Orin Larsen, 597.5; 5. Kaycee Feild, 596.5; 6. Steven Dent, 596; 7. Tilden Hooper, 592; 8. Trenten Montero, 590.5; 9. Clint Laye, 586.5; 10. Caleb Bennett 521 on six; 11. Tanner Aus, 519.5; 12. Austin Foss, 476; 13. Ty Breuer, 425 on five; 14. Taylor Broussard, 415.5; 15. Jake Brown, 344.5 on four. World standings: 1. Clayton Biglow, $292,786; 2. Orin Larsen, $253,673; 3. Kaycee Feild, $207,359; 4. Tilden Hooper, $200,162; 5. Richmond Champion, $195,829; 6. Caleb Bennett, $186,056; 7. Tim O’Connell, $181,553; 8. Clint Laye, $151,800; 9. Trenten Montero, $143,219; 10. Tanner Aus, $140,249; 11. Ty Breuer, $120,911; 12. Austin Foss, $108,395; 13. Jake Brown, $107,184; 14. Steven Dent, $103,799; 15. Taylor Broussard, $93,502.

    Steer wrestling: 1. Stetson Jorgensen, 3.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Tyler Pearson, 3.8, $20,731; 3. (tie) Ty Erickson, J.D. Struxness and Matt Reeves, 3.9, $11,141 each; 6. Cameron Morman, 4.0, $4,231; 7. (tie) Bridger Chambers and Tanner Brunner, 4.1; 9. Tyler Waguespack, 4.2; 10. Riley Duvall, 4.4; 11. Dakota Eldridge, 4.9; 12. Will Lummus, 5.2; 13. Scott Guenthner, 11.8; 14. Hunter Cure, 18.3; 15. Kyle Irwin, 19.9. Average standings: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 29.7 seconds on seven head; 2. Matt Reeves, 33.9; 3. Cameron Morman, 34.2; 4. Riley Duvall, 34.4; 5. Bridger Chambers, 41.0; 6. Tyler Pearson, 41.6; 7. Dakota Eldridge, 42.5; 8. Hunter Cure, 49.3; 9. Ty Erickson, 49.6; 10. Stetson Jorgensen, 53.5; 11. Scott Guenthner, 56.4; 12. Kyle Irwin, 62.3; 13. J.D. Struxness, 24.1 on six; 14. Will Lummus, 27.1; 15. Tanner Brunner, 31.4 on five. World standings: 1. Ty Erickson, $185,414; 2. Tyler Waguespack, $177,925; 3. J.D. Struxness, $174,483; 4. Hunter Cure, $158,568; 5. Stetson Jorgensen, $153,246; 6. Bridger Chambers, $151,785; 7. Scott Guenthner, $148,853; 8. Dakota Eldridge, $140,180; 9. Tyler Pearson, $133,443; 10. Will Lummus, $128,267; 11. Kyle Irwin, $123,934; 12. Cameron Morman, $116,037; 13. Riley Duvall, $111,617; 14. Matt Reeves, $107,400; 15. Tanner Brunner, $84,950.

    Team roping: 1. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, 4.2, $20,731; 3. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 4.3, $15,654; 4. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 5.0, $11,000; 5. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 7.5, $6,769; 6. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 9.0, $4,231; 7. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 9.4; 8. (tie) Clay Tryan/Jake Long, Tyler Wade/Cole Davison and Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 9.5; 11. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 9.9; 12. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 11.2; 13. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, NT. Average standings: 1. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 28.7 seconds on six head; 2. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 37.0; 3. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 37.1; 4. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 37.9; 5. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 38.6; 6. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 42.0; 7. Tate Kirchenschlager/Tyler Worley, 63.9; 8. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 28.4 on five; 9. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 35.3; 10. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 38.1; 11. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 42.2; 12. Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 49.8; 13. Ty Blasingame/Travis Graves, 20.3 on four; 14. Clay Tryan/Jake Long, 27.9; 15. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 27.2 on three. World standings (headers): 1. Clay Smith, $234,551; 2. Chad Masters, $168,990; 3. Riley Minor, $160,534; 4. Cody Snow, $157,938; 5. Kaleb Driggers, $153,558; 6. Coleman Proctor, $153,241; 7. Clay Tryan, $147,222; 8. Brenten Hall, $139,119; 9. Tyler Wade, $135,856; 10. Luke Brown, $134,708; 11. Ty Blasingame, $132,220; 12. Matt Sherwood, $124,704; 13. Erich Rogers, $112,980; 14. Tate Kirchenschlager, $108,725; 15. Jake Cooper, $90,524. World standings (heelers): 1, Jade Corkill, $192,676; 2. Joseph Harrison, $171,739; 3. Brady Minor, $160,534; 4. Ryan Motes, $158,089; 5. Jake Long, $150,954; 6. Junior Nogueira, $150,877; 7. Wesley Thorp, $150,181; 8. Paul Eaves, $139,216; 9. Kyle Lockett, $137,711; 10. Chase Tryan, $136,537; 11. Cole Davison, $134,371; 12. Travis Graves, $133,896; 13. Hunter Koch, $132,807; 14. Tyler Worley, $104,177; 15. Caleb Anderson, $89,723.

    Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zeke Thurston, 92.5 points on Northcott Macza’s Get Smart, $26,231; 2. Ryder Wright, 88.5, $20,731; 3. Jake Watson, 87.5, $15,654; 4. Brody Cress, 86, $11,000; 5. Chase Brooks, 84.5, $6,769; 6. Spencer Wright, 78, $4,231; 7. Rusty Wright, 76; 8. Jesse Wright, 74.5; 9. Sterling Crawley, 73.5; 10. Jacobs Crawley, 67.5; 11. Mitch Pollock, Dawson Hay, Colt Gordon and J.J. Elshere, NS; 15. Bradley Harter, INJ. Average standings: 1. Brody Cress, 592.5 points on seven head; 2. Rusty Wright, 584.5; 3. Spencer Wright, 508 on six; 4. Zeke Thurston, 435.5 on five; 5. Jacobs Crawley, 402; 6. Jake Watson, 348 on four; 7. Chase Brooks, 345.5; 8. Jesse Wright, 334; 9. Colt Gordon, 329; 10. (tie) Ryder Wright and Dawson Hay, 260 on three: 12. Sterling Crawley, 239.5; 13. J.J. Elshere, 168 on two; 14. Bradley Harter, 86.5 on one; 15. Mitch Pollock, 84. World standings: 1. Zeke Thurston, $277,953; 2. Ryder Wright, $261,988; 3. Rusty Wright, $195,884; 4. Brody Cress, $185,539; 5. Spencer Wright, $183,553; 6. Chase Brooks, $173,950; 7. Jacobs Crawley, $169,089; 8. Jake Watson, $166,175; 9. Dawson Hay, $152,196; 10. Sterling Crawley, $149,389; 11. Jesse Wright, $132,736; 12. Bradley Harter, $127,543; 13. J.J. Elshere, $119,004; 14. Colt Gordon, $110,519; 15. Mitch Pollock, $109,542.

    Tie-down roping: 1. Tyler Milligan, 7.5 seconds, $26,231; 2. Adam Gray, 7.7, $20,731; 3. Tuf Cooper, 8.2, $15,654; 4. Riley Pruitt, 8.4, $11,000; 5. Caleb Smidt, 9.6, $6,769; 6. Haven Meged, 9.8, $4,231; 7. Ty Harris, 10.0; 8. Tyson Durfey, 10.7; 9. Shad Mayfield, 11.5; 10. Taylor Santos, 12.0; 11. Cooper Martin, 12.1; 12. Shane Hanchey, 17.5; 13. Michael Otero, 17.8; 14. Rhen Richard and Marty Yates, NT. Average standings: 1. Haven Meged, 60.2 seconds on seven head; 2. Tuf Cooper, 61.2; 3. Tyson Durfey, 62.5; 4. Taylor Santos, 64.3; 5. Tyler Milligan, 68.4; 6. Riley Pruitt, 71.7; 7. Caleb Smidt, 81.7; 8. Marty Yates, 52.1 on six; 9. Shane Hanchey, 55.1; 10. Shad Mayfield, 63.9; 11. Cooper Martin, 64.9; 12. Michael Otero, 66.0; 13. Ty Harris, 42.3 on five; 14. Rhen Richard, 49.4; 15. Adam Gray, 53.2. World standings: 1. Shane Hanchey, $209,928; 2. Riley Pruitt, $182,728; 3. Ty Harris, $173,438; 4. Haven Meged, $171,975; 5. Marty Yates, $170,970; 6. Tuf Cooper, $168,477; 7. Tyler Milligan, $165,436; 8. Tyson Durfey, $158,417; 9. Taylor Santos, $150,753; 10. Caleb Smidt, $148,669; 11. Adam Gray, $128,404; 12. Shad Mayfield, $127,075; 13. Michael Otero, $111,924; 14. Cooper Martin, $100,491; 15. Rhen Richard, $98,661.

    Barrel racing: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 13.60 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13.72, $20,731; 3. (tie) Lacinda Rose and Nellie Miller, 13.79, $13,327 each; 5. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 13.83, $6,769; 6. Shali Lord, 13.89, $4,231; 7. Stevi Hillman, 13.93; 8. Emily Miller, 13.94; 9. Jennifer Sharp, 13.96; 10. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 13.98; 11. Lisa Lockhart, 14.08; 12. Dona Kay Rule, 14.36; 13. Amberleigh Moore, 18.78; 14. Cheyenne Wimberley, 18.79; 15. Ericka Nelson, 24.28. Average standings: 1. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 96.88 seconds on seven runs; 2. Emily Miller, 96.95; 3. Nellie Miller, 97.56; 4. Shali Lord, 97.77; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 97.94; 6. Hailey Kinsel, 101.39; 7. Jessica Routier, 101.97; 8. Dona Kay Rule, 102.45; 9. Lisa Lockhart, 102.55; 10. Lacinda Rose, 103.65; 11. Jennifer Sharp, 108.04; 12. Amberleigh Moore, 110.92; 13. Cheyenne Wimberley, 118.05; 14. Ericka Nelson, 118.24; 15. Stevi Hillman, 98.44 on six. World standings: 1. Hailey Kinsel, $236,713; 2. Amberleigh Moore, $207,982; 3. Emily Miller, $196,991; 4. Nellie Miller, $193,168; 5. Lisa Lockhart, $181,313; 6. Dona Kay Rule, $174,623; 7. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, $168,423; 8. Jessica Routier, $159,467; 9. Shali Lord, $137,006; 10. Stevi Hillman, $130,989; 11. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $122,273; 12. Lacinda Rose, $116,494; 13. Jennifer Sharp, $114,024; 14. Ericka Nelson, $110,202; 15. Cheyenne Wimberley, $107,130.

    Bull riding: 1. Sage Kimzey, 90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Smoke Wagon, $33,564; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, 87, $28,064; 3. Tyler Bingham, 83.5, $22,987; 4. Stetson Wright, Trevor Kastner, Josh Frost, Koby Radley, Jeff Askey, Garrett Smith, Daylon Swearingen, Jordan Hansen, Jordan Spears, Trey Kimzey, Clayton Sellars and Trey Benton III, NS. Average standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, 527 points on six head; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, 441.5 on five; 3. Koby Radley, 435; 4. Tyler Bingham, 429.5; 5. Jordan Spears, 342.5 on four; 6. Stetson Wright, 269.5 on three; 7. Trey Benton III, 264.5; 8. Clayton Sellars, 256; 9. Daylon Swearingen, 180 on two; 10. Jordan Hansen, 179.5; 11. Garrett Smith, 178.5; 12. Jeff Askey, 170.5; 13. Trey Kimzey, 168; 14. Trevor Kastner, 86 on one; 15. Josh Frost, NS. World standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, $363,816; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, $250,438; 3. Stetson Wright, $216,999; 4. Tyler Bingham, $196,264; 5. Koby Radley, $178,849; 6. Trey Benton III, $175,995; 7. Garrett Smith, $171,769; 8. Jordan Hansen, $163,811; 9. Trevor Kastner, $161,216; 10. Daylon Swearingen, $159,068; 11. Jordan Spears, $157,779; 12. Clayton Sellars, $144,691; 13. Josh Frost, $129,561; 14. Jeff Askey, $127,925; 15. Trey Kimzey, $124,930.

    All-Around Standings: 1. Stetson Wright, $247,576; 2. Clay Smith, $245,402; 3. Tuf Cooper, $222,640; 4. Caleb Smidt, $161,959; 5. Trevor Brazile, $129,754; 6. Daylon Swearingen, $118,151; 7. Landon McClaugherty, $112,119; 8. Steven Dent, $111,577; 9. Rhen Richard, $104,653; 10. Josh Frost, $92,732.