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  • 5 Star Equine Products – Hazlee McKenzie

    5 Star Equine Products – Hazlee McKenzie

    Hazlee McKenzie had a unique babysitter when she was a little girl.

    When her parents would go to a roping, they’d put her in a pen, on her pony Trigger. She’d ride Trigger for hours, and they didn’t have to worry about her. That’s how she fell in love with horses, and her love hasn’t abated since then.

    The twelve-year-old cowgirl, a resident of Muldrow, Okla., is proud to be a part of the 5 Star Equine Products team.

    Hazlee competes in the barrel racing, pole bending, ribbon roping (running for Creek Williams) and breakaway roping.

    She uses three different horses for her events.

    Scooter, an eleven-year-old sorrel, is her barrel horse. A poor fit in the cutting horse industry, the family got him as a four-year-old, originally for Hazlee’s mom Tera to rope on. Scooter is hard-headed, Hazlee said, but he’s smart, really athletic, and loves to run barrels.

    BB is her pole horse. The eight-year-old sorrel was trained by her dad, Jason, and can also be used for the barrels and roping. He’s very personable, Hazlee said. “He loves attention and he does anything you ask him to do.”

    Her breakaway horse is a four-year-old named Junior. Junior is also good at the poles, but is used mostly for roping. He’s really calm and sweet, she said.

    Hazlee is home schooled, with her favorite subject being math and history a close second. Reading is not her favorite; she’d rather be on horseback. That’s why homeschooling is good for her; she can get her work done and head outside.

    She uses several 5 Star Equine Products.

    The saddle pads are her favorite, because they’re made out of wool and fit the horse well. They can be designed by the customer, and Hazlee has designed some of her own. “You can make them look the way you want them to look,” she said. She also appreciates the fact that saddle pads and horse boot colors can be matched. It’s important to her that her things match, with blue being the predominant color among her things. Her favorite saddle pad is white with a turquoise border, and the matching boots are navy with turquoise straps to match the pad. (Hazlee’s favorite color is teal.)

    The saddle pads also come with her initials on the backside. There are plenty of color options with the saddle pads, which is important to a girl who likes fashion. “It’s definitely a benefit for girls who want to bling up their pads, for sure,” Hazlee said.

    Jason and Tera, both ropers, have been using 5 Star Equine Products long before Hazlee became a member of their team. “We just really like the saddle pads,” Tera said, “because you can order them in different thicknesses, depending on the horse.” They come in different lengths, too, a little longer for roping saddles, a little shorter for barrel saddles.

    The McKenzies believe in the value of 5 Star Equine products. “We’ve owned several (saddle pads),”said Hazlee, “and as long as you take care of them, they last a long time.” They also come with a liner that can be used in the spring to protect the saddle pad so shed hair doesn’t get embedded. The liners can be used for dog or cat beds when they’re no longer needed, but the family has found that they can be used several years.

    When it comes to meals, Hazlee’s favorite is steak, corn on the cob, strawberries, and ice cream for dessert. She loves to drink Pepsis and eat Sweet Tarts.

    The best trip she’s taken was to Cheyenne Frontier Days a few years ago, when the family went to a rodeo performance and walked through the exhibits afterwards. She also enjoyed her time in Las Vegas when her dad qualified for the World Series Team Roping in 2017. They took in a night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and some of the trade shows.

    The McKenzie family has several pets.  In addition to their horses, they have Cowgirl, a full-blood blue heeler, who is three-legged, and Reins, a Jack Russell-blue heeler mix. They have a barn cat, Lizzy, who is supposed to be a mouser, but prefers her free meals from Hazlee. They also raise cattle.

    When she grows up, she’d like to be an interior designer and train and run barrel horses.

    She competes in the Oklahoma Junior High School Rodeo Association and the Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association (CRRA). Hazlee qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in the pole bending, finishing twenty-third in the nation this past summer. She competed at the CRRA Finals in Ft. Smith, Ark. last month in the barrel racing and won Rookie of the Year.

    Her mom and dad enjoy how determined and hard working their daughter is. “She knows the effort she has to put in to achieve the goals she has set for herself,” Tera said. Hazlee loves to just be on a horse. “She likes to be on them,” her mom said. “She doesn’t have to be working barrels or poles or roping. She enjoys just getting out and riding across the pasture.”

  • ‘It Was About A Show’: Altizer And Gay Receive Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award

    ‘It Was About A Show’: Altizer And Gay Receive Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award

    LAS VEGAS, NV – Few know entertainment better than Flint Rasmussen.

    The PBR’s Official Entertainer since 2006 remembers watching events put on by Bad Company Rodeo and being floored by what founder Mack Altizer had created.

    “He had rock’n’roll music, the crowd dancing, clapping along,” Rasmussen said at the PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa. “And I remember thinking, ‘Man, that would be fun if we could only do that everywhere.’”

    Rasmussen turned that same crowd involvement into a storied career, and credits Altizer with that inspiration.

    “It was about a show,” Rasmussen said. “It was about entertainment, ahead of his time in giving people in a transition from what rodeo was, to give them what it was, but to transition into something, frankly, that turned into a party that he wanted to invite everybody to. And I envied that, and it was ground-breaking, and he was a trendsetter.”

    Altizer was on hand as one of two recipients of the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award, honored along with fellow innovator Neal Gay.

    “It’s been a long, hard road, but this is a very great honor,” Altizer said.

    World Finals

    Altizer competed in rodeos himself and began to realize that the cost of living was higher than the amount he was able to earn. Thus, Bad Company Rodeo was born in 1981, with the intention of bucking that trend.

    The method? Turn the rodeo into an experience.

    Noting that the crowd would clap along to music, Bad Company Rodeo decided to incorporate more of it. They named bulls after rock songs, fielding a bull pen that included such classics as Bad to the Bone, Crazy Train, La Bamba, Smooth Criminal, Thunderstruck and many, many more.

    Nowadays, no Western sporting event is without the entertainment factor, and Altizer is pleased with the direction Western sports are headed.

    “We’ve got a lot of new features and new things happening in rodeo and PBR, and things are looking great,” he said.

    He also has a great appreciation for his fellow honoree.

    “Neal’s been somebody we looked up to for a long time, and I wish he could’ve been here,” Altizer said. “One of the questions I was asked in the (video) interview was, ‘What do you think Neal thought about the music?’

    “And I said, ‘Turn it up!’”

    Though Gay wasn’t on hand to accept the award, Sharon Shoulders received it on his behalf. The wife of the award’s namesake, she also had the distinction of competing with Gay for her husband’s affection.

    She affectionately dubs Gay “the other woman.”

    “Every time Jim got home from a rodeo, Neal would call him and he’d say Jim had to haul down to Mesquite for their rodeo,” Shoulders said. “I wasn’t too happy about that, because I’m home all the time anyway, trying to manage everything, Jim’s gone. And when he gets home, he’s got to go to Mesquite. I wanted him to stay home more. But guess what: didn’t happen.”

    Gay and Shoulders had co-founded the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, which would become a Western institution and forever change the way rodeo was consumed by fans around the world.

    Gay began his rodeo career as a contestant in 1945, riding bulls, saddle broncs and bareback horses, and wrestling steers. He and Shoulders traveled together as friends and competitors, founding the Mesquite Championship Rodeo in 1958.

    “To say that they were close friends was really an understatement,” Sharon Shoulders said. “When they weren’t together, they were on the telephone more than teenagers do texting today. And as they got older, that time just increased. They were on the phone almost daily in Jim’s last years.”

    RELATED: Neal Gay’s perseverance catapulted rodeo into the limelight

    The pair turned Mesquite into the cream of the crop in the rodeo world, growing from humble beginnings to hosting the likes of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Part of Mesquite’s power was that it aired on television on the east coast. It got so popular that Gay added a performance to the rodeo, running on Friday and Saturday nights for nearly six months a year.

    It can now be seen worldwide on cable, a model that PBR has since emulated.

    Prior to the Heroes & Legends Celebration, Gay spoke about what an honor it was to be receiving an award named for his old friend.

    “Jim Shoulders was my hero,” he said, pausing to wipe his eyes. “He was the best friend I ever had, but he was the best cowboy that ever went to a rodeo. And he was a different kind of a guy. Didn’t everybody like him. I did. I loved him.

    “It’s quite an honor to get the Jim Shoulders Award, I’ll tell you that. I probably don’t deserve it but I’m tickled to death I got it.”

    For Sharon Shoulders, who has known Gay for 72 years, the feeling is mutual.

    “Jim would probably have smart-aleck remarks to make about Neal,” Shoulders said. “But Neal, you know how much I love you, how much I love (your wife) Kay and your family. So you just have to know how happy it makes me to have you receive this award in Jim’s name.”

  • Shad Mayfield gets ready for his first NFR

    Shad Mayfield gets ready for his first NFR

    Shad Mayfield, from Clovis, New Mexico is the 2019 National High School Champion Tie Down Roper and has now qualified for his first WNFR. He grew up rodeoing. “My dad, Sylvester, did it, when we were little we went with them.” Sylvester made it to the NFR Finals twice (1985, 1987). “Since I turned 7, my parents took me to the junior rodeo associations.” He competed in New Mexico Junior Rodeo Association, making nationals all three years. He won the national title his sixth grade year in the ribbon roping, with his sister, Shelby. The next year he won the calf roping. Shad went on to high school rodeo, the first two years for New Mexico and then switched to Texas.

    This is his first year rodeoing in the PRCA and he had his sights set on making the NFR his rookie year. He got a big boost in that direction after making enough money at Cheyenne to boost him into the #14 spot. He traveled with his dad. “He’s taught me everything about roping and everything around that. Since he made the NFR, he knows all about how to make a living at it and the mental game.” Shad listens to Tyson Durfey about having a strong mind. “That’s how you think … it’s a big part of it. Just blocking everything out – the interviews – the other runs, the bad draws and all of it.”

    He also attributes his success to riding a lot of different horses over the years and having a rope in his hand constantly. “I rope a lot at home,” said the 18 year old. “I’ve roped on a lot of different horses so I know how to ride a horse. I rope the dummy a lot.” His main competition horse is a 16-year-old gelding named Jango. “He is probably the most honest horse out there. He’s the same horse when you back in the box and never going to cost you anything.”

    He also likes the road. “There’s nothing but a Walmart in Clovis. I like to drive and see different places.”  He also likes traveling with his dad. “Most people don’t rodeo like I do and that’s why he’s with me. He may think I don’t listen, but I do.”

    Mom, JoEllen, stays home.  “I’m the hired hand at home,” she jokes. “I worked as a mortgage loan process up until I had Shad. Once he was born I chose to stay home and be with them. I was able to do that – I’m a substitute teacher now.” Sylvester can work on the road – he buys and sells cattle.

    She is very proud of both her kids. “I have two great kids – my daughter is at Texas Tech and has a lot of ambition. She is focused on school and her career. God blessed Shad with a talent – and he’s worked extremely hard. He sacrificed basketball and other things to make rodeo first. He amazes me – I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

    Shad intends to continue his education, hoping to start college within a year. “I want to have an education and start doing something else to fall back on.” For now, it’s rodeo that he’s concentrating on. He’s especially grateful to his sponsors, which include CSI, American Hat Company,  Hooey, Outlaw Equine, Tres Rios, Rock and Roll Denim, and Rattler Ropes.

  • ProFile: Dr. Doug Corey

    ProFile: Dr. Doug Corey

    story by Stacie Jones, for Whitman Magazine

    Those who know Dr. Doug Corey ’72 describe him as a humble, honest man — a straight shooter. He’s the type of guy who prefers to kick around the horse barn in dusty boots and a Western hat, but who will put on a sharp tux for a black-tie event and impress everyone with his cowboyish charm. He’s also the type of guy who makes change happen.
    The Whitman graduate has committed 40 years to protecting the well-being of rodeo livestock. Recognized as a national authority on animal welfare, the veterinarian has garnered many honors for his contributions to the sport, including a prestigious spot in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
    “When I was in vet school, they didn’t teach the terms ‘animal welfare’ and ‘animal rights,’” Corey said. “The first time I heard those words was from a young bull rider. He said, ‘We really need to work on these animal welfare issues now, because they are going to become even bigger issues.’ I didn’t know what he was talking about at the time, but he was right.”
    In 1981, Corey joined the newly formed Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Animal Welfare Committee, taking a lead role in crafting the national guidelines and regulations for the care and welfare of rodeo livestock. He authored “A Guide to Veterinary Service at PRCA Rodeos” and traveled the country lobbying for rule changes and educating the rodeo and public.
    The PRCA now has more than 60 animal welfare rules, including the requirement for an on-site veterinarian and a livestock ambulance at every professional rodeo.
    “It used to be there were always ambulances and medical staff for the people, but never for the animal-athletes,” he said. “It was a big deal to make that happen.”
    Corey has remained an active volunteer in the PRCA over four decades. Each December, he spends two weeks at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas as the media spokesperson on animal welfare issues.
    In 2007, he was recognized for his leadership in animal welfare with the highest honor in the rodeo industry: He was the first – and remains the only – veterinarian inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
    “It was the ultimate honor,” he said. “There were so many people throughout the country who played a part in developing all of these guidelines. I share the honor with them.”
    In 2011, the American Association of Equine Practitioners honored Corey with the Distinguished Life Member Award. He was also named Oregon Veterinarian of the Year in 1997.
    “I really enjoy the Western lifestyle and want to keep those Western traditions alive,” Corey said. “I truly believe the welfare of these animals is one of the biggest challenges to continuing that heritage.”
    Growing up on a large cattle and sheep ranch, Corey formed an affinity for working with large animals at an early age. While at Whitman, the biology major considered medical school, but his heart steered him in another direction.
    “Whitman gave me a very good background for moving on to that next degree,” he said.
    He earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1976, then returned to Eastern Oregon to join the Associated Veterinary Medical Center in Walla Walla. Now semi-retired, Corey still tends to his beloved equine patients.
    “Horses are extremely incredible animals, and to be part of their lives and take care of them on a daily basis has been something truly special,” Corey said. “There hasn’t been a day it felt like work.”
    While Corey is well-known on the national rodeo circuit, he’s also a celebrity around his hometown rodeo: the Pendleton Round-Up. Thousands of competitors and fans flock each year to the annual weeklong event in September.
    “In Pendleton, there are two times of year: before the Round-Up and after the Round-Up,” Corey said.
    Corey, a Pendleton native, has been a part of the Round-Up since he was a child. He is a past president and member of the Round-Up board of directors, and he volunteers as the rodeo’s on-site veterinarian.
    His wife Heather, who died in 2012, also had a long history with the event: She was the first woman named to the Round-Up’s board. Their daughter, Cydney, and son, Bobby, now hold Round-Up leadership roles.
    “It’s always been an important tradition for our family, and it’s important to the economy of our city,” Corey said.
    Corey and friend Andy McAnally started another annual event that has become a boon to the Pendleton economy: the Pendleton Whisky Music Fest. Now in its fourth year, the event has featured sold-out shows with headliners Zac Brown Band, Maroon 5, Blake Shelton, Pitbull and Post Malone.
    “We wanted to bring the best entertainment to Pendleton so people could see great entertainers without having to go to a big city,” he said. “It was a crazy idea, but so far it seems to be working.”
    Longtime friend Eric Johnson ’72 said Corey’s community involvement reflects a deep affection for his hometown.
    “He’s Mr. Pendleton,” Johnson said. “Community runs in his blood.”
    Corey credited his education at Whitman for providing not only the foundational skills to put his passions into action, but also the perspective to spur change on both local and national levels.
    “Whitman gave me a well-rounded education that shaped my mind and opened my eyes to a lot of different viewpoints and opinions,” he said. “It genuinely made me a better person.”

  • Roper Review: Kyle Lockett

    Roper Review: Kyle Lockett

    story by Leigh Lockett

    Fourteen years later and by the grace of God this man is returning to the Thomas & Mack arena in Las Vegas, to compete in his eighth National Finals rodeo! Those who know him are not surprised. He will go down in history as one of the greatest cowboys that has ever lived! One who some will say, walked away from the game too early in his career. It was a choice he made for himself and for his family.
    2005 was the last year Kyle Lockett competed at the NFR. He was 28 years old. He finished that year second in the world with his partner Wade Wheatley. At the time, I was pregnant with our first child, who was born later that summer. That was his seventh and last trip to the big show (so we thought).
    I always encouraged him to continue to rodeo and pursue his dream of one day winning the world, but he’d just smile and say he “didn’t want to be away from his family.”So life went on and four babies later he had evolved into the greatest Mr. mom you’ve ever seen! From changing diapers, to warming up breastmilk, to lugging multiple car seats, to pick-ups and drop offs to nap times and spoon feeding baby food, to adjusting to life with multiple small children, which meant a play pen in the arena, saddling and hauling ponies to brandings and jackpots, to strapping down car seats in a golf cart for a game of golf with the guys. All of this while I worked 1-2 jobs at the hospital, this guy had it down! It wasn’t unusual for me to get texts of other moms telling me how Kyle had handled all four kids, by himself at a rodeo or a branding like a pro!
    When the best headers in the world would call him and try to recruit him out of retirement, only for him to turn them down and say that he wanted to stay home with his family…it makes you grateful that you married such an admirable man, but it also makes you feel a sense of guilt. I always knew he was the best of the best and felt like too bad we couldn’t just load up and go! But rodeo with four kids? Dream on. It would be a divide in our family. He would have to be gone 9-10 months out of the year and that was something he wasn’t willing to sacrifice.
    He once told me, “Ii don’t miss rodeoing, I just wish I could make the finals one more time!” Oh okay Kyle – dream on – that’s impossible. The only way to make the finals is to go hard all year and hope that you land somewhere in the top 15 money standings! That’ll never happen (so I thought!)
    Well last winter he thought he’d do his friend Aaron Tsinagine a favor and heel for him at some rodeos in Texas. It wouldn’t be a long time away from home. He could fly in and fly out and make a weekend out of it. The two ended up winning San Angelo which allowed Kyle an invitation to compete at the infamous Houston rodeo! A once in a lifetime chance for a guy like Kyle, who doesn’t rodeo full time, to earn a solid pay check! He was gone for three weeks, but it was worth it! At the end of the month long rodeo, he and his partner Ty Blasingame WON IT! I was working at the hospital, hiding out in an empty room watching it on live on my phone! I screamed when I knew what had just happened! He had just won over $50,000 and earned himself a shot to make the NFR one last time! For the next three months, his name was at the top of the PRCA heeling standings! My husband has known since March that he will be returning to the big show! A thought that is almost too big to wrap your mind around! He will be 42 when he competes again and is still just as sharp as ever!
    This last weekend the 2019 season came to an end. The top 15 contestants in each event have been determined and he will go into it ranked the #6 heeler in the world! He has picked his partner and will rope with past world champion Erich Rogers! What an accomplishment!
    The last time he competed he was 28, unmarried and had no kids. This year will be a bit of a different story. Our kids know exactly what their dad has achieved and are his biggest cheerleaders! They will be 13, 11, 9 and 6 when they watch their dad compete against the best of the best for 10 straight nights!
    So if you’re picking a fantasy team or thinking about rooting for an under-dog, place your bets on this one! There is nothing he can’t do! If you’ve never been, you need to go!
    2019 will definitely go down as the wildest year thus far!

  • Is it the Horse or Horsemanship?

    Recently at a jackpot I watched a young girl whose head horse was ducking out hard. It was pretty scary and like most people watching I assumed he just wasn’t that great of a horse. Not long afterwards she and her father came to me for private lessons. While we were playing back the video after our first roping session, we started looking at her feet and how they were in the wrong place. When she threw her rope, she would squeeze with her right leg and open her left leg with all her weight in her right stirrup.
    I was completely amazed how, after spending 30 or 45 minutes on the Speed Trainer, she began use her legs correctly. She rode very well, but it was a habit she was unaware of. Once she was using her legs and feet correctly, she was able to handle steers and set the corner up much better. Her dad was much the same way. When he threw his rope, he would unintentionally squeeze with both legs. His horse is very athletic and fast with a lot of buttons. It took a little longer for Dad to correct this habit because he’s been roping for 20 years and using his long legs to hang on with. It was incredible how much his horse relaxed and quit climbing, enabling him to set his corners up.
    It’s truly amazing how many mistakes we, as team ropers, make with our hands and feet. We get mad at our horse for not working correctly. But we have a tendency to give up our riding to be able to catch the cow. The difference in how these two horses looked and worked after just a couple of days was mind-blowing. In the beginning they looked out of control.
    If you have a horse with a lot of buttons and feeling, that means he works off leg pressure. You need to be aware of when you’re doing things wrong. When it feels like your horse is making mistakes, there’s a good chance it’s pilot error. That’s just one of the reasons I love using video to teach. There’s no argument once we freeze the frame. It’s obvious where your feet and hands are and whether you’re the cause of what is happening with your horse.
    You need to be able to go slowly on a dummy and do things correctly. That means doing it at a walk. It’s surprising how many #5 and #6 ropers cannot stand to rope the dummy at a walk. It exposes holes in the foundation of your roping. It’s hard to improve without a good foundation to build on. The lack of a good foundation is why a lot of team ropers’ numbers never change.
    You should be able to walk up behind the Hot Heels on your horse slowly, rope it, pull your slack, dally, keep your horse moving forward, then turn off and go left, and face at a walk without making your horse change speed. If you cannot do everything controlled at this pace where your feet and hands are in the correct position – it will be very difficult to do it correctly while running live cattle. Most professional sports teams make their players walk through drills – to make sure their feet are in the right place. That’s why I believe in slowing things down to become more consistent.

  • Featured Athlete: Hazlee McKenzie

    Featured Athlete: Hazlee McKenzie

    Hazlee McKenzie had a unique babysitter when she was a little girl. When her parents would go to a roping, they’d put her in a pen, on her pony Trigger. She’d ride Trigger for hours, and they didn’t have to worry about her. That’s how she fell in love with horses, and her love hasn’t abated since then.
    The twelve-year-old cowgirl, a resident of Muldrow, Okla., is proud to be a part of the 5 Star Equine Products team.
    Hazlee competes in the barrel racing, pole bending, ribbon roping (running for Creek Williams) and breakaway roping.
    She uses three different horses for her events. Scooter, an eleven-year-old sorrel, is her barrel horse. A poor fit in the cutting horse industry, the family got him as a four-year-old, originally for Hazlee’s mom Tera to rope on. Scooter is hard-headed, Hazlee said, but he’s smart, really athletic, and loves to run barrels.
    BB is her pole horse. The eight-year-old sorrel was trained by her dad, Jason, and can also be used for the barrels and roping. He’s very personable, Hazlee said. “He loves attention and he does anything you ask him to do.”
    Her breakaway horse is a four-year-old named Junior. Junior is also good at the poles, but is used mostly for roping. He’s really calm and sweet, she said.
    Hazlee is home schooled, with her favorite subject being math and history a close second. Reading is not her favorite; she’d rather be on horseback. That’s why homeschooling is good for her; she can get her work done and head outside.
    She uses several 5 Star Equine Products. The saddle pads are her favorite, because they’re made out of wool and fit the horse well. They can be designed by the customer, and Hazlee has designed some of her own. “You can make them look the way you want them to look,” she said. She also appreciates the fact that saddle pads and horse boot colors can be matched. It’s important to her that her things match, with blue being the predominant color among her things. Her favorite saddle pad is white with a turquoise border, and the matching boots are navy with turquoise straps to match the pad. (Hazlee’s favorite color is teal.)
    The saddle pads also come with her initials on the backside. There are plenty of color options with the saddle pads, which is important to a girl who likes fashion. “It’s definitely a benefit for girls who want to bling up their pads, for sure,” Hazlee said.
    Jason and Tera, both ropers, have been using 5 Star Equine Products long before Hazlee became a member of their team. “We just really like the saddle pads,” Tera said, “because you can order them in different thicknesses, depending on the horse.” They come in different lengths, too, a little longer for roping saddles, a little shorter for barrel saddles.
    The McKenzies believe in the value of 5 Star Equine products. “We’ve owned several (saddle pads),”said Hazlee, “and as long as you take care of them, they last a long time.” They also come with a liner that can be used in the spring to protect the saddle pad so shed hair doesn’t get embedded. The liners can be used for dog or cat beds when they’re no longer needed, but the family has found that they can be used several years.
    When it comes to meals, Hazlee’s favorite is steak, corn on the cob, strawberries, and ice cream for dessert. She loves to drink Pepsis and eat Sweet Tarts.
    The best trip she’s taken was to Cheyenne Frontier Days a few years ago, when the family went to a rodeo performance and walked through the exhibits afterwards. She also enjoyed her time in Las Vegas when her dad qualified for the World Series Team Roping in 2017. They took in a night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and some of the trade shows.
    The McKenzie family has several pets. In addition to their horses, they have Cowgirl, a full-blood blue heeler, who is three-legged, and Reins, a Jack Russell-blue heeler mix. They have a barn cat, Lizzy, who is supposed to be a mouser, but prefers her free meals from Hazlee. They also raise cattle.
    When she grows up, she’d like to be an interior designer and train and run barrel horses. She competes in the Oklahoma Junior High School Rodeo Association and the Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association (CRRA). Hazlee qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in the pole bending, finishing twenty-third in the nation this past summer. She competed at the CRRA Finals in Ft. Smith, Ark. last month in the barrel racing and won Rookie of the Year.
    Her mom and dad enjoy how determined and hard working their daughter is. “She knows the effort she has to put in to achieve the goals she has set for herself,” Tera said. Hazlee loves to just be on a horse. “She likes to be on them,” her mom said. “She doesn’t have to be working barrels or poles or roping. She enjoys just getting out and riding across the pasture.”

  • Back When They Bucked with Florence Youree

    Back When They Bucked with Florence Youree

    story by Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns

    Tiny Florence Price, from Addington, Oklahoma, learned cowboy skills early and well, in the footsteps of her Daddy, John Henry Price, and many other top hands. She cut a wide swath into the world of rodeo and followed it faithfully for decades, claiming amazing victories in equality for cowgirls. Last July, Florence pioneered even more territory for them, becoming the first “Notable” the ProRodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted under the umbrella of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).
    “That was REALLY something! I never dreamed of such a thing,” Florence said. Her “desire for women to rodeo, and to help get bigger and better barrel races for them” was incidental in her mind; and she claims her 2019 induction “just kind’a happened.”
    “My folks had box seats at the Fort Worth rodeo, and they always had horseback ‘Musical Chairs’ there,” said Florence about her beginning in rodeo. “I thought that was the neatest thing I had ever seen, but I had never done anything like that! I’d heard about barrel racing, so I got one of Dad’s best pasture (working ranch) horses and started training him.” By the time she was 14 Florence and that horse competed in small rodeos close to home.
    Those were pioneer days for women’s rodeo, with some of those events having no set pattern and possibly old, used water heaters for markers if there was a pattern. Possessing foresight beyond her years, such infrequent, novelty events weren’t part of Florence’s vision. She identified a need for organization, standardization, and recognition for girls and their horses – and set out to make it happen.

    Florence called her favorite arena horse ‘Chubby’, but the beautiful Palomino Quarter Horse’s registered name was Chubby Dun. “Grandad bought him as a stallion, and stood him for several years. When he didn’t want any more foals from him he gelded him. He was always real nice, and easy to work with,” Florence remembers. “He was a natural at working cows, and he learned the barrels pretty fast. I used a regular little old grazing bit, never needed anything else on him.”
    Florence wasn’t the only good cowgirl in her family . . . sister Sherry Price shared the passion for horses and competition. Competing in rodeo was a rare treat for the Price sisters – busy growing up, going to school, and helping on the ranch – yet Florence did everything she could to help promote it, especially for women. Those efforts birthed the pioneering Girl’s Rodeo Association (GRA). “I didn’t travel to rodeos until after Dale Youree and I married,” Florence says. “He was a calf roper, and we pulled two horses behind a car in an old open top 2 horse trailer.” She remembers a storm that came up as they were heading to a rodeo in West Texas. “We pulled into a lumber yard in some little town, and got a big tarp. We tied it on there to cover the top and protect the horses a little,” Florence explained. “And when we pulled into the rodeo grounds Dale said, ‘Let’s just stop out here, I don’t want those people to see what we look like!’”
    “We traveled some with Manuelita and Jim Mitchell before we girls joined the GRA. Fay Ann Leach and Billy were also great traveling companions,” Florence says. “By that time we had bought a pickup and a little 8’ camper, so we’d park out in the infield, on the backside of the rodeo grounds. Our kids John and Renee went along from 4-years of age, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. That kind of life was a good education in itself. They learned to meet, socialize and talk to people. We and our kids sit and talk and reminisce a lot about those times today, remembering and wondering about people we used to camp next to – you remember them forever, and wonder where they are now.”
    Two Youree’s rodeoing worked so well, they often even rode the same horse. They didn’t even change bridles, as Florence explains, “I rode with whatever he had on the horse’s head. There was usually only a couple or three events between the calf roping and barrels . . . lots of times we just had time to change saddles.”
    Rodeo can be a dangerous sport, even in women’s events, but Florence says, “I can’t remember having many bad wrecks.” Then she giggles, “There was that time at a rodeo in Weatherford.” Florence was on Mr. Ed, given to her by R.A. Brown from Throckmorton, Texas; a ranch horse he’d told her she needed, and he wanted her to have. His solid ranch horse background was about to be tested. Florence recalls,
    “That day he turned the most awesome barrels, and was making the best run of my life. As we turned the end barrel to come back a big bucking bull escaped from the chutes, coming right at me! I just kept right on running for the line, and the bull swerved around and went behind me . . . I won it!”
    There was no room for weak hearts in the barrel racing arena . . . but there was a lot of class and color, flash and pizzaz! A new fabric called “stretch lame’” sparked the rodeo fashion scene in the 1950’s. Tailored lame’ pants, electrically shiny as tinfoil and rainbow in color, fit cowgirls like a second skin.
    “Manuelita Mitchell was the first person I saw wearing that fabric,” Florence remembers. “She lived over there by Maude McMorries who sewed fashions for Manuelita, and June Ivory and Jo Decker. I had her make mine also.”

    She did join the fledgling GRA in 1951. She became a Director, then 1960-1964 President. During many years as Secretary-Treasurer, Florence was instrumental in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) approving women’s Barrel Racing as a sanctioned event. “I loved working in the GRA office . . . I knew all those names from typing rodeo results, over and over! This year, in Colorado Springs for my Induction, I met Wanda Cagliari. I knew that name and had written it forever. I was honored to meet her!”

    Somehow, along with doing all that GRA business, Florence and her fast horses raced their way into the GRA’s annual Top 15 six times! She then transitioned with GRA into the WPRA and captured their All-Around title in 1966.
    Ever willing to share their talents and knowledge, Youree’s instituted a program for youth. “We held horsemanship camps here at the ranch for 14 years. We also held them other places – all over. We’d fly out of here Friday morning and go wherever, have a lecture that night and teach all day Saturday and Sunday; and then get home as fast as we could for Monday morning,” Florence explains. “We were training horses for the public and if a day passed we didn’t ride your horse, we’d only charge you for feed. We’d have as high as 18 or 20 horses in the barn, and after we got bigger Martha Tompkins and Sandy Hickox Bowden came and lived with us and rode for us, also Connie Combs fom Comanche.”
    “When we got enough others that could help with the training, I backed off and did the cooking,” Florence explains. “Now Renee has three daughters and they all train here every day, and I cook lunch for them.”
    Florence started a family tradition of barrel racing excellence and is proud to say, “My granddaughter Janae Ward Massey won the World title in 2003, and also won the National Finals Average. During the time she was in Vegas for that NFR, she had to complete the Finals Exams for her college degree. The teachers sent the tests out there to the University and she went and took them. She made it, and won the College National Finals barrel racing average, also.”
    Barrel racers revere Youree for elevating the status of their event. “Jack Buschbomb was the RCA President when I met with them and convinced the Board to rule that any barrel race held at an RCA rodeo would have to be GRA approved. I asked for 10% of the approved purse, too, and that happened. Before that, we might go to a rodeo and all we’d have to run for would be $50 or $100 the committee had put up.”
    The National Finals Rodeo incorporating Barrel Racing was another major Youree coup. “It was like a dream come true, we were very grateful. I met with Stanley Draper and Clem McSpadden and convinced them the NFR needed pretty girls and fast horses. They needed the GRA . . . they needed some color!”
    She’s still pushing and providing NFR color. “Last year my granddaughter Kylie Weast went to the NFR, so my daughter and I bought white Wranglers and dyed them purple, red, brown, green, all bright colors. She had a sponsor out of Canada who sent her a dozen shirts in all colors, too,” Florence says.
    All Girl Rodeos is another avenue that Florence and Dale explored. “Dale and I produced some all-girl rodeos years after they’d quit having them,” Florence remembers. “When we started doing that at Duncan, in the 70’s, we got some of my Daddy’s young beef bulls and flanked them for buckin’ bulls. We took all our barrel and pasture horses and used them for bareback broncs. We didn’t have any better sense but to try and do things! And as long as we were doing, we had a very blessed life!” she says.
    “We’ve had happiness, and I’ve had the best husband a girl could ever have. My life has been a blessing, and the most wonderful thing. My success, I think, is because I had God with me all the time, and still do! Without Him we are nothing . . . and He’s not through with us yet! I am 86, and Dale is 91 . . . he’s kind’a tired this afternoon, he just got done sowin’ his wheat…”

  • On The Trail with Stetson Wright

    On The Trail with Stetson Wright

    Stetson’s first bucking horse was his brother. “We had a TV stand with swinging doors,” he explained. “Rusty would get in there, we’d open the door, and he’d ride out, with me or Ryder riding.”

    Now, at the age of 20, he’s joining his two brothers at the WNFR. “I didn’t know how soon it was going to happen, but I’m glad it’s now,” said the Beaver, Utah, cowboy who is going to Vegas sitting second in the bull riding and leading the all around. “I felt like I was ready, but I didn’t think I would have this much success this soon – I’ve always expected it of myself. Me and my brothers have always dreamed of this since watching my dad.” And watch their dad, Cody, is what Stetson has done since he was little. He’s been to every performance of the WNFR since he was three years old, watching dad for 13 years, then Rusty, who made his first WNFR in 2015, then Ryder in 2016, and now he is going.

    The Wright family has made NFR history twice now – in 2014 when four of them (Jesse, Jake, Cody and Spencer) all qualified for the WNFR in the same year and again in 2016 when Cody and his sons, Rusty and Ryder, became the first father and two sons to compete in the same event at the WNFR.

    “In my opinion, my dad’s the greatest bronc rider that ever lived. He might not have 6 world titles to show for it, but he’s perfected the style – he stays back, sets his feet, and he’s fast. From a husband to a dad – everything – he’s great. He tells us to trust our stuff and keep gassing it and just perform like you’re in the practice pen. He keeps us all positive; he’s a very positive guy.”

     

    Cody enters all three of his sons as well as two others. “He’s one of the best – he enters five guys and all five of us made it to the Finals this year. If we didn’t have him, we’d lose a lot of sleep. He wakes up every morning, looks at the books and enters us.” Along with entering the boys, Cody enjoys training dogs – border collies and kelpies. “Training dogs and entering us makes his living.” Along with his two older brothers, Rusty and Ryder, Stetson has a younger brother, Statler, 16; and a younger sister, Lily, 10. “Stetson’s my middle man,” said his mom, ShaRee. All of her kids rodeo and say collectively that if Lily could ride rough stock she’d be better than all the boys.

    Stetson started riding broncs the summer before his freshman year in high school. He started riding bulls in the 5th and under state program and then did junior high and miniature bulls before getting on bulls in high school. “I honestly wasn’t good at riding bulls, Rusty and Ryder were better and it bugged me that I wasn’t good at it. It finally clicked my junior year and it’s been good going ever since.” He also played football and wrestled.
    His senior year, 2017, he won the National High School Finals All Around along with All Around at the IFYR the same year. After high school, he rode on his permit in 2018.

     

    He had a setback last year in Kansas. “I had won about $70,000 on my permit. The bull stepped down on my hips. I tore my knee and it put me out for the rest of the year.” When he went to enter San Angelo, he had $100 left. “That made me really smart about my money. It was an awful feeling.” He won the first round and that put $5,000 back in his pocket. He won two rounds in San Antonio, so left there with over $20,000. That made rodeoing a little easier on my stomach.”

    He had another setback when he broke his jaw this July in Kansas. “Honestly, it didn’t give me a concussion; it was such a perfect hit under my jaw. He hit me in the head first time, and that slid my helmet up; now I’ve got plates and screws and I lost four front bottom teeth.”

    He kept riding horses, but didn’t do as well as he had hoped. He got on his first bull in St George, September 21, but had slipped behind Sage Kimzey in the standings. “I passed him and broke my jaw. There’s plenty of money to be won. If I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t have bought my card.”
    Stetson will join his two brothers as the recipient of the Resistol Rookie of the Year in the saddle bronc riding. He is also a contender for the All Around and Bull Riding saddles. “It’s not surprising,” said ShaRee of her son’s accomplishments. “He has always been a determined kid. Once he sets his mind to stuff, he works to get it. It’s super neat to see him work towards these goals. It was a setback when he broke his jaw July 31 in Dodge City, the day after his birthday.” That rodeo was one he went to by himself. “He usually travels with Ryder, and he was by himself. “I think they are each other’s biggest support team,” she said. “It’s hard as a mom when you have one that wins and one that doesn’t.”

    Now that Stetson is about to get on 10 bulls, he is working on keeping in shape. “I’m hopefully going to be healthy and fast so I can outlast everyone there.” He’s doing it with speed and agility drills, to get his feet fast. He likes to ride his bike too. “I jump up on crates, sprint through ladders, and run across the field. Mostly running and jumping.” His goal for the WNFR is to be the fourth guy to ride all ten bulls at the NFR; Jim Sharp, 1988; Adriano Moraes, 1994; Norman Curry, 1990. “I figure if I did that the world champion would come easy.”

    After the WNFR, Stetson and his fiancé, Callie, will welcome their first daughter in January. The couple plan to marry shortly after the WNFR. Stetson will start the 2020 season in Denver. “I’m going to get on for as long as I can,” he concluded. “I’m excited to see what’s in store for us.”

     

    Stetson family – Steve Gray

  • The Importance of Patience

    God will always provide. He will provide what we need when we need it. The importance of remaining patient and continuing to trust in his will and his plan is important. Lately, the story of Abraham, Sarah, and their promised son has really intrigued me and inspired me to keep trusting and know that God is faithful.

    In Genesis 18 the story begins with Sarah and Abraham being told by the Lord through three visitors that when one of them returned at that time next year that Sarah would have a son. Sarah laughed to herself thinking she was too old and worn out to bear a child. She didn’t think there was any way that she and Abraham could have a child. In verse fourteen the Lord replied “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

    In chapter twenty one, the first verse says “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.” So, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. This happened at the exact time God said it would. Abraham was a hundred years old at the time of Isaac’s birth. Not only was the birth of Isaac a miracle but a true witness of God’s faithfulness on his timing.

    Abraham and Sarah were promised over twenty five years before this, that they would have a son. Twenty five years, I don’t know about you, but most of the time I don’t even want to wait twenty five minutes let alone years. Human nature is to question the timing of God just as Sarah did. She thought there was no way after so many years that she could have a child, but as we see, since the beginning of time NOTHING is impossible for God. The same is true today. When we think there’s no way we can get our miracle, or when we think its past time, God is always working something out. God is always faithful even when we don’t see it. He’s always working out his plan, on his time, for his glory.

    Well it is hard to remain strong in faith during our waiting seasons you might say. God never promised that waiting would be easy. He never said waiting wouldn’t test us. He never said waiting would be a walk in the park. I will agree, our human nature wants what we think is best for us right now, but in Isaiah 40:31 we see the benefit of waiting through our struggles. “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

    God will keep us going. God will strengthen us through our struggle. When we take our eyes off the mountain, and keep them on the mountain mover, God sustains us! I encourage whoever is reading this to keep going. Don’t give up. Don’t give up on that dream God gave you. Pick it back up and and keep working on it. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep waiting patiently. God is faithful and will bring it to pass! Is anything to hard for the Lord?

  • Roping World Champions Crowned at WPRA World Finals

    Roping World Champions Crowned at WPRA World Finals

    WACO, TEXAS – The 2019 WPRA Roping Season officially came to an end on Saturday night, Oct. 26, at the Extraco Event Center in Waco, Texas, when world champions were crowned.

    In the tightest race for No. 1 in 2019 and most lucrative race year, Kelsie Chace held on to defend her title from a year ago winning the breakaway roping world title with $51,709. This marked her third consecutive world title in the breakaway roping and seventh overall world title, which includes titles in tie-down and all-around as well. Lari Dee Guy was hot on her heels with $51,301. Canadian Makayla Boisjoli squeaked by to win the average title in Waco with a four head time of 10.7 seconds. Nicole Baggarley and Hope Thompson finished in tie for second with 10.8-second totals. Taylor Munsell took home the WPRA Rookie of the Year title finishing with $50,301 in the final 2019 world standings.

    The first event finished on the day was in the tie-down roping when high school cowgirl Montanna “Gracie” Gambino captured the world title at the young age of 17. She will turn 18 on Dec. 12. She finished with $3,881 on the season besting Tanegai Zilverberg with $2,907. Gambino of Lindale, Texas, first bought her WPRA Junior Roping card in 2017 and has quickly climbed the ranks. She finished third in the average in Waco with 77.6 seconds on four head.

    Jordan Fabrizio originally from Colorado now making her home in Canyon, Texas, won the average in a total time of 53.6 seconds on four head in the tie-down roping. Fabrizio barely missed winning the reserve world title falling four cents short of Zilverberg in the final world standings. Shelby Massie won the WPRA Rookie of the Year award.

    Whitney DeSalvo of Springfield, Arkansas had already secured her third consecutive team roping heeling world title before she roped one head in Waco. DeSalvo finished the year with $26,261 on the year with the reserve world champion Annette Stahl finishing with $11,357. DeSalvo teamed with Hope Thompson in Waco to finish sixth in the average in a total time of 131.8 seconds on four head.

    Jackie Crawford and Jessica Remsburg took home the average title for the second straight year with a time of 29.3 seconds. Finishing second was Beverly Robbins and Rylie Smith with a 38.1 seconds. That finish helped Robbins win her first world title with $27,698 over reserve world champion Crawford with $22,484. Kyla Stamps was crowned the WPRA Rookie of the Year on the heading side while Danielle Lowman won it on the heeling side.

    Crawford defended her title in the all-around and added her 19th world title in 2019 finishing the year with $7,173, just ahead of good friend Chace that finished with $6,087.

    This year the Wrangler Network added $15,000 in bonus money and developed the Wrangler Network Tour for breakaway and barrel racing. The breakaway roping money was handed out in Waco with Sarah Morrissey of Ephrata, Washington, taking the top spot and an added $5,000 to her bank account. The bonus money was paid out to the top five resulting in Hope Thompson, Amanda Hodges, Macy Fuller and Rylee Potter also receiving checks.

    Full results can be found at www.wpra.com. Photo credit: WPRA photo by James Phifer, Rodeobum.com.

     

     

     

     

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    2019 WPRA World Champion Ropers:

    All- Around: Jackie Crawford

    Breakaway Roping: Kelsie Chace

    Team Roping Header: Beverly Robbins

    Team Roping Heeler: Whitney DeSalvo

    Tie-Down Roping: Montanna “Gracie” Gambino

     

  • TOPS IN MINOT

    TOPS IN MINOT

    Badlands circuit champs competing at the Minot Y’s Men’s Rodeo gain berths to National Circuit Finals in Florida

    MINOT, N.D. (October 6, 2019) – The cowboys and the cowgirls came to Minot to play, and they did.

    For the 65th year, the Minot (N.D.) Y’s Men’s Rodeo took place, hosting the RAM Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo at the State Fair Center Oct. 4-6.

    Ninety cowboys and cowgirls converged on the Magic City to compete for nearly $200,000 and the title of Badlands Circuit champion. Champions were crowned in each of eight events, with the final destination being the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo, where the champs from each of the continent’s fourteen circuits will duke it out for national titles in April of next year.

    It was steer wrestler Joe Nelson’s first trip to a circuit finals rodeo, and he made this one count.

    The Alexander, N.D. cowboy came into the RAM Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in third place in the standings, and won a check in three out of four rounds to win the average, the fastest time on four runs.

    His 20.2 seconds on four head was only one-tenths of a second faster than Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D., who finished second in the average with a time of 20.3 seconds.

    “I was pretty excited to get here,” Nelson said. “My main goal was to catch all four (steers), get out of the barrier, and get four down.”

    Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., won the year-end steer wrestling title and was leading the average till the fourth round, when he missed his steer and didn’t get a time. But rodeo contestants, especially steer wrestlers, are the first to help their competitors; Nelson was helping with Lord’s steer in the chute before. “We all root for each other,” he said. “We want everybody to do well.”

    Nelson rode his  horse named Balls, who he purchased last year. The horse is outstanding, he said. “He scores really good, runs hard, tries, and gives me a good chance.” When Alexander’s traveling partner Tyler Thorson’s horse was hurt in July, Thorson also rode Balls. “For the month of July, that horse had at least four runs on him everywhere we went,” Alexander said.

    Nelson won the Badlands Rookie of the Year Award. He is a graduate of North Dakota State College of Science at Wahpeton, N.D.

    He and Lord will represent the Badlands Circuit at the RCNFR in Kissimmee, Florida April 2-5, 2020.

    Two more “newbies” left the circuit finals as champions.

    Team ropers Jon Peterson and Trae Smith have roped at jackpots before, but this year, for the first time, they partnered up for pro rodeo, and did well all year.

    They entered the circuit finals in first place with enough of a lead to fend off the competition, which was good, since they only placed once, winning first place in the first round.

    “Luckily we won that first round or we wouldn’t be doing this interview,” Peterson joked.

    The two are students at Gillette (Wyo.) College, where Peterson is an upperclassman and Smith is a freshman. They’re doing well in the collegiate ranks, too, having won the college rodeo at Riverton, Wyo. two weeks ago and being ranked in the top four in the collegiate region. “It was good to get that win in Riverton before coming here,” Peterson said. “It was a confidence builder.”

    Peterson’s horse was injured two weeks ago, so his friend and fellow roper Levi O’Keefe lent him his good horse. Guy Howell also rode O’Keefe’s horse, named Slick, at the circuit finals. “He didn’t mess up a single time,” Peterson said of the bay gelding. “I think that is the best head horse right now. It was unreal. He was outstanding.”

    Turner Harris, Killdeer, N.D. and Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D., won the year end title.

    In the bareback riding, it was a sparring match between South Dakota’s Jamie Howlett and Norht Dakota’s Ty Breuer.

    The two were atop the board for each the four rounds of rodeo, with each one of them winning two rounds and placing second in two rounds.

    But it was Howlett who won the average, a mere two and a half points ahead of Breuer.

    Howlett, who is originally from Australia but now lives in Rapid City, S.D., rode with broken bones in his foot and a swollen hand because of being smashed in the chute during the matinee on Oct. 5.

    Shorty Garrett dominated the saddle bronc riding.

    The Eagle Butte, S.D. cowboy won money in three of four rounds (first place twice and tied for first once) to win the average.

    The 26 year old cowboy has qualified for the Badlands Circuit Finals four times, but this was his best year ever, due to new traveling partners, Isaac Diaz and Brody Cress. “I jumped in with a whole different crew, and I’ve been fortunate to have them as traveling partners. I owe a lot to Ike (Diaz). He keeps a guy positive and keeps a guy going. I look up to that man quite a little.”

    The three cowboys make it fun. “Whenever we get in the rig,” he said, “we’re not going to work, we’re going to have fun, and that pays off.”

    JJ Elshere, Hereford, S.D., won the year-end title. He had more than a $10,000 lead coming into the circuit finals, but because of a broken leg suffered ten days ago, wasn’t able to compete at the circuit finals.

    In the barrel racing, Amanda Harris won the average title with a time of 55.05 seconds on four runs, just two-tenths of a second ahead of Cally Kindred, Spearfish, S.D.

    She never dominated the leaderboard, but she was one of only five cowgirls out of the twelve to not knock down a barrel, adding a five second penalty to their time.

    “My big thing was to take it one run at a time,” she said, “and not get caught up in the average, because you have to make four runs first before that pans out. That was my big deal, to take it one run at a time.”

    She was aboard her nine-year-old gelding, Frenchmans Firefly, “Firefly” a horse raised and trained by her parents, Bob and Peggy Welsh of Gillette, Wyo. She first brought him to the circuit finals in 2016, as a six-year-old. In 2017, she was pregnant with her son, and last year, she rodeoed in a different circuit.

    The horse has developed and grown, she said. “This year, he seemed a lot more mature mentally, and he’s been awesome for me all year.”

    She and her husband Shawn’s kids, a daughter, who is four, and a son, who is two, are already anticipating a trip to Disney World, when their mother competes at the RNCFR.

    Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., won the year-end title for the Badlands Circuit.

    Tie-down roper Trey Young, Dupree, S.D., won both the year-end and average titles for his event, aboard his horse Fozzy, an eleven-year-old sorrel who has twice been chosen the Badlands Circuit Tie-down Roping Horse of the year. This will be Young’s second trip to the RNCFR; he competed there in 2017, finishing in third place.

    Bull rider Jeff Bertus snuck out a year-end win in his event, riding two of his four bulls with enough of a lead to take the title. Bertus, Avon, S.D. finished second in the average to Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D., who won the average with a score of 255 points on three head.

    In the breakaway roping, Samantha Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D. won the year-end title. Tanegai Zilverberg, Holabird, S.D., won the average (10.4 seconds on four head.)

    The all-around title for the year-end and the finals went to Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D.

    Rodeo Rapid City was voted by the contestants as the Rodeo of the Badlands Circuit.

    Stock of the year for the circuit was chosen. In the bareback riding, Korkow Rodeos’ Onion Ring won top honors. In the saddle bronc riding, South Point, owned by Sutton Rodeo, was voted as top. The Mosbrucker Rodeo bull named Chills and Thrills was selected as the Badlands Bull of the Year.

    For the finals awards, the Bareback Horse of the Badlands Circuit Finals went to Blessed Day, owned by Championship Rodeo. The Saddle Bronc Horse of the Finals was won by Scandal, of Sutton Rodeo, and the Bull of the Circuit Finals went to Extra Dirty Martini, owned by Fettig Rodeo.

    During the Sunday rodeo, the 2020 Miss Rodeo North Dakota was crowned.

    Callie Enander, Fargo, N.D., won the title. The 23-year-old cowgirl is a graduate of Kindred High School, where she was involved in FFA through livestock judging and horse judging and won several national and state awards for her work. She is a barrel racer and the daughter of Randy Enander, Sandy Johnson and Jeremy Alm.

    The Minot Y’s Men’s Rodeo is a not-for-profit venture by the YMCA Men of Minot, N.D. Proceeds from each year’s rodeo benefit the Triangle Y Camp at Lake Sakakawea, near Garrison, N.D. Next year’s Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo is tentatively set for October 9-11, 2020. Hess and 4- Bears Casino & Lodge are proud sponsors of the Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo. National sponsors include the PRCA, WPRA, RAM, Cinch, Justin Boots, Pendleton, Montana Silversmith, American Quarter Horse Association, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Only Vegas and Experience Kissimmee.

    – ### –

    Ram Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo, Minot, ND

    4th performance October 6, 2019

    Year end and average winners for the Badlands Circuit

     

    All-around Champion: Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D.

    All-around champion for the Finals: Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D.

     

    Bareback riding

    Bareback Riding Year End Champion: Jamie Howlett, Rapid City, S.D.

    Bareback Riding Average Champion: Jamie Howlett, Rapid City, S.D.

     

    4th go round results:

    1. Jamie Howlett, Rapid City, S.D. 87 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Adam’s Pet; 2. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., 85; 3. Jake Camody, Mobridge, S.D., 76.5; 4. Ben Kramer, Towner, N.D., 69.5.

     

    Average results:

    1. Jamie Howlett, Rapid City, S.D. 338 points on 4 head; 2. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 335; 3. Jake Carmody, Mobridge, S.D. 289.5; 4. Ben Kramer, Towner, N.D. 218 on 3 head.

     

    Steer Wrestling

    Steer Wrestling Year End Champion:  Eli Lord, Sturgis S.D.

    Steer Wrestling Average Champion: Joe Nelson, Alexander, N.D

     

    4th go round results:

    1. (tie) Reed Kraeger, Elwood, Neb. and Colt Floyd, Buffalo, S.D. 3.7 seconds each; 3. Carson Good, Long Valley, S.D. 4.3; 4. Joe Nelson, Alexander, N.D. 4.4.

     

    Average results:

    1. Joe Nelson, Alexander, N.D. 20.2 seconds on 4 head; 2. Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D. 20.3; 3. Colt Floyd, Buffalo, S.D.12.6 on 3 head; 4. Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D. 14.2.

     

    Team Roping

    Team Roping Year End Champion Header: Jon Peterson, Belle Fourche, S.D.

    Heeler: Trae Smith, Georgetown, I.D.

    Team Roping Average Champion Header: Turner Harris, Killdeer, N.D.

    Heeler: Jade Nelson , Midland, S.D.

     

    4th go round results:

    1. Cooper W White, Hershey, Neb./ Tucker White, Hershey, Neb. 4.4 seconds; 2. Jade Schmidt, Box Elder, S.D./ Matt Zancanella Aurora, S.D. 4.5; 3. Alfred Hansen, Dickinson, N.D./ Levi Tyan, Wallace, Neb. 4.6; 4. Wyatt Bice, Killdeer, N.D./ Parker Murnion, Bowman, N.D. 5.5.

     

    Average results:

    1. Turner Harris, Killdeer, N.D./Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D. 23.8 seconds on 4 head; 2. JB Lord, Sturgis, S.D./Jake Beard, Menoken, N.D. 25.0; 3. Jade Schmidt, Box Elder, S.D./Matt Zancanella, Aurora, S.D. 25.6; 4. Wyatt Bice, Killdeer, N.D./Parker Murnion, Bowman, N.D. 38.5.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding

    Saddle Bronc Year End Champion: JJ Elshere, Hereford, S.D.

    Saddle Bronc Average Champion: Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D.

     

    4th go round results:

    1. Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D 87 points on Sutton’s Painted Fire; 2. Jade Blackwell, Rapid City, S.D. 84.5; 3. Cole Eshere, Faith, S.D. 83.5; 4. (tie) Jeremy Meeks, Scenic, S.D. and Louie Brunson, New Underwood, S.D. 83 each.

     

    Average results:

    1. Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D. 336.5 points on 4 head; 2. Jade Blackwell, Rapid City, S.D.320; 3. Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D. 319; 4. Jeremy Meeks, Scenic, S.D. 310.

     

    Barrel Racing

    Barrel Racing Year End Champion: Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D.

    Barrel Racing Average Champion:  Amanda Harris, Spearfish, S.D.

     

    4th go round results:

    1. Britany Diaz, Solen, N.D. 13.40 seconds; 2. Nikki Hansen, Dickinson, N.D., 13.59; 3. (tie) Amanda Harris, Spearfish, S.D. and Molly Otto, Grand Forks, N.D. 13.64 each.

     

    Average results:

    1. Amanda Harris, Spearfish, S.D. 55.05 seconds on 4 runs; 2. Cally Kindred, Harrold, S.D. 55.07; 3. Carey Rivinius, Carson, N.D. 55.37; 4. Molly Otto, Grand Forks, N.D. 55.55.

     

    Tie-down Roping

    Tie Down Roping Year End Champion: Trey Young, Dupree, S.D.

    Tie Down Roping Average Champion: Trey Young, Dupree, S.D.

     

    4th go round results:

    1. Dane Kissack, Spearfish, S.D. 8.1 seconds; 2. Jason Vohs, Dickinson, N.D. 8.9; 3. Myles Kenzy, Iona, S.D.  9.6; 4. Trey Young, Dupree, S.D. 10.0.

     

    Average results:

    1. Trey Young, Dupree, S.D. 37.0 seconds on 4 head; 2. Jason Vohs, Dickinson, N.D. 39.4; 3. Myles Kenzy, Iona, S.D. 45.7; 4. (tie) Dane Kissack, Spearfish, S.D. and Rex Treeby, Hecla, S.D. 29.5 seconds on 3 head.

     

    Bull Riding

    Bull Riding Year End Champion: Jeff Bertus, Avon, S.D.

    Bull Riding Average Champion: Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D.

    4th go round results:

    1. (tie) Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D. on Sutton’s Danielson, TJ Schmidt, Belle Fourche, S.D. on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Cougar; and Coleman Entze, Golden Valley, N.D. on Sutton’s Mississippi Mud, 86 points each; 4. Riley Blankenship, Killdeer, N.D. 84.5.

    Average results:

    1. Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D. 255 points on 3 head; 2. Jeff Bertus, Avon, S.D. 166.5 points on 2 head; 3. TJ Schmidt, Belle Fourche, S.D. 166 points; 4. Riley Blankenship, Killdeer, N.D. 165.6.

    Women’s Breakaway Roping

    Year End Champion: Samantha Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D,

    Average Champion: Tanegai Zilverberg, Holabird, S.D.

    4th go round results:

    1. (tie) Samantha Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D., Jennifer Belkham, Holabird, S.D., and Brandi Guttormson-White, Hazen, N.D. 2.9 seconds each; 4. (tie) Brooke Howell, Belle Fourche, S.D. and Tanegai Zilverberg, Holabird, S.D. 3.0 each.

    Average results:

    1. Tanegaie Zilverberg, Holabird, S.D. 10.4 seconds on 4 head; 2. Brandi Guttormson-White, Hazen, N.D. 11.7;3. Brooke Howell, Belle Fourche, S.D. 12.0; 4. Jennifer Belkham, Blunt, S.D. 12.2

    ** All results are unofficial.  For more information, visit www.MinotYsMensRodeo.com and www.ProRodeo.com.