Rodeo Life

Author: Siri Stevens

  • Fast Back Ropes introduces a new four-strand, the Centerfire

    Granbury, TX – Fast Back Ropes, Inc. is excited to announce the release of their newest four-strand, the Centerfire. The Centerfire is a vibrant orange nylon-poly blend with no bounce.

    “We’ve had many requests to build a ‘dead’ rope,” says Al Benson, General Manager. “Fast Back is known for building ropes with a lot of body. This rope is a different feel that will have no bounce, but still hold up.”

    The Centerfire head rope will be slightly smaller than the heel rope. This rope has great tip feel and will stay put when delivered.

    The Centerfire will be available at Fast Back dealers this December.

    centerfire_rope_logo-web

  • The ERA brings antitrust class action lawsuit against the PRCA

    The ERA brings antitrust class action lawsuit against the PRCA

    DALLAS – November 9, 2015 – The Elite Rodeo Association (ERA) and three of the top cowboys in the world today were forced to bring an antitrust class action lawsuit challenging unfair and illegal bylaws passed by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).  These anticompetitive PRCA bylaws were enacted in October 2015 to try to shut down or harm ERA before its inaugural 2016 season.

    “This suit is bigger than PRCA and ERA,” Said Tony Garritano, President and CEO of Elite Rodeo Athletes. “It’s about everyone that sits on state, or regional rodeo boards and from the grass roots level have helped rodeo throughout the country – all of those people will be unable to get their PRCA card – it’s much bigger than the three guys in this room – it’s about those that don’t have a voice. The PRCA should not be calling balls and strikes on who calls the shots.”

    “ERA’s goal is simple: better the sport of rodeo for everyone – fans, professional athletes, rodeo associations, stock contractors, sponsors and venues,” said Tony Garritano, CEO and President of ERA. “We are filing this lawsuit on behalf of professional cowboys and cowgirls who have devoted their lives to rodeo and are truly the best in the sport, in order to make rodeo stronger and create opportunities for everyone who dreams of being a rodeo champion, not only today but for generations to come.”
    ERA was announced earlier this year to create a new, nationally televised stage where fans get to see the best rodeo talent compete in a regular season culminating with a World Championship Rodeo at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.  ERA seeks to expand audiences for the sport and elevate the world of professional rodeo. PRCA responded to an announcement that top cowboys would focus their 2016 “tour” schedules on ERA events by enacting new bylaws that retaliate against almost anyone who participates in, or has any connection with, an ERA rodeo, including athletes, rodeo committees, facilities and vendors.

    “PRCA is unlawfully exercising its monopoly power in the rodeo industry and organizing a group boycott to prevent free competition in the sport,” said Jim Quinn, one of the country’s preeminent sports law attorneys and a partner with the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, which is representing the cowboys and ERA in the lawsuit along with antitrust law partner Eric Hochstadt and sports law attorney John Gerba. “PRCA’s bylaws are clearly anticompetitive on their face, and should be declared illegal by the court, just as other courts have done when PRCA tried these same unfair tactics in the past.”

    The class action lawsuit seeks a court order to temporarily and permanently stop PRCA from enforcing the new bylaws. The case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas on behalf of all current and future athletes who are or will be an officer, board member, employee of ERA or have or will have an ownership or financial interest of any form in ERA.

    “We aren’t asking for any money in this lawsuit, just the opportunity to compete in ERA events without being retaliated against by PRCA,” said Trevor Brazile, a 21-time World Champion Cowboy, ERA Board Member and shareholder, and one of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “We believe PRCA and ERA can – and should – work together on behalf of the sport, just as PRCA has successfully done with the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and other rodeo associations.”

    PRCA and ERA are two different organizations with different missions. Where PRCA is driven by member dues and sanctions hundreds of rodeo events that include competitors of any skill level, ERA was founded to create a “League of Champions” and a true national championship to increase excitement and benefit the entire industry.

    “It’s unfortunate that after participating loyally in PRCA events across the country as a professional for nearly 20 years that PRCA has responded this way,” said Plaintiff  Bobby Mote of Stephenville, Texas, who holds four world titles, is a founder and shareholder of ERA, and another of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit.  “We designed ERA as an additional tour for competitors, not as a replacement, and it has always been my intention to participate in both ERA and PRCA events next season.”

    ERA is open to every cowboy and cowgirl who can demonstrate that they have the ability and dedication to be one of the very best athletes in the sport.

    “Current and future generations of rodeo athletes will see a stronger career path that allows the very best competitors to concentrate on their profession and be able to end their careers on their own terms,” said Ryan Motes, of Weatherford, Texas, the current co-holder of the world record in team roping, a founder and shareholder in ERA, and the third named plaintiff in the litigation.
    “ERA is committed to working with the entire rodeo industry, including PRCA, to bring added vitality, growth, and value to the sport,” continued Garritano. “But we can’t stand aside and let PRCA break the rules and play Monopoly with rodeo. The free market gets to decide what competitions take place, not the PRCA.”

    Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is well-known for their representation of the Players’ Associations of most major U.S. professional sports leagues. Quinn, the head of the firm’s Sports Law Practice, has more than 40 years of experience in the field, and is credited with developing the collective bargaining process in most major U.S. professional sports leagues today.

    The antitrust class action lawsuit is The Elite Rodeo Association, Trevor Brazile, Bobby Mote, and Ryan Motes v. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Inc.  A copy of the complaint is available on the website. 

     

    In a conference call held today, more details about the suit and what will happen were shared. Trevor Brazile, 22 time world champion, and shareholder in the ERA talked about his position. “We are taking the step today to strengthen the sport of rodeo for everyone. Given the chance, this will work, as clearly seen with the impact the PBR has had. I’ve been loyal to the PRCA and I’ve joined this to stop the PRCA from moving forward block the ERA.”

     

    Bobby Mote, 4 x world champion bareback rider also shared. “We tried to work with the PRCA to establish a better understanding of this. Right now careers are being shortened by the way the rodeos are run. We are trying to make a living with no guarantees of anything. Our honest efforts were rejected and that’s why we formed the ERA. The new bylaws set up by the PRCA passed just a week before we launched our plans for the 2016 season. We reached the conclusion that a lawsuit is the only way we could be heard.”

     

    “The anti-trust laws set forth in the United States are set up to protect competition – making sure the sport is open to everyone,” said Jim Quinn, one of the country’s preeminent sports law attorneys. “#1 the PRCA bylaws passed are a boycott against the cowboys that have formed the ERA and been willing to participate. Under the US antitrust laws, this boycott is illegal. We are also fighting what is clearly and admittedly a monopoly and monopolies are not good for customers or fans. The focus is on the group boycott and preventing their continued ability to monopolize the rodeo industry.”

     

    Ryan Motes, a professional rodeo athlete for 14 years added his thoughts. “We are not asking for money – we just want to be able to compete in the ERA and this lawsuit will help everyone that is affected by the new bylaws. We think the PRCA and ERA could work together to promote the rodeo. ERA was designed as an additional tour for competitors, not a replacement. We plan to participate in both.”

     

    Jim is planning to get into the court system quickly to seek a preliminary injunction that would allow the 2016 Elite Rodeo Tour to continue and allow the cowboys to continue to participate in PRCA events.

    The schedule for the 2016 tour is in the final stages, and will be announced soon.

     

     

     

  • Fall Into Fashion

    Fall Into Fashion

    article and photos by Kacee Willbanks

     

    I will be the first to say using the term “trend” is not trendy, but let’s talk about what’s HOT for Fall Y’all. It’s not about replicating everything you see.  It’s more about being inspired. I always suggest to wear what looks good on YOU!
    This Fall it’s all about pattern in so many different forms. Bright patterns, muted patterns, sort of an Aztec feel, and mixing pattern on pattern. And we will also be seeing a glamourous 70’s moment.
    If you are looking for the easiest way to freshen up your wardrobe….use a pop of color in bright red, bright blue or an emerald green.
    There are a lot of easy ways to update without breaking the bank.  Accessories are the perfect place to start:  statement jewelry, a fabulous handbag, a knockout belt, or an amazing shoe.
    BUT, the best accessory can be your own confidence.
    “You can be the chicest thing in the world in a T-shirt and jeans — it’s up to you.”  -Karl Lagerfeld

    Until next time…..Let’s Be “Friends” on Facebook!
    -with Kacee Willbanks

    Model: Darcy (Clark) Good
    Hazels Fashion Wagon, Purcell, OK

  • On the Trail with Tyrel Larsen

    On the Trail with Tyrel Larsen

     

    story by Siri Stevens

     

    Tyrel Larsen obtained his undergraduate degree at Panhandle State University in Business Management and rode saddle broncs under the direction of rodeo coach, Craig Latham; he took it a few steps further, marrying his daughter, Chaney, October 17.  “Somebody was trying to talk me into buying her flowers one day for Valentine’s day and it went from there,” said the Canadian from Inglis, Manitoba. Tyrel has had a busy summer, preparing for his wedding and punching his ticket to his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December. He took the 15th spot by $573 over Chad Ferley. “I was 16th two years ago so I know how it feels,” he said. “It was a little bit déjà vu from a few years ago. It all worked out. There were at least seven of us that last weekend that could have probably made it. Whoever drew good really and got lucky is what it came down to. There’s no hard feelings, but it’s tough. I’ve been there and you’re not ever mad at anybody but yourself.” Tyrel blew his knee out last year. “I got hurt when I was having the best year I’ve ever had.” He spent eight months recovering and working in Canada to put the money together to hit the rodeo road once he was cleared. “Chaney and I bought a house instead and so I had to scrape it together to go, but it worked out.” He will be riding broncs at the Thomas and Mack and his younger brother, Orin, will be there as well, riding barebacks, competing for the first time and making it in the 10th spot.

    Tyrel has been in the United States now for almost eight years, and during that time, he made five trips to the College National Finals Rodeo and won it his fifth year, 2012. The distance from Manitoba and his home in Weatherford, Okla., is 25 hours. “It was 21 hours from home to Guymon,” he said. “And we’d drive that straight through.” Driving is nothing new to Tyrel or his family. “We rode steers in the amateur association. Being in Manitoba we had to drive further I’d say an average of six hours to a rodeo a weekend to a CCA rodeo – so it didn’t seem like that big a deal to go to school so far away.” Tyrel’s dad, Kevin, who ranches, amateur rodeoed as a bull rider, and got the family interested.  His mom, Wanda, runs a hair salon, Wanda’s Barber Shop in nearby Roblin, Manitoba. In addition to his younger brother, Orin, Tyrel has an older sister, Cassie, and a younger brother, Kane, who is just finishing college.

    “Manitoba’s winters are really tough. Once we came down and had a full year, me and my two brothers, and could practice in February and March and the guys back home were feeding cows from the trucks, it was pretty awesome.” He has known his wife, Chaney, since his freshman year of college in 2008. The couple is expecting their first child in April.  He has been rodeoing in the PRCA since 2010, balancing his education with his rodeo career. After obtaining his Business Management degree, he went on to his Masters, completing his MBA in Business Administration in 2013 through Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. “My first year on my Masters was a reality check,” he said. “The work was piled on to make sure I was taking it serious. I was rodeoing full time and college rodeoing, so I’d stop at different colleges and write papers for a few hours and send stuff off, it was a little bit of dedication but I’m sure glad I did it.”

    He chose the business degrees for a variety of reasons. “Everything is a business whether it’s running your place, getting a job, or anything – it’s all business related in one way or another.” He is not sure what he’s going to do with his degree. “My biggest idea was to come down and go to school and get that paid for with rodeo.” He went on to get his masters to help him make some investment decisions and get as much education in the business world and financial world to make good decisions so he’s sitting better financially when he’s done. “I have to pay taxes on both sides of the border, so that takes a chunk out of my earnings,” he said. He’s investing in buying a place, putting on a wedding, and now that they have a place, he’s working on paying it off. “We’d like to buy a little bit of land and add on to the house and add value to the place so hopefully it’s worth more in the end.”

    Since Tyrel is Canadian, he can’t have a full time job in the United States. “I was fortunate enough to have a decent winter and go all year and keep a fire at the place, rodeo, and put a wedding on.” Tyrel and Chaney got married at their place in Weatherford and had the reception in Guymon. They took a short honeymoon in Florida and are focused on the finals. He’s planning to start on his green card now that he’s married. “Since I’ve been on two different student visas and a sport visa, it should be pretty easy. It can take some time, though. It depends on your paperwork – sometimes it takes a couple years to get. You never know.” Once he gets his card, he will continue to rodeo and be able to get some cows or do day work. “It would open up a lot more doors for me.” ”

  • Back When They Bucked with Chuck Henson

    Back When They Bucked with Chuck Henson

    story by Lily Weinacht

    Chuck Henson’s cowboy boots and bullfighting cleats have left their mark through rodeo history. From witnessing the Boston Garden Rodeo strike in 1936 to becoming the first contract member director in the PRCA, Chuck has spent a lifetime championing the sport of rodeo, even bringing the cowboy life to the silver screen through his work as a Hollywood stuntman, wrangler, and driver.
    The only child of Charlie and Margie Henson, Chuck was born in Arcadia, Fla., on February 4, 1931. Charlie Henson worked on the railroad and rodeoed during the winter. Margie (Greenough) Henson rode saddle broncs, formerly trick riding and competing in rodeos with her sister, Alice, and brothers, Bill and Turk, the siblings known as The Ridin’ Greenoughs. Several weeks after Chuck was born, the family packed up their Model A Ford Roadster and returned to their home in Red Lodge, Mont.
    Chuck was given a pony at an early age, and he was soon trick riding and roping from Blue Rocket’s back. One of his first experiences as rodeo entertainment was in 1940 at the Cowboy Coliseum in Chicago, where Chuck and nine other kids put on a show of trick riding and roping during the 30-day rodeo. The family also travelled as far as Canada and Mexico with Wild West Shows. “Mom would never let me ride broncs because she was afraid I would get hurt,” Chuck recalls. “It didn’t make much sense to me. She let me rope calves, but I probably would’ve been better off riding broncs. I was so little that every time I’d rope a calf, they’d meet me halfway and wreck me.”
    When Chuck wasn’t travelling the country, he travelled the mountain pastures of Montana for five years, helping his uncles, Bill and Frank, who worked for The Antler Ranch, one of the largest cattle ranches in the state at the time. By the time he entered high school at Lodge Grass High School, Chuck was an all-around athlete, rodeoing, playing basketball, baseball, and running track, which later earned him an induction into the Montana Sports Hall of Fame. Chuck steer wrestled like his dad, but the chutes held too much of a draw, and he started riding bareback and saddle broncs. Roughstock had come a long way since the time Chuck’s parents started, when broncs were tied to another horse and blindfolded, then turned loose into arenas made by a circle of buggies, wagons, and old cars.
    For a time, Chuck competed in or worked every rodeo event, though he drew the line at riding bulls. “I didn’t cherish the thought of getting on a bull, but I saw you could get good money for riding them, so I started, and that was probably my best event,” says Chuck. “There weren’t any rodeo schools, but I remember a few times I’d draw a horse in the saddle bronc riding and I’d have to ask my mom what kind of a rein to take on it – it was a little different to ask your mom how to ride a bronc!” He entered many of the same rodeos as his parents and also worked as a pickup man during high school, even picking up his mom and Aunt Alice. “You’d get a spanking if you didn’t pick them up good,” he recalls with a laugh.
    Chuck graduated high school in 1950 and won the Montana High School All-Around Cowboy title that year. Soon after, his family moved to Tucson, Ariz. Margie had developed a spot on her lung and was told to move to a warmer climate, though Chuck returned to rodeo in Montana every summer. In 1953 in Sidney, Mont., Chuck was behind the chutes when two gentleman approached him, informing him he hadn’t been in contact with his draft board. “I said I’d been rodeoing!” Chuck remembers. “I joined the National Guard for two years and then the Army. I don’t know how it happened, but I got into the Army Security Agency, and everything was top secret. I’ve never even told my wife or kids what we did.”
    Chuck was discharged in 1955 and used his G.I. Bill to go to the University of Arizona to play college football and rodeo for a year. In 1956 the team was at a rodeo on the Mexico border that couldn’t afford a rodeo clown. Chuck had clowned for one of his aunt and uncle’s rodeos in Montana during high school, and he offered to step into the role again. “Some of the girls in the theater group got me a shaggy wig, baggy pants, and some greasepaint,” says Chuck. “Swanny Kerby supplied the bucking stock, and after that, he asked me if I wanted to work some rodeos for him.” Chuck remained with the stock contractor for nearly six years before hiring on with stock contractors further east, all while still competing in four or five rodeo events.
    About the time Chuck married his wife, Nancy, in 1959, his rodeo clown career was also growing. The couple had met at a college rodeo in Alpine, Texas, two years earlier.
    Nancy was there with several girlfriends, taking a break from keeping books for George H.W. Bush’s oil company. A rancher’s daughter, she grew up barrel racing, and after marrying Chuck, she worked as a rodeo secretary and timer. After their first baby, Nancy Jane, was born, Chuck had a custom camper built for his truck to double as a dressing room. His mule, Nicodemus, and dogs, including one he called Beatrice, rode in a separate section near the tailgate. “Nick was a hard-headed little devil – sometimes he worked good, and sometimes he didn’t,” says Chuck. “Beatrice was pretty famous around the rodeo world –  she skipped rope and jumped through hoops and walked on her hind legs.”
    Chuck was asked to fight bulls at the NFR in Oklahoma City in 1968 and again in 1971. Two years later, he broke his left leg at a rodeo in Vernon, Texas, when a bull hooked his leg between two boards of a fence. A surgeon in Wichita Falls, Texas, put him back together with rods, mesh, and a hip cast. Chuck was fighting bulls four months later. “I had a special cast made that fit between my ankle and my knee,” Chuck recalls. “I couldn’t run real fast, but I could still go in circles!”
    From 1974 to 1977 Chuck served on the PRCA board of directors as the first contract member director, where he represented the specialty acts. “I passed a deal that if you worked the finals one year, you had to take a year off and give somebody else the chance – there were a lot of good hands that weren’t as well known that never got picked,” Chuck explains. He was also responsible for having buckles awarded to the bullfighters and clowns, which were sponsored by Lee, Wrangler, and Levi’s. Chuck’s own NFR bullfighting buckle still graces his belt to this day, and his work both in the arena and out earned him inductions into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, as well as the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.
    Chuck officially retired from fighting bulls in 1980, though he continued to work up to 12 rodeos a year until the late ’90s, and he performed his rodeo clown acts until 2000. After that, he focused his attention on Hollywood, which he had been working for since the 1960s. Chuck’s mom and aunt had driven buggies and wagons during the filming of Little House on the Prairie, along with several movies, and Chuck also made a name for himself in the movie industry. One of his first roles was riding in a posse of Indians. He found more work through word of mouth before getting his card with the Screen Actors Guild after working with John Wayne on El Dorado, released in 1966. “I worked with John Wayne quite a bit – he was a nice guy – and so was Robert Mitchum and Steve McQueen,” says Chuck. “I doubled James Coburn and Slim Pickens in a movie called The Honkers where the rodeo clown breaks his neck. I said I wanted a certain amount of money if I had to let a bull fling me through the air. It took six bulls before the camera man got the shot he wanted.” Chuck wrecked wagons and did stunt falls from horses, and even drove in car chases for shows like Mod Squad. He played himself in a documentary called The Ridin’ Greenoughs, which covered the story of his mother, Alice, and Bill and Turk, all of whom had roles in the documentary, narrated by Rex Allen.
    Today, Chuck and Nancy live in Tucson, Ariz., and commute to their ranch near Willcox, Ariz. Their two children, Nancy Jane and Leigh Ann, both rodeo competitors, live nearby. Leigh Ann’s husband, Eric Billingsley, is a former saddle bronc riding champion in the GCPRA. Chuck helps Nancy Jane and her husband, Jerry Dorenkamp, raise bucking horses for their rodeo company, Salt River Rodeo Company, as well as 75 – 80 cows with PBR bloodlines. “I don’t ride much anymore, but I watch Leigh Ann’s girls, Kaylee and Rayna, compete in the GCPRA,” says Chuck. “I’m pretty happy, and I’m really proud of my family!”

  • J.B. Mauney becomes two-time PBR World Champion

    J.B. Mauney becomes two-time PBR World Champion

     

    LAS VEGAS – In front of a capacity crowd of more than 16,000 fans, J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, North Carolina) clinched the 2015 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Championship on Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center during Round 4 of the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals.

    Even before Mauney climbed aboard Bruiser (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.) for the last ride of the night, the title was his. Neither Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga Brazil) nor Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) had scored enough points on their bulls to be able to overtake Mauney. Mauney’s 92.5-point ride on Bruiser punctuated the round and moved him atop the event aggregate leaderboard.

    “Tonight I had to keep my head clear when I got in the bucking chute, I just had to react and go with him jump for jump,” Mauney said. “For me this season, I felt like I kept getting banged up over and over again and that takes a toll, not only physically, but emotionally as well. After my knee injury earlier in the season, I had to really work at riding bulls and I think being injured made me crave it a lot more when I came back. Sometimes injuries are the best thing to happen to you because you need to go home, re-evaluate and work hard to get back to where you want to be. Sometimes you need to be knocked down to make you crave it again.”

    As the aggregate leader, Mauney has a chance to also win the PBR World Finals event title, and repeat his accomplishment in 2013 when he won both the World Championship and the World Finals in the same year. If Mauney is successful, it would mark only the fifth time that a rider has accomplished this feat: Silvano Alves (2014), Mauney (2013), Renato Nunes (2010), and Mike Lee (2004).

     

    Click here to view all of Mauney’s rides to date at the World Finals as well as his post-event celebrations and press conferences.
    Behind Mauney in Round 4, Ben Jones (Goulburn, Australia) covered Handsome Jeff (Ramblin Verl Ranch), for 89.5 points to finish second in the round, earning 120 points toward the PBR world standings.
    Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) was the third-place finisher, earning 100 points toward his world standings total with an 88.5-point ride on Red Moon (Holmes/Jackson/Flying S). Fourth place went to Pacheco, the 2015 PBR Rookie of the Year, who rode Cowboy Phil (Bar 3D) for 87.5 points to earn 80 world standings points. With Pacheco’s finish, the 21-year-old moved into the No. 2 position in the world standings.

    Rounding out the Top 5, Fabiano Vieira (Perola, Brazil) earned 60 world standings points with an 87.5-point ride on Fire Bender (Cornwell Bucking Bulls).

    Round 4 also served as the final round of the 2015 American Bucking Bull Inc. (ABBI) Classic Finals, a competition for 3- and 4-year old bulls. Mauney’s opponent, Bruiser, bucked away with the highest score of the competition, 181.25 points, to win the ultimate ABBI title and $200,000. Splitting second place, worth $70,000 apiece, were Wicked Stick (Diamond S) and Cracker Jack (Carpenter/ Hudgins) with scores of 175.5 points.

     

    Saturday concluded all of the ABBI World Finals activities, which included the ABBI Premier Sale, where $770,000 worth of bucking bulls traded hands.

    Round 5 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round of the 22nd PBR World Finals concludes Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT, at the Thomas & Mack Center. CBS Sports Network will broadcast the event live starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

    For more information on the PBR World Finals, please visit www.pbrworldfinals.com.

     
    About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
    The world’s premier bull riding organization began as a dream of 20 bull riders 23 years ago and is now a global sports phenomenon. PBR broadcasts reach more than half a billion households in 40 nations and territories around the world, and more than 3 million fans attend live events each year. On its elite Built Ford Tough Series, the PBR features the Top 35 bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business. The televised Built Ford Tough Series, the BlueDEF Velocity Tour, the Touring Pro Division and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico have paid more than $140 million in earnings to its athletes. Twenty-seven men have earned more than $1 million, including three-time World Champion Silvano Alves who, in just 54 months, won more than $5.2 million to become the richest bull rider in history. In May 2015, PBR was acquired by WME | IMG, the global leader in sports, entertainment, media and fashion. For more information on the PBR, go to PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.

     

     

    2015 Built Ford Tough World Finals

    Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

    1. J.B. Mauney, 91-0-86.5-92.75-270.25-400 Points.
    2. Cooper Davis, 89-88-87.5-0-264.50-300 Points.
    3. Silvano Alves, 0-87.25-89-0-176.25-260 Points.
    4. Bonner Bolton, 73.25-90.5-86.25-0-250.00-200 Points.
    5. Tanner Byrne, 0-88.25-86.75-0-175.00-170 Points.
    6. Fabiano Vieira, 86.75-0-84.25-87.5-258.50-160 Points.
    7. Matt Triplett, 0-0-88-87.25-175.25-120 Points.

    (tie). Ben Jones, 0-0-0-89.5-89.5-120 Points.

    1. Gage Gay, 0-88.25-0-0-88.25-110 Points.
    2. Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-88.5-88.50-100 Points.
    3. Kaique Pacheco, 0-81.75-0-88-169.75-80 Points.

    (tie). Stetson Lawrence, 0-0-87.25-0-87.25-80 Points.

    (tie). Mason Lowe, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-80 Points.

    1. Cody Nance, 84.75-0-85.5-0-170.25-30 Points.

    (tie). Lachlan Richardson, 84.75-0-0-0-84.75-30 Points.

    1. Joao Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-86-86.25-172.25
    2. Chase Outlaw, 84-0-86.25-0-170.25
    3. Michael Lane, 0-86.5-0-83-169.50
    4. Mike Lee, 0-0-0-87.25-87.25
    5. Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-85.75-0-85.75
    6. Stormy Wing, 0-85.5-0-0-85.50
    7. Ryan Dirteater, 0-0-0-85-85.00
    8. Aaron Roy, 0-0-84.5-0-84.50
    9. Nathan Schaper, 0-74-0-0-74.00

    J.W. Harris, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Valdiron de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Guilherme Marchi, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Reese Cates, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Shane Proctor, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Robson Aragao, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Renato Nunes, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Kasey Hayes, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Brady Sims, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Robson Palermo, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Alexandre Cardozo, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Douglas Duncan, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Dave Mason, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Neil Holmes, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Luis Blanco, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Tyler Harr, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Justin Paton, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Jay Miller, 0-0-0-0-0.00

    Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0-0.00

  • J.B. Mauney extends world lead

    J.B. Mauney extends world lead

    Mauney wins Round 1 with 91-point ride

     

    LAS VEGAS – In front of more than 10,000 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday night during Round 1 of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Built Ford Tough World Finals, J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, North Carolina) notched 91 points in on Wicked Stick (Diamond S Bucking Bulls) to win the round and extend his lead in the race for the 2015 PBR World Championship.

    Mauney picked up 200 world standings points to increase his lead over No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Sao Paulo) to 1,515 points. With one round in the books, there are still a total of 2,000 world standings points available in the championship race.

    “I feel relieved getting that first one out of the way,” Mauney said. “I feel like that ride is just going to set the pace for me for the rest of the week.”
    Watch Mauney’s ride here.

    On his reride bull, rookie Cooper Davis (Wharton, Texas) held the lead through two sections but finished in second place with an 89-point effort on Dakota Style’s Hy Test (Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team). Davis earned 120 world points and jumped three spots in the world standings, to No. 13. Watch Davis’ ride here.
    Fabiano Vieira (Perola, Brazil) finished in third place off an 86.75-point ride on Crazy Days (3CM Cattle Co.) taking the lead from first-time World Finals qualifier Mason Lowe (Exeter, Missouri), who came out of the chutes early in the round to tally 85.5 points on Gangster Bucks (3CM Cattle Co.).  Lowe finished in fourth place. Vieira earned 100 points towards his world standings total, while Lowe added 80 points.

     

    Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, Australia) and Cody Nance (Paris, Texas) tied for fifth place with 84.75-point rides, each earning 30 world points. Richardson rode For Play (Bob Whisnant/The Jaynes Gang) and Nance covered Little Tim’s All Nighter (Warren’s Bucking Bulls).

    Round 1 also featured the top bulls of the American Bucking Bull, Inc., (ABBI) as an ABBI Classic Finals round, a competition for 3- and 4-year-old bucking bulls. The ABBI bucking bull with the highest score of the night was Bruiser (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.) with 89.75 points.

     

    Behind Bruiser with scores of 88.25 points were Slinger Jr. (Carpenter/VonGontard/Rocking I Rodeo/Treichel) and Rebelution (Ravenscroft/Leslie Walter/Boyd-Floyd). In fourth place was Wicked Stick, Gangsters Wildside (Austin Riley/Josh Beckett) and Red Cloud (Martinez Bucking Bulls), each with a score of 88 points.

    Tonight was the first round of the ABBI Classic Finals. The bull with the top average score after the second round on Saturday will be crowned ABBI Classic World Champion and awarded $200,000. For more information visit: www.americanbuckingbull.com.

     

    Round 2 of the 2015 PBR World Finals takes place Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. PT. Thursday also represents the PBR’s Pink Night, featuring the Pink Buckathon. In addition to the riders and PBR staff donning pink and offering a $5,000 Boot Daddy Breast Cancer Bounty Bull, the PBR will also donate $250 for every qualified ride and $1,000 for every 90-point or more ride to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in support to fulfill the PBR’s Pink Promise. Wrangler and MGM Resorts Worldwide.
    The PBR’s 22nd race for the $1 million PBR World Championship airs every night at 9 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 21-Saturday, Oct. 24, and at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 25.

    CBS Sports Network will broadcast every round of the 2015 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals live at 8:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday-Saturday and then at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. The World Finals pre-show will air live from the Thomas & Mack Plaza at 8:30 p.m. ET.

  • Back When They Bucked with Dr. Ed LeTourneau

    Back When They Bucked with Dr. Ed LeTourneau

    story by Lily Weinacht

     

     

    Dr. Ed LeTourneau has always been young at heart. Described by Larry Mahan as the “most unusual of cowboys”, Ed put himself through eight years of college on his rodeo earnings alone, all while competing in college rodeo and the newly formed RCA. Known for turning the area behind the chutes into study hall, Ed pursued his passions of school and rodeo with a vigor, graduating top of his class. The three-time NFR qualifier and great-nephew of earthmoving machinery inventor R. G. LeTourneau, Ed later went on to win multiple bull riding titles with the NSPRA. He has since been inducted into the UC Davis Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame, Oakdale Athletic Hall of Fame, Oakdale Museum Hall of Fame, and the NSPRA Hall of Fame.
    Born on September 18, 1935, to Dorothy and Harlan LeTourneau in San Francisco, Ed preferred dusty arenas to the fog of The City by the Bay, and spent his childhood years first in Stockton, Cal., and then Oakdale. Ed and his older brother, Ray, grew up helping their uncle raise cutting steers before getting to know the foreman of U-3 Ranch, owned by W.H. Moffat. The brothers began fixing fences and irrigating pastures and were later promoted to working cattle on horseback.
    Drawn to anything bovine, Ray started riding bulls at the ranch, and then at local rodeos. “Ray was real good at it, so I wanted to be that good, too!” Ed recalls. Four years his brother’s junior, Ed started riding calves and steers and competed in his first rodeo when he was 13. As his legs grew, so did Ed’s sense of adventure, and he tried his spurs at bareback and saddle bronc horses as well. “With the bareback riding, I didn’t have good spurring action, but with bulls I just had to stay on and I could win something,” says Ed. With few high school rodeos in their area, and most of the rodeo associations located in southern California, Ray and Ed dedicated their entry fees to local amateur and junior rodeos.
    During high school, Ed was involved in FFA, serving as his chapter’s treasurer his junior year, and president during his senior year. An all-around athlete, Ed also ran the half mile and three-quarter mile in track, played defensive linebacker on his school’s football team, and wrestled, qualifying for North State meets. During college, he wrestled at the national level after winning third in the far western division, but retired from the sport after an injury sidelined him.
    When Ed finished high school in 1953, he informed his mother that he was going to be a cowboy – and she informed him that he needed to be a benefactor to society. Not one to turn his back on the chutes, nor disobey his mother, Ed decided to pursue a degree in animal husbandry at Cal Poly. A year later, Ed changed his degree to pre-vet science, and went to a local junior college before being accepted to UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1958. Though the school didn’t have a rodeo team, Ed purchased his card with the NIRA and qualified for the CNFR in 1961, where he won the finals in bull riding, missing the year-end title by one point. “Most people’s goal in rodeo is to win the world championship, but my goal was to make enough money to go to vet school,” says Ed. “When I went to school, it cost $1,000 a year. I could win money at a rodeo, put it in the bank, and I was ready for school. What I got out of rodeo, besides the people I met and the friends I made along the way, was my education.”
    A student by day and a bull rider by the weekend, Ed began entering RCA rodeos in 1957 using his NIRA card. Even with school six days a week – anatomy landing on Saturdays – Ed managed to get on 52 bulls in one season – and he only bucked off two. In 1959, Ed was a year into vet school and taking on the world with all the gusto of a 23 year old. He was hovering just outside of the top 15 bull riders going to the first NFR, but reasoned that he could rodeo on weekends to make 15th place. Ed entered the RCA rodeo in Portland, Ore., first. It was the week of mid-terms, and he and a friend missed a day of school to drive to the rodeo, where Ed won the event. He competed in several more rodeos, including the Grand National Rodeo held in the Cow Palace, which sent him to Dallas sitting 13th in the world.
    “The top 15 bulls were out for the first round, and 11 of them got rode,” says Ed, recalling the first NFR. “Some people said there was too much sand in the arena, and although those bulls had bucked 100 – 200 times, they’d never been consistently exposed to the top 15 guys in the world! By the last go-round, they had sorted out the stock and really knew who the top 15 bulls were.” Ed finished second in the average, and fifth for the year, but the following year, he was $150 short of qualifying for the NFR. However, 1961 brought him back to the finals, where he finished fifth in the average and second for the year, and in 1962, his senior year in vet school, he placed second in the average.
    By 1962, Ed had graduated with his doctorate of veterinary medicine. Newlywed to his wife, Frankie, Ed accepted an internship at UC Davis. Frankie lived in Dixon, a town near Davis, and when her dad went looking for someone to ride one of his horses, known for bucking off any rider that put their foot in the stirrup, Ed arrived. Not only did he ride the horse, he wooed the rancher’s daughter, and they were married a year later. Frankie travelled with Ed to many of his local rodeos, but she left flying the skies to Ed and his friend and fellow bull rider, Larry Mahan. The bull riders met in 1956 at the rodeo in Salinas, Ca., and Larry offered Ed a seat in his Comanche 250 he called Brownie. “That was the way to go!” says Ed. “It was a really good experience, and the beginning of a good friendship.”
    In the mid ’60s, Ed worked for several vet clinics while he rodeoed. Since he was finished with school, he had the opportunity to rodeo in the winter for the first time. In September of 1967, he was sitting fourth in the world, but a dislocated shoulder prevented him from competing in the NFR, though he finished 11th for the year. “After that, I went into my own vet practice in Oakdale and figured rodeo was over,” says Ed. He became the resident vet for a large thoroughbred farm in Madera before moving on to a quarter horse ranch in Oakdale, and eventually, he set up his own practice from his home in Madera.
    While he was practicing in Oakdale, his childhood home, Ed decided to grow a beard and wear a straw hat to ride one of the bulls during the town’s centennial celebration in 1971. “I hadn’t ridden in four years, but I won the rodeo, and I was also doing some team roping,” says Ed. “In 1980 I had Bob Cook calling me – they needed bull riders for the old-timers rodeo.” Though not enthusiastic at first, Ed agreed to help his friend and ended up winning third in the old-timers rodeo, which would later become the NSPRA. Though his bull riding muscles were sore, they ached to ride again, and Ed trained for bull riding once more, joining the NSPRA again in 1989. He won the World Bull Riding Championship four times from ’91 – ’94 and was crowned the Bull Riding Finals Champion twice, all after he was 50. Ed rodeoed well into the late ’90s, serving several terms on the NSPRA board and volunteering as chairman of the NSPRA Cowboy Crisis Fund. He gave his final nod in the chutes when he was 64 before retiring from the sport.
    Now 80, Ed and Frankie, make their home in Madera. Their two sons – David, a pilot for American Airlines, and Brett, who owns an almond orchard – live nearby, along with Ed and Frankie’s granddaughters, Amy and Cady. Ed recently retired after 53 years as a veterinarian, but he says, “Retirement doesn’t work well – I still have people coming to my clinic. But I still enjoy it! The drought got me, but I’m planning on raising cattle again, and I’m back to team roping, mostly at local events – but maybe I’ll rope in the World Series someday. I figure if I can ride a bull at 60, I’m not too old for anything!”

  • On the Trail with Ben Clements

    On the Trail with Ben Clements

     

     

    story by Siri Stevens

    Ben Clements grew up with a rope in his hand. “I drug a rope with me everywhere I could go, even to school,” said the 39-year-old from Odessa, Texas. Born in Amarillo, his family moved to Odessa to run the cattle portion of the K-Bar Ranch, which encompasses 70 sections in the desert. “My sister (Brandi) and I drove seven miles of dirt road to catch the bus for school – I was driving in the fourth grade.”

    Ben ropes both ends, starting out as a heeler. “I entered my first team roping in 1986, when I was ten.” He competed in the AJRA and high school rodeo, making the Texas High School Finals three years and making one trip to the National High School Finals. He started college at Howard College, in Big Spring, Texas, and continued his education at the University of Texas. He made it to the CNFR all four years, three times as a heeler and once as a header.

    Ben decided in the sixth grade that he wanted to be a dentist and oral surgeon. He graduated high school as valedictorian, and went to college majoring in biology with a chemistry minor. After obtaining that degree, he chose a different path and got a second degree in mass communications. “I came home from college one weekend and my mom and dad were putting on a high school rodeo in Crane and they needed an announcer. It took off from there,” he said. He partnered with his sister, Brandi, who runs the sound board,  and formed X-Treme Entertainment. “We are now announcing 40 to 45 events a year. Brandi runs sound for the rodeos, but not necessarily the team ropings.”

    After he graduated with his second degree, Ben was in limbo for a while, working for his dad and announcing. The door opened for him to work at the USTRC handling event insurance, the affiliate program, and the scheduling. “I still do that today, but since then, I’ve added the job as editor of the Super Looper (2004).” He also started the Final Spin, a TV show that began in 2011 as a UTube show, and has graduated to a show on RFDTV. “We just finished our second season and the third season starts in January.” The show, which focuses on team roping, with an emphasis on the USTRC, can been seen on RFDTV, Wednesdays at 7:30 Central Time.

    He met his wife, Jodi Cornia,  through the USTRC. Her dad (Bill Cornia) is a producer in Utah and she was announcing, timing, and secretarying and they visited by phone, dating on and off for several years.  Jodi took a marketing job for Outlaw Conversions in Stephenville and the rest is history. They got married in May of 2008 and had their daughter in 2011. “TyAnn fits perfectly into everything we’re doing, she loves horse and likes to ride and run barrels. She is starting to rope too.” Jodi is mainly a barrel racer, but she also heads. They have leased ground next to their house that they run commercial Angus cattle, as well as Corrientes. “We also raise a little hay. We ride quite a bit but we don’t practice as much as we used to. Most of the time we are getting home and putting up hay or doing something with cows.” Jodi still secretaries, announces, and times ropings throughout the region.

    As if the plate wasn’t full enough, Jodi and Ben are now producing three ropings a year. “I grew up juggling a lot of balls and multi tasking. There’s a lot going on, but I’m pretty good at prioritizing and keeping in the right direction. I’ve got a great family and support system so we knuckle down and get everything done.” They started with Jingle Bell Classic in November 2011. “I always wanted to do a fund raiser and give money back to kids over Christmas and we incorporated a food drive and toys with the event. Last year we gave a very sizable donation to Tarleton State University as well as two pick up beds full of toys to the foster home and a full pick up bed of food to the Soup Kitchen. It was hugely successful and has grown into something we are very proud of.” In 2015 they added the Big Break in March as well as the Summer Blast over July 4. “I don’t know if time will allow for anymore, but we are open to that.” Producing fits right into their lifestyle with both of them being heavily involved in the production of it.
    Ben enjoys what he is doing with the sport of team roping. “I enjoy the people and the uniqueness of the team roping community, and our goal is to continue to produce events.” The most important role he’s playing now is dad. “We want to raise our daughter in a good home with a solid foundation and allow her to follow her dreams. Right now she loves music and loves to dance. We dance a lot together.”

    “He can do anything in the roping world from A to Z,” said Philip Murrah. “He’s behind the mic more than he ropes.”

    “You many not know what God has in store for you, but if you follow his plan and guidance, you will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. From the time I was in the sixth grade, I knew I wanted to be an oral surgeon. My path changed and here we are today and I’m extremely happy with everything we’re doing …”

  • ProFile: Kay Stevens

    ProFile: Kay Stevens

    story by Lily Weinacht

    Kay Stevens of Maquoketa, Iowa, is returning to the Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping for the seventh time. The 51 year old #4 header is travelling to Oklahoma City with her Australian Cattle Dog as her co-pilot and her famous horse, Walmart, in tow. Though her husband’s saddle now sits empty since he passed away in March of 2014, Kay continues to rope in the memory of Mike Stevens and the absolute passion that the husband and wife had for the sport of team roping.
    Mike was responsible for turning Kay into the avid roper she is today. The husband and wife met at a horse show in DeWitt, Iowa, and while Kay had been rodeoing since she was ten, she was chasing cans instead of steers. Born and raised in Illinois, Kay was exposed to both the racetrack and the rodeo pen at an early age. “My mom was a jockey and she’d take the racing rejects and start them on barrels,” Kay explains. “I learned good horsemanship from the racing world and rodeo. I could wrap a horse’s front legs by the time I was four. I always wanted to be a jockey, but by the time I was 13, I was already 5’6″, so I knew I was out.”
    Kay focused on barrel racing instead, competing in open rodeos and barrel races, including several events put on by Wheeler Hobbs, Jackie Hobbs’ uncle. She went to a junior college in Illinois and was a member of the horse judging team before transferring to Kansas State University where Kay joined the rodeo team. She earned her degree in Animal Science and met Mike, a PRCA tie-down roper, soon after. Once they were married, the couple moved to Iowa, Mike’s home state. “I got interested in roping in the late ’90s,” Kay recalls. “I was working with our horses, and the next thing I knew, Mike was taking them and competing. Eventually I decided I should start competing and not just training!” Kay started breakaway roping but found her niche in the team roping, and began heading for Mike.
    In 1993, Kay and Mike started holding roping practices for local kids at their house every Tuesday and Thursday night. “It was our way of giving back, and the kids were passionate about it,” Kay explains. “We live off of a black top road and we’d have parents droppings kids off at the road, then they’d come trotting in with a rope bag over their horn.” Many junior high, high school, and college national champions got their start in the Stevens’ weekly roping practices.
    Kay and Mike retired their roping practices in 2008 after their daughter, Jyme, a barrel racer and pole bender, graduated from high school. They began pursuing the USTRC more seriously, but when Mike passed away in 2014, Kay’s motivation to rope was shaken. “I wasn’t really sure I wanted to keep roping, but I was already committed to going to the Windy Ryon roping with some girlfriends,” says Kay. “I knew I should stick with it, so I hit the road pretty hard. My daughter ran my business so I could spend the winter roping in Arizona.” Putting 36,000 miles on her odometer last year proved healing for Kay, restoring her desire to rope almost as soon as she had questioned it.
    When she’s not roping, Kay is working from home in her animal cremation business, which she started in 2006. “I have a contract with vets in eastern Iowa, and I pick up animals, cremate them, return ashes, and start all over again. I wanted to do something helpful, but after I did the first one, I didn’t think I could keep going,” Kay admits. “Yet I couldn’t believe how appreciative people were, and I decided I could do it after all. I’ve taken everything from dogs and cats to horses, llamas, alpacas, ferrets, albino crows, flying squirrels, and snakes.”
    After achieving a longtime goal of hunting elk in New Mexico this fall, all of Kay’s weekends have been spent at ropings, including the second annual Mike Stevens Memorial Roping held in Bethany, Mo. “Friends come and rope at my house every night,” she says. “The Priefert Automatic Chute is the only way to go, and my heeler, K.O., runs the steers down the arena and loads them. Mike taught her how to do it.” K.O. was named when Kay figured she’d get kicked out for bringing another puppy home to Mike, but he and K.O. were quick to make friends. “Now she goes with me everywhere – she’s my right hand man!” Kay says with a laugh. Likewise, she is never at a roping without Walmart, a black gelding with a strikingly long mane and tail. “He was Mike’s heel horse and last year I decided to head on him,” says Kay. “Mike named him, saying he was so lazy, you had to put a quarter in him to make him go, like the horse rides at Walmart. But I love him – he’s my main man!”
    With only one USTRC roping held in Iowa, Kay travels to Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana, to qualify for the USTRC finals. “Rodeo is very popular here in Iowa,” says Kay. “There are lots of ropings, and we have the IRCA and MSRA rodeos.” Kay competes in all-girl rodeos and was also a member of the WPRA for several years, winning the Great Lakes Reserve Team Roping Champion title in 2011. At the close of her 15th season in the USTRC, Kay says, “A personal goal of mine is to win more money and go to some of the bigger USTRC ropings, and I’d like to get into the Cruel Girl standings. Roping is my passion. It turned into my life, and I love it!”

  • Fashion is only External, Character is Eternal

    Fashion is only External, Character is Eternal

    article and photos by Kacee Willbanks

     

    Your image is what you put out there, your character is who you really are inside, and clarity is achieved when the two are in sync. Style plays an important role in my busy life. It’s one thing to be fashionable, but at the same time real and functional with your look. I want to be able to spend more time living in the now, enjoying the love of my life, friends, family and giving back to my community. If you are like me I’m rooted deep in my western heritage, but definitely have a love for mainstream fashion. Be you…..being fashionable does not mean high price tags.  Take it from these lovely, driven women!  I asked, “What is your current go to item?”  I’m more intrigued by these intelligent women’s career descriptions, but they are rocking it in style!

    Until next time…..Let’s Be “Friends” on Facebook

  • Young Fashionistas Advice for Moms from Moms

    Young Fashionistas Advice for Moms from Moms

    article and photos by Kacee Willbanks

    What tips or tips or tricks can you can offer other Moms?
    “Zulily is one of my main go to places to find cute, affordable clothes for Preslee. I also enjoy browsing Pinterest for DIY outfits my mom sews by hand for her! I try to buy everything in the next size up so that Preslee can wear them longer, especially footwear. For kids like Preslee who are tall and skinny, you may be able to turn pants that are too short into capris.” ~Whitney Seufer

    “Chayni’s favorite places to shop are Justice and Target. She loves wearing something she can play basketball in at recess! To run barrels in, Chayni counts on Rusty Spur Ranch Diggs’ Laura Borchert to make her unique competition shirts. She sticks with Cowgirl Tuff jeans. Benizzi Ranch Hats are the reason for her beautiful brown Charlie 1 Horse hat. She grows out of everything every six months, so she loves passing clothes to other cowgirls.” ~ Callie Chamberlain

    “Bella’s Fashion Forward, (Salina, UT) is Addie’s favorite clothing store. They carry everything from zebra leggings to headbands in every color. Addie’s favorite addition to the back to school shopping is her back pack and blinged pocket jeans from Shopko. I try to buy things that we can use to make different outfits with, mix and match shoes, shirts and accessories, and shop the end of season closeouts and bargain tables,  even if I have to put it in the closet until Christmas.”  ~Jennifer Quarnberg