Equine
College Rodeo — A Stepping Stone to the Pros
By Phillip Kitts
The spring months are upon us, which means the rodeo road is going to become a very busy place. The big paying rodeos of the winter such as Denver, Austin and San Antonio have come and gone and many would think that the standings for the year would be set in stone.
The fact is this is far from the truth. Over the next six months, rodeo competitors will hit the highways of America in every attempt to earn enough money and attempt to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
This is not only true for the professional athletes but also applies to a large group of college athletes who are chasing gold buckles of their own. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) is the college rodeo version of the NCAA.
Numerous schools around America have small to large rodeo teams that are assigned to regions within the NIRA. The NIRA is broken up in to 11 regions around the United States. Each region features colleges that travel within their region and compete in rodeos.
The regions are as follows:
Big Sky Region- Montana and parts of Wyoming
Central Plains- Kansas and Oklahoma
Central Rocky Mountain- Parts of Nebraska, parts of Colorado, and other parts of Wyoming
Grand Canyon- Arizona and New Mexico
Great Plains- Wisconsin, parts of Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota
Northwest- Oregon and Washington
Ozark- Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee
Rocky Mountain- Utah, Idaho, and parts of Colorado
Southern- Part of Texas
Southwest- The remainder of Texas and one New Mexico school
West Coast- California and Nevada
To read more pick up a copy of the May 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Krista Lucas Wynn
Each year, when the professional rodeo season wraps on Sept. 30, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association announce the Nutrena Horse of the Year, presented by the American Quarter Horse Association, in each event. This is a prestigious award, voted on by the members of the associations. To be named Horse of the Year by fellow competitors is a high honor only a few achieve.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Krista Lucas Wynn | Copy Editor
The name, “Daddy of ’em All,” instantly brings to mind the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration. Cowboys and cowgirls from all across the country dream of competing on the iconic Cheyenne arena dirt.
Every July, pro rodeo contestants travel to Cheyenne, Wyom. to vie for the title of champion of the Cheyenne Frontier Days. The rodeo is steeped in western tradition and celebrated the 125th year this summer. With nearly two weeks of rodeo action, fans watched bareback riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, bull riding, and steer roping.
Steer roper, Tuff Hardman, knew winning “the Dad” was a tall order, but with a good horse and a few prayers he left no doubt who the best steer roper at Cheyenne was when it was all said and done. After two rounds, Hardman qualified back for the finals tied for ninth place with a time of 30.8 seconds.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Utilizing the horse to human connection.
By: Hannah Claxton | Editor
Deep in the heart of Texas, both humans and horses at Stable Strides Farm in Pilot Point, Texas aer demonstrating just how big their hearts really are. Founded by Mandy Cleveland in 2001, Stable Strides Farm serves dozens of Equestrians with Disabilities and Veterans each week.
Deep in the heart of Texas, both humans and horses at Stable Strides Farm in Pilot Point, Texas aer demonstrating just how big their hearts really are. Founded by Mandy Cleveland in 2001, Stable Strides Farm serves dozens of Equestrians with Disabilities and Veterans each week.
“My boys have been riding since they were 18 months old, and for the first 17 years they had a leader and sidewalker. When we moved here, and Mandy started teaching them, she just said, ‘Let’s see what they can do,’ and they ride independently now,” Danielle Frank explained, whose two sons, Adison and Aiden, ride with Stable Strides Farm. “Mandy is amazing beucase she doesn’t place any limits on them, she always wants to see what they can do.”
It is her dedication to never setting limits that earned Cleveland a spot as a national finalist for the NSBA 2024 Dianne Eppers Cowgirls Reaching-Out-to-Community Award. The award was established by the NSBA Foundation to recognize cowgirls across the industry for their selfless contributions to the equestrian community.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of the NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
(Photos Courtesy of Hannah Claxton)
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