Equine
The Cowboy Capital of the World
By Krista Lucas Wynn
It is hard to believe summertime is already over, which means the 2023 professional rodeo season is coming to a close. Each and every year it always comes down to the very last day, Sept. 30, for contestants qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association season runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. One of the last rodeos of the season is always the Cowboy Capital of the World pro rodeo, in Stephenville, Texas. This year, the annual event was Sept. 22-24, making its debut at a brand new venue.
Previously conducted at Lone Star Arena, this year’s pro rodeo was at the brand new fairgrounds, just five miles outside of town. It was the consensus with timed event and roughstock contestants alike that the new location was a welcomed change.
It goes without saying rodeo competitors want to be trending upward, not downward at this critical time of year. Bareback rider Kade Sonnier has been doing just that. The rookie, from Carencro, La., won the bareback riding at the Cowboy Capital of the World with a score of 84.5 on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner for $1,545.
This moved him up into second in the world standings, with Leighton Berry hot on his heels. Berry was also right behind Sonnier in Stephenville with a score of 83 points for second place.
Overall, steer wrestling is a big brotherhood, and there is definitely quite a bit of shuffling going on toward the end of the rodeo season in the standings.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, 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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