Equine
November has come and gone, and the lesser-known stars of pro rodeo have wrapped up their season and have their eyes set on their next shot.
The reference of lesser-known stars can be easily misunderstood. To clarify, let’s break down the world of pro rodeo a little more. All rodeo fans are familiar with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the long list of rodeos that help athletes make it to the gold chutes of Las Vegas. Within nearly all of these big rodeos that pave the way, there is circuit money that has a big influence just on a small platform.
The PRCA is divided up into 13 circuits that are geographically spread around the world.
Columbia River Circuit – Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.
California Circuit – California.
Wilderness Circuit – East of California, it includes the majority of Idaho, Nevada and Utah.
Montana Circuit – Montana.
Mountain States Circuit –Wyoming and Colorado.
Turquoise Circuit – New Mexico and Arizona.
Badlands Circuit – North and South Dakota.
Prairie Circuit – Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Texas Circuit – Texas.
Great Lakes Circuit – Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Kentucky.
First Frontier Circuit – Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey.
Southeastern Circuit – Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
Maple Leaf Circuit – The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association rodeos will allow competitors to earn Maple Leaf Circuit points, with two champions in each event earning spots to compete at the NFR Open, conducted in Colorado Springs, Colo., in July.
To read more, pick up a copy of the January 2024 issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Krista Lucas Wynn
The annual Windy Ryon roping was held on Memorial weekend, May 24-26, 2024. The bucket list event, in Saginaw, Texas, featured exciting competition in team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, steer roping, and team tying. Miraculously, the weather did not play much of a factor in the arena conditions, and it was a fun time had by all.
The three days of competition was the 50th year for the Windy Ryon, named after the cowboy businessman who founded Ryon’s Saddle Shop and Western Store, located in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. The arena is conveniently just 10 minutes from the Stockyards, giving fans a full day of western activities. The weekend kicked off Friday, May 24, with an open breakaway roping, women’s team roping and open team roping.
To read more, pick up a copy of the July issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Savannah Magoteaux
In April, reining horse enthusiasts from across the country and around the globe traveled to Tulsa, Okla., for the National Reining Breeders Classic. The event, one of the largest in the reining industry, made its move to Tulsa in 2023, after more than two decades in Katy, Texas. The move was lucrative, and the event set multiple records, prompting the NRBC Board of Directors to expand the event to 12 days.
When the spin was spun and the final slide slid, the event had awarded more than $1.7 million in prize money alone, plus countless prizes that would fill two rooms – that’s not including the two trophy trailers presented to the Open and Non Pro Champions. The NRBC will return to Tulsa April 15-26, 2025.
Weatherford’s Casey Deary Wins Open Championship on Down Right Amazing
Scores started out high in the NRBC Open Finals and continued to build through the evening, along with the anticipation of the crowd, all waiting for that big run to topple all the previous scores. That ride came to rapturous applause as Casey Deary and Down Right Amazing rode out of the arena to the sound of “The Circle of Life,” the song denoting a new high score at the NRBC.
To read more, pick up a copy of the June issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Krista Lucas Wynn
As female sports come under fire in 2024, the same can not be said for the sport of rodeo. The western industry is not short of talented, strong cowgirls. The Women’s Rodeo World Championship, presented by the World Champions Rodeo Alliance and the Professional Bull Riders, is the world’s richest women’s rodeo with a guaranteed payout of $750,000.
The week-long event showcases women competing in barrel racing, breakaway roping and team roping. The WRWC is the culmination of professionals and challengers alike who have qualified by a point system, held May 13-18 at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, and the championship round is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Competitors are nominated at any event throughout the year to earn points leading up to the WRWC.
To read more, pick up a copy of the June issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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