Logan Allen and Trent Vaught had never roped together prior to the 2024 Great Lakes Circuit Finals, but they walked away with the average title Nov. 16, a first for the Iowa and Arkansas men.

Allen, 38, and Vaught, 30, roped three steers in 19.1 seconds to pocket a total of $8,060 after placing in every round. The 2024 trip to Louisville, Kentucky, was Allen’s first in the team roping, but he’s qualified 14 times in the saddle bronc riding and three times in the bull riding. When Saturday night rolled around, a sold-out show with 14,000 people in the stands, the realization kicked in.

“I was more just anxious because I was sitting there, we were last out because we were high team, and I wished I could just go,” Allen said. “Then everybody goes in front of us and it gets a little closer, and I’m looking at the bucking chutes, watching everybody saddle, and I’m like, I wish I was saddling the dirtiest, rankest bronc right now because I’m way more comfortable there.”

On the contrary, Vaught’s made the trip to Freedom Hall four times in the team roping, and it’s a relief to finally add the title to his resume. 

“It took me four years,” Vaught said with a laugh. “It’s exciting to get it done. The people and victory laps make it exciting. I think it’s a lot of fun getting to do it in front of more people.”

Smooth gets the win

Allen and Vaught didn’t rope together during the regular season, but they both made it as individuals 12^th in the standings. Knowing that dropping coils and being 4.0 wasn’t going to be their run, they aimed to start the week off with a solid, clean run they could build off for the aggregate. 

“I knew we were going to be first out the first night, and Chance—my brother-in-law who works for me—we would rope steers all day every day on colts,” Allen explained. “And then we’d get on our good horses, and I’d head for him and we’d run three steers, basically just a little mock setup. I’d say, ‘OK, I’m first out, I know it’s going to be point of the shoulder at minimum,’ and so we’d practice it. I would just always say, let’s get our first steer down. I knew if I went to Louisville first out, got our first steer down in some kind of 6.0-second run, it would set up something good for the rest of the week.”

Allen and Vaught kicked off the circuit finals Nov. 14, with a 6.2-second run to split third, fourth and fifth in the round for $733 a man. They kept things rolling with a 5.4 in Round 2 to win second in the round and $2,198 each. They entered Round 3 first in the average and drew a steer that stepped left.

“I think it worked out great because it didn’t let Trent relax,” Allen said. “He had to get up there and heel him before we got into the wall. He heeled the crap out of him. It took our mind from just being clean to we had to be aggressive and get him.”

They won fourth in the round with a 7.5 for $733 a man to clinch the average for $4,396 apiece. 

“It’s the best it’s been since I’ve been there, but the steers were also better, so that makes the roping better too,” Vaught said. 

Louisville Horsepower

Allen rode two horses in Louisville: Two Jumps and Mac. Having two solid horses allowed him to be more strategic and choose his horsepower based on their draw. Two Jumps got the call in Rounds 1 and 3, and Mac came in clutch in Round 2 on a softer steer.

“On Two Jumps, I didn’t want to see neck rope and then the next night come back and ask him to see halfway out,” Allen said. “The third night, if we were sitting good in the average, I knew I wasn’t going to have the slow one since we already had him; I was going to have to see neck rope again. I still wanted to ride Mac—he’s the one that got me there, so part of me was like, you deserve to go. I just thought I’d keep him for a longer score and then keep the other one for a little bit quicker, and it ended up working out.”

Vaught’s 10-year-old gelding Gunner got the call on the heel side each night.

“He’s really my only good one,” Vaught said. “He is just easy, stays free and keeps his feet moving. He doesn’t ever cheat me.”

See ya in July

Allen and Vaught will rope together again next July at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, a rodeo Allen didn’t think he’d make again after swapping ends of the arena. For Vaught, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime.

“it’s a big opportunity to go up against the best and see where you line up,” Vaught said.

The post Logan Allen and Trent Vaught Pair Up for 2024 Great Lakes Circuit Finals Win appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Bradley Massey and Zack Mabry took control of the 2024 Southeastern Circuit this spring and never looked back, winning the year-end titles with $25,200.55 for Massey and $24,307.55 for Mabry. 

The Florida and Alabama team went into the Southeastern Circuit Finals Nov. 8-10, in Davie, Florida, with $6,143.78 and $11,470.47 leads, respectively. They added $2,225 a man to seal the deal on Massey’s fifth year-end title—one of which was on the heel side—and Mabry’s second.

“I still work at it like I’m 20, I still rope three or four days a week,” Massey, 38, said. “I always feel like I have a pretty good horse for down here, and probably the biggest thing is that almost every year I have one of the best heelers. And if I do my job, most of the time, I win. There’s a lot of guys down here that are roping good, too. I mean, Marcus Theriot is down here almost every year, Keven Daniel made the Finals four times—there’s a lot of guys that rope good. So, I don’t think it’s luck, but I just kind of got it figured out somehow or another.”

For Mabry, the second title is just as sweet, and being able to finish what they started is the cherry on top.

“it’s always good to be able to win the circuit,” Mabry, 33, said. “I’m not a guy that’s going to strike out and go to Reno or anything, so winning the circuit’s kind of something that a guy that stays home can do. It means a lot.”

Kicking it off early

Getting an early start on the season was key in Massey and Mabry’s 2024 success. The team picked up $2,482 a man for second at Northwest Florida Championship Rodeo in Bonifay Oct. 5-7, 2023, and $2,865 each after winning the 10th Annual Arcadia Fall Rodeo (Florida) Oct. 21-22. 

February and March are prime time in the Southeastern Circuit with a sizable portion of their rodeos taking place in the spring, and they raked in $12,294 a man between from January to March.

“I don’t think anything in our run was necessarily that dominant, but I think that we caught some steers early in the year that were big steers, and then we just kept placing along,” Mabry said. “It seemed like we hit at a few of the bigger rodeos, and that helped, but what helped us the most is we never had a month or two where we got cold; it’s not like we were red hot, it just was kind of steady.”

The Southeast summers might be hot, but Massey and Mabry actually slowed down for much of the summer. Regardless, when the regular season ended, Massey led the pack with $22,975.50 won on the year and Mabry with $22,082.50.

Looking to 2025

As Massey continues to add year-end titles to his resume, he begins to etch himself in the Southeastern Circuit history books. With a family at home, his goals on the circuit front keep him plenty busy.

“I’ve worked at it for a long time,” Massey said. “I’ve never went and really tried to make the NFR—I always had different goals. I know a lot of people can do it with families, but I’ve never felt that I could. My boys play travel baseball, my girl rodeos, and when I was young, I never felt like I roped good enough. Then when I got to where I felt like I roped pretty good, I felt like I had too much other stuff going. So, I’ve always put a lot of emphasis on [winning the circuit].”

But with a chance at some of the 2025 winter rodeos and their tickets punched for July’s NFR Open in Colorado Springs, there’s a chance Massey and Mabry may enter outside the circuit here and there.

“I think there’s an outside chance,” Mabry said. “We’ve still got a chance, maybe, to get into San Antonio and Houston. If we were to get into San Antonio and Houston again and did good, we might enter around a little bit. And I bet that when we go out [to Colorado Springs], we’ve talked about entering for three or four weeks, mainly just because I want to go.”

The post Bradley Massey and Zack Mabry Seal the Deal on 2024 Southeastern Circuit Year-End Titles appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Koby Sanchez and Trace Porter took home the 2024 Southeastern Circuit Finals win after roping three steers in 17.6 seconds in Davie, Florida, Nov. 8-10.

The Louisiana team had their sights set on the NFR Open in July, especially after having a successful July trip out west in 2024. Now, they’re locked in for 2025.

“The NFR Open has always been a goal to try to get to through the average from our circuit finals,” Sanchez, 23, said. “But our rounds pay so good—it’s almost $3,000 round. You still can win a lot of money even if you’re not in the average. So, it kind of goes both ways. But getting to Colorado Springs is a really, really big plus to stay hooked to that average.”

For Porter, who finished 22^nd in the world standings in 2018, he’s been itching to rodeo hard again. Thanks to their high-paying circuit finals, their $7,788 weekend may have set them up to hit the road again in 2025.

“We started some businesses, but I just wanted to go again,” Porter, 32, said. “We started at Springdale and went all the way to the Salt Lake rodeos. We stayed gone probably four weeks just to see how we stood as a team. We actually did some winning; we won right at $10,000 in three weeks. So, this win down here can set us up where we can maybe actually rodeo a little bit.”

How to win the Southeastern Circuit Finals

Sanchez and Porter went into Davie with their sights set on the average and the NFR Open.

“The first round, we didn’t really know a lot about the steers,” Porter said. “We just wanted to get one down and start playing the average game. [Koby] had done pretty good in the past of roping good down there, but neither of us had ever done any good in the average. So, we just wanted to start playing the numbers game, just knocking them down.” 

Their first steer was a touch strong, but they made him work and laid the foundation for the average race with a 7.1-second run. Luck was on their side in Round 2, and they won second in the round with a 5.3 for $2,225 a man.

“We came back on a steer that everybody was wanting, and we got him,” Sanchez said. “He was real good, and we used him.”

Their third-round steer had some tricks to him, but Sanchez took a good start to beat his zigzagging. They split third in the final round with a 5.2-second run to pick up $1,113 apiece and seal the deal on the aggregate title for $4,450 a man. 

Sanchez and Porter have been friends for years and, after roping here and there over the years, decided to enter full-time together in 2024. Sanchez credits Porter on the heel side for much of their success. 

“We decided we were going to rope full-time this year, and it was good,” Sanchez said. “He’s been doing it a while, and he sure is great; he doesn’t miss very many, and he sure catches two feet. It’s nice to know, usually, when I turn them, they’re about heeled.”

Down the horse rabbit hole

For Sanchez, his rookie year was plagued with horse problems. Both of his good horses went down in October and, from the fall of 2023 through June, he rode 13 different horses, mounting out at nearly every circuit rodeo. Until RV Elvis 701 came along. Sanchez bought the 7-year-old gelding a week before heading west for the summer, and they clicked immediately. 

“I went and tried him, and I loved him,” Sanchez said. “I threw him straight to the wolves. I bought him, we went to the Franklin, Tennessee, rodeo, and went to three or four rodeos that week. The next week we left and headed to Greeley.”

On the heel side, Porter rode a 14-year-old who’s been in his barn the last decade. King Of The Cats, aka “Gangster,” was a practice horse for nearly seven years, until the time and practice made him top of the line.

“All of a sudden, it just kind of got to where time made him better,” Porter said. “For so long, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t like the horse. All of a sudden, my good horse went down probably two years ago—he got old –and I really didn’t have nothing coming, so that horse I just kind of started. It was time for him to be ready, and he sure stepped up.”

The post Koby Sanchez and Trace Porter Win 2024 Southeastern Circuit Finals  appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Jake Smith and Jonathan Torres both won their first year-end circuit titles, claiming the 2024 Wilderness Circuit heading and heeling titles.

Smith claimed the heading title with $41,138.34 won on the circuit front after roping with Douglas Rich this year, and Torres won the heeling with $43,414.02 after heeling for Nelson Wyatt.

For Smith, 2024 has been a year to remember as he’s heading to his first NFR in December, and winning the Wilderness Circuit was the cherry on top.

“I’m just tickled to death,” Smith, 31, said. “I’m excited. I was wanting to do better at the circuit finals than I did—I didn’t do a great job for Doug, and it wound up costing him winning the year-end. I was really wanting him to win it with me. But don’t get me wrong, I’m still excited that I did end up winning the year-end, and I’m excited get to rope with Torres at the NFR Open.”

Torres, who’s ready to heel at his third NFR, won a tight battle atop the Wilderness Circuit standings after the circuit finals Nov. 1-2, in Heber City, Utah.

“My main goal is making the NFR, but then going up there and winning the circuit’s still pretty cool,” Torres said. “Obviously the prizes are cool—saddle, buckle—and then you were the champion of that circuit for the year. It’s a lot of work, a lot of determination, a lot of goals. A guy has to meet his rodeo count. So just connecting all the dots makes it feel like you’ve accomplished your task or your goal.”

Wilderness works for Smith

Oklahoma’s Smith is actually a Prairie Circuit cowboy, but with trying to make the NFR, the Wilderness Circuit had more money up for grabs and worked easier logistically. 

“Last year we counted up, and we went to like 18 Wilderness Circuit rodeos last year, and that wasn’t even our circuit,” Smith said. “We went to that many. So I was like, well, heck, we only got to go to a few more in that circuit. And it seemed like it’d be way easier; I knew there were a few that we didn’t go to just because we didn’t even really know about all those rodeos. It just seems like those rodeos are getting better and better out there, too.”

Smith and Rich kicked off their circuit season with a $5,515-a-man trip to the Clark County Fair & Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada, Apr. 10-14. They headed out a few weeks early for the Reno Rodeo—held at the end of June—to enter some more circuit rodeos, and they kept the ball rolling with $6,245 apiece on the circuit front in June. 

The beginning of July brought in $4,264 a man before their biggest hit of the year: Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo. Smith and Rich took home the Salt Lake City win and pocketed $14,623 apiece, giving Smith a nearly untouchable lead in the circuit.

“Salt Lake obviously was huge—which I don’t even think it’s going to count for next year—but Salt Lake was a huge, huge hit for us,” Smith said. “Right there at the beginning, I know we won the one in Eagle Mountain, and we won a few thousand there it seemed like for the first couple weeks at those circuit rodeos.” 

For the first-time NFR qualifier, making the circuit finals hasn’t even been on his radar the past few years, until the addition of the NFR Open.

“For the last several years, I haven’t even attempted to do it,” Smith admitted. “But the NFR Open is so good and it’s gotten to where you see how much that rodeo pays and everything, and it seems like it’s hard to miss it.”

Torres’ Wilderness strategy

Like Smith, the Wilderness Circuit was easier to work for Florida native Torres.

“The rodeos are great—Utah has a bunch of really good rodeos and they pay really good,” Torres said. “I just thought while we’re out there already traveling around, going to the best rodeos and stuff, it’d be nice to get the circuit in, too. I hadn’t made a circuit finals in a while just because I was Southeastern; well, that’s hard to make. Then I was Texas, and that’s a little tricky.”

Torres was on the money with his decision—literally. His biggest circuit hit came in Reno where he won second and pocketed $9,861 during his trip. June, in general, was a huge month for Torres as he picked up $18,317 on the circuit front that month.

When the season came to a close, Torres and Rich were neck and neck heading into Heber City with Torres trailing by just $217.32. Torres wanted to win as much money as possible, considering the circuit finals counts for the 2025 world standings, but he was also hopeful he and Rich could both make the NFR Open. 

“We’re pretty good buddies and, obviously, the way it turned out, it wasn’t that great,” Torres admitted. “I was hoping we could win the average and win the year-end because then it would’ve dropped down where he could have roped with Jake, and I would’ve roped with Rhen. But, unfortunately, It didn’t work out that way.”

Smith and Torres will take on the NFR Open in Colorado Springs July 8-12, 2025.

The post Jake Smith and Jonathan Torres Win 2024 Wilderness Circuit Titles appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Derrick Begay and Colter Todd cleaned house in the Turquoise Circuit, picking up both the Turquoise Circuit Finals and year-end titles in 2024.

The reigning NFR average champions roped three steers in 19.9 seconds at the circuit finals in Camp Verde, Arizona, Nov. 1-2, to win the aggregate title and solidify their year-end titles with $18,309.42 won on the year. The win marks Begay’s fourth year-end title and third average win and, despite having 11 NFR qualifications to his name, he still remembers his first circuit finals in 2004.

“I got there and I was like, ‘Wow, I made it,’” Begay, 41, reminisced. “I get there and they gave me a coat that said circuit finals qualifier, and I would not leave this coat out of sight. I wore it proud; I walked around with it all weekend. It was probably hot—it was in Arizona still. I got home, put it up on the coat hanger in the closet and just took care of this coat. I wore it to all the special occasions, to town when I wanted to and just showed it off a little bit.”

The coat still hangs in his mom’s home, and their 2024 wins still mean just as much.

“Yeah, I’ve gone past that, and I’ve won the year-end and average before, but as the old saying goes, it never gets old,” Begay said. “It always means something because every year is different.”

Todd, on the other hand, has one other average title and one other year-end title, and they came from the Great Lakes Circuit in 2004. With 20 years between the accolades, they have their own significance. 

“It’s all at the moment,” Todd, 40, said. “The Great Lake Circuit, that was way back; that was when I was young and it was just, ‘You bet.’ I was heading, and that was special back then—that rodeo paid outstanding for a circuit finals. Then this one, it’S a bit more just because of roping with a good friend and you just want to do good.”

Turquoise Approach 

While Begay and Todd set their sights on the NFR, they keep their rodeo count lower than others and official every rodeo they enter, making it easier to hit their circuit count. 

“Turquoise is fairly easy,” Todd said. “We did have to fly from Puyallup to Scottsdale (in September) to get our count, but it’s not too bad, really. I think we only have to count 10, and there’s enough decent rodeos that it’s not too bad.”

READ: Humble Beginnings: Advice From Derrick Begay

Begay and Todd kicked off their circuit season with a $2,059-a-man check at the 79th Annual Yuma Silver Spur Rodeo in Yuma, Arizona, in February. They picked up another $4,777 a man before the start of the summer run, and they finished the regular season second and fourth with $11,898.42 a man. A key to winning in the Turquoise Circuit is hitting at one or two of the big rodeos: La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Tucson, Arizona); Cave Creek Rodeo Days (Arizona); Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo (Window Rock, Arizona); World’s Oldest Rodeo (Prescott, Arizona); Lea County PRCA Rodeo (Lovington, New Mexico); and New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo (Albuquerque, New Mexico).

“What kind of closed the gap for us there at the end that gave us a chance to catch up with those guys is Albuquerque,” Begay said. “That’s the only one that kind of stands out. We won third or fourth, but Albuquerque is the one that got us close enough to those guys that were doing good in the circuit.”

The final straw

Despite having four NFR qualifications to his name, Todd still felt some pressure at the circuit finals.

“One, I’m roping with my best friend and I kind of feel like I let him down a lot this year,” Todd, who just missed the 2024 NFR at 16th, admitted. “And for him, he has a lot of family that comes, so I guess I shouldn’t say a lot of pressure, but it definitely isn’t just a common rodeo for me. Plus, you always want to do good and either win the year-end or the average there because of getting to go to Colorado Springs.”

Begay and Todd kicked off the circuit finals with a bang, tying for the win in Round 1 with a 5.8 for $2,040 a man. In the second round, Begay’s horse slipped leaving the box, but they still tied for fourth with an 8.2 and picked up $291 each.

Watch on Roping.com: A Family Legacy- The Todd Family

They went into the final round tied at the top of the average and drew a steer to help them take the win. A 5.9-second run won them fourth in the round for $583 apiece and clinched the $3,497-a-man aggregate title. They pocketed $6,411 a man in Camp Verde to also knab the year-end title. It was also a sweet taste of redemption after the 2023 circuit finals.

“This year, I’ve said it before, but doing it with Colter, that was cool for me,” Begay said. “Last year we had a really good chance—we were really good on two and come back on the last steer to win the year-end and the average. All I had to do was catch the steer clean, but I broke the barrier.”

Begay and Todd will head to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs next July. In 2024, the team qualified off the year-end and pocketed $10,750 a man to greatly impact their season.

“This year, [the NFR Open] helped me—it’s what got me to the Finals, I guess,” Begay said. “So for this year, it was important.”

The post Derrick Begay and Colter Todd Sweep Turquoise Circuit with 2024 Average and Year-End Titles appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Rhett Anderson and Jared Fillmore won their first Wilderness Circuit Finals Nov. 2, 2024, after roping three steers in 20.3 seconds.

Anderson, 34, and Fillmore, 24, pocketed $5,608 a man during their trip and punched their tickets to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs next July. 

“It’s just such an opportunity to get to go to Colorado Springs,” Anderson, of Annabella, Utah, said. “I like those rodeos where there’s less guys but more money.”

Aside from the money and qualification, the win hits deeper for Fillmore. The Payson, Utah, kid didn’t come from a roping family but craved being around the sport. But at 13, Fillmore was in an auto-pedestrian accident. Fillmore was in a coma for weeks, suffered 37 broken bones and had two brain surgeries in order to recover. He proved doctors wrong when they told him he’d never walk again, nor ride a horse. This title, 10 years later, is still a miracle in his eyes.

“That’s a God thing, and I realized that God brought me through that,” Fillmore said. “I kind of always relate anything in my life by looking back on that. People are always like, ‘What do you think about before you make a run?’ And I’m like, well, I always think about my mom sleeping on a metal bench for two months while I was in the hospital. That’s what gets my blood pumping.”

How the Wilderness was won

Anderson and Fillmore—who kicked their partnership off at the BFI in March—got the ball rolling in Heber City with a 6.6 in Round 1.

“We didn’t really know what [the steers] were going to be, but he was a little bit stronger,” Fillmore explained. “Rhett did a good job; he got out of the barrier good and then we went and caught. With that steer, I think we were both pretty happy to just catch the first one clean because it didn’t seem like there were too many very aggressive runs in the first round.”

They won third in the second round with a 7.1 for $1,246 a man and locked in their spot at second call back for the third round. After watching the team before them miss Saturday night, they knew they could focus on catching and letting it play out.

With a 6.6-second run they not only picked up $623 apiece for fourth in the round, but they also locked in the Wilderness Circuit Finals aggregate win with a 20.3 on three head for $3,739 each.

On the head side, Anderson rode a mare he calls HB that he got from late NFR qualifier Quinn Kesler and his wife Jessie.

“That horse I rode, she actually just had two colts in the last two years and this was her first outing back,” Anderson, the 2014 Resistol Rookie Header of the Year, said. “So, I was honestly just trying to get a feel for that horse. She got better each time, and I’m pretty lucky to have her.”

Fillmore rode his old faithful—a gelding he calls Watson. 

“He’s the most friendly, gentle giant in the world,” Fillmore said. “It’s kind of funny—when I first got him, I thought he may never make anything big time, but he was just a great horse to have around. Then he’s kind of stepped up and he’s not the most talented horse, but he never takes an extra step and he always is really solid.”

On to the next one

With trips booked for the NFR Open in July, Anderson, who welcomed his second son in January, may switch things up and enter outside the circuit more in 2025.

“Especially now that I’ve got this other horse and I’ll have two good horses, I feel like I’ll probably venture out more,” Anderson said.

For Fillmore, practice starts now.

“I think that it’s a pretty cool opportunity, and I feel excited for it,” Fillmore said. “It’s a ways away, but I’ll just keep working and I’m really excited for it. I feel like it’ll be a blessing to be there.” 

The post Rhett Anderson and Jared Fillmore Win First Wilderness Circuit Finals Title appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

It’s easy to be gracious when things are going your way. It’s life’s curveballs and challenges that test our true character. How many of you watched the last perf of the San Bernardino (California) Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo with me from the very edge of your seats at this year’s regular rodeo season finish line on Sunday, September 29, because the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo teeter totter was in full swing? 

A 2024 trip to Vegas came down to one steer between a two-team buddy group. When it was over, three of the four friends—Erich Rogers, Paul Eaves and Derrick Begay—made the Top-15 cut. Colter Todd was the odd man out, and finished 16^th in the world on the heeling side. It’d be a big, fat yikes—if this wasn’t two of the coolest cowboys of all time we’re talking about here.

To set the stage for you, if you weren’t in that moment with the rest of us, the two teams pulled into San Bernardino with a mere $84 margin between them. 

“We had to beat them, regardless of what they did, for me to make it,” Colter explained, calm as ever when it was over. “But it was actually fun. It was like we were in the practice pen running one last steer to see who makes the Finals.

“The hardest pill for me to deal with mentally was that I felt like I was on the downhill slide, and had been doing bad instead of climbing and battling. In the end, I felt like I failed the last 30 days of the regular season.”

Rogers and Eaves rode in to rope the team before Begay and Todd this time. That was not the order they roped in most of the year when they buddied, but the way all the trades turned out it was how it was right there at the end. 

Rogers and Eaves stuck it on one in 5 flat to take the lead of the rodeo. So when Begay and Todd rode in next, the only play was to try and win it. Begay took his shot, but did not connect. That’s the understandable hard part for him. 

“I should have roped that steer all day,” said Begay, who does not do excuses. “My horse scored good. I had a good go. The steer was good, and the timing was there. That’s a steer I catch every time. Nothing was out of whack. It was an easy shot. Everything felt good, and I missed.”

That Begay would man up and own it was predictable. That Colter cared most about his header and best friend making it was also par for their cowboy course. 

“It went exactly how it was supposed to go,” said Todd, who won last year’s NFR average with Begay. “For me, it’s fine. I don’t rodeo for a living (he ranches). Not that I don’t care or have any emotions. But the way it ended up coming down to that last steer, it was bittersweet, but also cooler than heck.”

They rode out the back end at San Bernardino knowing the 500-mile drive back home to Arizona—Seba Dalkai for Begay, and Willcox for Colter—would be a long one. 

“Not much was said,” according to Begay. “I was bummed out. We got in the truck, and I started driving. We stopped at In-N-Out (Burger), then kept going. So many things were going through my head. A guy dreams about making the NFR. My wife is due December 21, so she’s probably not even going to go to the NFR. Now I’m not going to get to rope with my best friend. If I didn’t go, Jonathan Torres would get to rope with his partner (Nelson Wyatt, who finished 16^th on the heading side). 

“I finally said a few words. I told Colter, ‘The main reason I pro rodeo these days is because of you.’ The thought of going to the Finals without Colter did not make me happy.”

Naturally, Colter wasn’t having any of that. And he placed all the blame directly on his own two shoulders. 

“I just didn’t rope good enough,” Colter said. “To fail at the end is hard. After the second round at Sioux Falls and before we roped our steer at Mona, Utah, the heading was done and Begay was in. That meant so much to me. He roped good enough. He deserves to be there. 

“This is the first major failure I’ve had to deal with. It’s good for me, but it’s not easy. I had $94,000 won the first of August. To have that fall through does not feel very good. But I’m pumped for a guy like Tanner Braden, who’s been on the bubble a couple times. I’m not the guy who needed to make it the most, and I’m happy for everyone who did make it.” 

Of course he is. So Colter of him. Wyatt finished $3,081 behind Begay with $101,988 on the regular season. Todd ended up $3,843 behind Eaves with $105,069. They only went to 70-some rodeos, when team ropers can count 80.

“That the way it went was meant to be is the only way I can wrap my head around what happened here,” said Begay, who’ll head for Torres at Derrick’s 11^th NFR in December. “We were taking care of business. That it was meant to be is the only explanation that makes any sense. 

“We did have rodeos left, and could have gone to places like Pasadena, New Braunfels and Stephenville (Texas). But we’re supposed to make it with what we entered. We didn’t want to do anything stupid and force it. We went to all the good ones where we could ride our own horses.”

They did it their way, just like they live the rest of their lives. And their conversations haven’t returned to this subject since they were in that truck driving home from San Bernardino a month ago. 

“Fall’s a good time for cowboys,” Begay said. “And when you get home and back to your life, you get busy and forget about rodeo. Colter and I both do that. Being back home on the desert puts a good feel back in me. 

“I’ve been gathering cows. Colter came over this morning to preg check cows with me. Colter does the preg checking. We worked the cows and weaned the calves before heading to our (Turquoise) circuit finals, which starts tonight in Camp Verde (Arizona).”

These are family-first cowboys with life perspective.

“There was a time when I got nervous, and thought, ‘What if I don’t get Begay in?’” Colter said. “For me, it’s fine. I don’t rodeo for a living. It’s not that I don’t have emotions or care. There was no reason not to make it with what we won early. As a competitor, it was hard for me to lose ground until right there at the end. But the way we roped, Begay needed to make it. I obviously did not.

“It absolutely crossed my mind before we roped that last steer that those other guys rodeo for a living, and have sponsor contracts. They have to make the NFR. Bottom line is that it worked out exactly how it was supposed to.”

It’s all good for these guys. But still…

“It’s hard to let a friend down,” Begay said. “For me to make it and him not is a feeling I’ve never had before. It’s a letdown. But we both know we have to accept the outcome. 

“It’s disappointing, but it’s going to be OK. Because we’re best friends. Colter’s not just a team roping partner, and rodeoing isn’t our life. If rodeo is all that mattered to me, I’d move to Texas and rope all day. Cowboying is our life.”  

The post Best Friends First: Begay and Todd Make Sense of 2024 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Garrett Tonozzi won his fifth Mountain States Circuit year-end title while helping Conner Herren win his first in 2024.

While Tonozzi is a two-time NFR qualifier, Herren’s only 20 years old and finished his last rodeo season as a permit holder. As he prepares for his Resistol Rookie year, the Crooks, South Dakota, heeler knows his qualification to the NFR Open—held in Colorado Springs each July—could be vital to his rookie year.

“I think it’ll be cool—it pays a lot, and it’ll be fun,” Herren said. “Garrett’s been everywhere so it’s nothing new for him. It’ll also definitely be good if we can do good there because I’m going to go to Denver this year and maybe Tucson and stuff, so a few more than last year, but we’re probably just going to circuit rodeo again.”

Tonozzi and Herren won the 2024 year-end titles with $30,454.63 and $32,700.08 won on the year, respectively. For Tonozzi, who makes his home in Lampasas, Texas, his goals have shifted over the years.

“Anytime you can win a circuit, it means a lot,” Tonozzi, 39, said. “Especially since I’m not rodeoing here as much anymore, just going around to the circuit rodeos, so that’s the end goal of the year. And it’s always good to reach your goals.”

Tonozzi and Herren’s summer

A year ago, Tonozzi was looking for a young kid to work for him, and a mutual friend suggested Herren. When Herren went to Texas to meet him and rope, Tonozzi had another idea.

“I was like, ‘You don’t need to be working for me, you need to be heeling at all the rodeos,’” Tonozzi said with a laugh. “That’s kind of how it got started. And then he went back to Arizona for the winter, and he came back to my house in Texas in March or April and stayed there for a couple months. We just practiced and went to a few littler rodeos and then started circuit rodeoing in June when we got up to Colorado.”

Tonozzi and Herren kicked off their circuit partnership in June and really got the ball rolling at the Greeley Stampede where they won the short round and second in the average to pocket $6,878 a man. That gave them the perfect momentum heading into the toughest time of year for their circuit: July.

“The whole month of July, you’re roping against the best guys in the world,” Tonozzi said. “It’s the best rodeos and everyone’s in your circuit in July, so it makes the competition level high. But it’s fun getting to rope against everyone and there’s the big slack at Greeley and stuff like that.”

Tonozzi and Herren stood their ground against NFR teams, picking up $3,938 apiece at the Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo in Casper between their round finishes and taking fourth in the average. They also won fifth in the first round of the Cheyenne Frontier Days for $2,688 each. 

“Greeley was really good, Casper was great for us, but we kind of just plucked along, too, at a lot of the smaller rodeos,” Herren said. “Just winning checks here and there always helps. The horsepower definitely helped; Garrett’s always riding a great horse, and my horse did good all summer.”

They added another $3,382 apiece to their July earnings, followed by $4,688 a man to wrap up their season in August. Tonozzi and Herren went into the circuit finals in Loveland, Colorado, Oct. 25-26, with a $5,488.21 lead on the head side and a $6,474.53 on the heels. They pocketed $3,367 a man to seal the deal on their year-end titles.

Opportunity of a lifetime 

The opportunity to rope with Tonozzi didn’t just bring on a year-end title, it’s also molding Herren into a better roper.

“He was very, very green—he still is, he’s young—but he seemed like he really soaked it in good,” Tonozzi said. “He was always wanting to learn and experience more and learn about rodeoing. It’s not just about going and catching the steer; there’s a lot more that goes into rodeoing. I think it was a little eye-opening to him and a good experience for him.”

Herren’s already noticed a difference himself, and he looks forward to putting what he’s learned to practice in 2025. 

“Riding better, keeping my horses good all summer,” Herren said. “I’ve just been more places, and I have more experience now. I feel like I hadn’t been to any of those rodeos and now that I have, I feel like it’s just an advantage for next year.”

The post Garrett Tonozzi and Conner Herren Pick Up 2024 Mountain States Circuit Year-End Titles appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Teagan Bentley and Bryton Scheller came from third high call to win the 2024 Mountain States Circuit Finals Oct. 25-26, with a 16.3 on three head.

Bentley and Scheller pocketed $7,575 apiece between the rounds and the average in Loveland, Colorado, finishing out a tough year for both ropers with a taste of redemption. For 20-year-old Bentley, the win is a pleasant ending to his rookie year.  

“I didn’t have the rookie year I wanted to, so it was special to come back and finish out the year on a strong note, rolling into the winter,” Bentley, of Casper, Wyoming, said. “Now we have a little momentum rolling our way.”

For Scheller, the win isn’t just a career highlight, it was also a personal triumph for a kid who never thought he’d rope again. In the early fall of 2023, Scheller was leaving a roping when he was hit head on by a vehicle that had blown a tire. Scheller suffered a broken pelvis, a traumatic brain injury, a tear in his stomach and other injuries as a result. Scheller went at physical therapy with a multitude of determination and focus in hopes of roping again.

“It means the world to me,” Scheller, 23, said. “With my wreck last year and everything, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to rope again. It’s pretty special.”

Loveland play-by-play

Bentley and Scheller didn’t start 2024 as partners. When the end of the season approached, Scheller was on the circuit finals bubble and needed a partner for the last three rodeos. He called Bentley, whom he’s known forever, but things didn’t go their way and Scheller didn’t make the cut.

Bentley was prepared to rope with JC Flake, who finished 17^th in the heeling world standings, in Loveland. But the day entries close, Bentley learned Flake couldn’t make it, so he called Scheller.

The third team out in Round 1 Oct. 25, Bentley and Scheller split third in the round with a 6.2 for $842 a man.

“The first one, we just went and caught him just to get our week started off without any penalties,” Bentley said. “We got to see what we needed to do after that, and it ended up being kind of a light round.”

They drew a good steer in the second round and used him, winning third in the round again, this time with a 5.2-second run for $1,122 each. They entered the third round Oct. 26, third in the average, and while they didn’t think they could beat the high call team, they focused on making the best run they could to give them a chance. 

“We were just trying to ride it out,” Scheller, an Ault, Colorado, native, said. “Winning the average was our only goal. We knew [our steer] was pretty good. We weren’t trying to be 4.9 for sure, but it just worked out in our favor.”

Bentley and Scheller won the round with a 4.9 for $2,244 a man and solidified the average win for $3,367 apiece.

“I think neither one of us had anything to lose, and we didn’t really have any pressure,” Bentley said. “We knew Garrett (Tonozzi) and Conner (Herren) had so much won on everybody that there was no way we could catch them, so there were honestly 11 guys going for the average. We all just knew that we were going to have to win the average, so there wasn’t a whole lot of pressure on us; we would either win it or we wouldn’t, but we ended up doing good.”

Bentley and Scheller’s horsepower

Bentley rode a grade gelding he calls Cisco that he traded for a few years prior. That trade turned into Bentley’s No. 1 mount.

“He’s just the old reliable,” Bentley said. “If I have money on the line, that’s the one I get on. He’s solid every time—nothing changes. I know what he’s going to do, and he lets me go fast if I need to go fast. He never takes my throw away, and he scores really easy; he’s just easy to get along with.”

The team had some star power on the heel side. Scheller rode a gelding called Cruiser that he bought from 13-time NFR heeler Brady Minor earlier this year.

“I could never get rid of him,” Scheller said. “I could take him to the circuit finals, or my little brother could get on him and head on him. My little cousin can get on him and go run barrels even. I’m very lucky to get to own him.”

Colorado in July

Bentley and Scheller aren’t partnered up in 2025, but they’ll team back up to represent the home turf at the NFR Open in July. 

“It being in the middle of July is kind of the busiest time of the year, so it’s nice to be able to go over there and rope for that much money against a lot less teams than you normally have to rope against,” Bentley said with a laugh. “It’s a nice little incentive to be able to go over there and not have to rope against 115 of the best guys in the world.” 

The post Teagan Bentley and Bryton Scheller Get Redemption with 2024 Mountain States Circuit Finals Win appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Mason Appleton and Rance Doyal finished what they started and won the 2024 Prairie Circuit year-end heading and heeling titles.

Appleton and Doyal finished the season with $29,831.30 and $27,728.64 won on the year after pocketing $5,554 a man at the Prairie Circuit Finals Oct. 17-19, in Duncan, Oklahoma. While Appleton won the Great Lakes Circuit heading title in 2022, this marks both Appleton’s and Doyal’s first Prairie Circuit year-end titles.

“We didn’t go a whole lot, honestly, but when we did, we always did good,” Appleton said. “It seemed like when we caught, it was pretty fast. We just seemed to try to catch a lot and it just happened to be fast enough to win quite a bit.”

The pair of Oklahoma boys may be young—20 and 24—but they held their own against some tough NFR teams in the Prairie Circuit. Holding the standings lead all summer and winning against them in Duncan was a confidence booster.

“It felt good, but the thing was we got to circuit rodeo all year, so in my opinion, we had it easier than them guys,” Doyal said. “They could only go to what they could get to, but to be able to show up and do good at the circuit finals and actually still be able to compete with them at the finals, it helped a lot as far as knowing where we were at.”

Permanent lead

Appleton and Doyal kicked their 2024 partnership off at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo in May where they picked up $5,055 a man. They pocketed another $5,001 at the end of May and beginning of June between the Fredonia, Kansas, Wilson County Pro Rodeo; co-approved Mt. Pleasant Rodeo in Texas; and Oklahoma’s Hugo Pro Rodeo to take the lead in the standings. 

The Prairie Circuit gets quiet during much of June and July, but when things picked back up in August, they got the ball rolling right off the bat. They pocketed $12,782 a man in August with major hits at Lawton and Vinita, both in Oklahoma.

“Lawton was dang sure a good one,” Doyal said. “And then Guymon in May. Those are the two that really helped us win the circuit. Besides Dodge City, those are probably the two best circuit rodeos there is.”

Appleton and Doyal entered the circuit finals with an $8,532.42 lead for Appleton and a $6,429.76 lead for Doyal.

“We knew we didn’t have to do anything special up there,” Appleton said. “We were just kind of roping just to go up there and enjoy our weekend. We didn’t have a whole lot of pressure on us, so that was nice for sure.”

They didn’t back off the gas, though. Appleton and Doyal won the first round with a 4.6 for $2,279 a man and won third in Round 2 with a 6.7 for $1,139 each. Their third-round steer took the average title from them, but they still managed to split second in the aggregate for $2,136 apiece.

Colorado Springs bound

The year-end win punched their tickets to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs in July marking Appleton’s second trip and Doyal’s first.

“I’m very excited,” Appleton said. “I went up there two years ago and we didn’t do any good, but that’s a cool rodeo. I liked that rodeo a lot when I got to go up there; I’m excited to go back.”

Appleton and Doyal are partnered up again for 2025 and are considering rodeoing harder, depending on how the winter treats them. Appleton helps two-time NFR qualifier and rope horse trainer Billie Jack Saebens with his futurity horses, too, so they’ll work their schedule around the shows.

“It’ll be a good experience this year because we’ll go to some shows and then whenever we go to Colorado Springs, we’ll be able to go to a few other rodeos,” Doyal said. “Probably them two weeks with Sheridan, Casper and Cheyenne—all that.”

The post Mason Appleton and Rance Doyal Secure 2024 Prairie Circuit Year-End Titles appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Garrett Rogers and Bo Patzke roped their way to the 2024 Columbia River Circuit Finals average title in Redmond, Oregon, Oct. 17-19, while Riley and Brady Minor sealed the deal on the year-end titles with $30,433.93 won on the circuit front.

Rogers and Patzke roped three steers in 16.9 seconds for $3,593 a man to win the average—a second time for Rogers and a first for Patzke.

“It’s still kind of sinking in, but it feels really cool,” Patzke said. “I never really thought about winning the Columbia River average, but I just thought it wasn’t exactly as big of a deal as it is. Now, it’s sinking in; I’m like, holy smokes, this is pretty big.”

The Minors, who have 24 NFR qualifications between them, are Columbia River Circuit veterans, now with six year-end titles for Riley and seven for Brady. With the addition of the NFR Open in Colorado Springs each July, NFR teams like the Minors have a bigger incentive to get their circuit count in.

“You kind of prioritize your circuit rodeos a little bit because you can win so much at Colorado Springs,” Riley said. “So, we definitely go to a few more—or try to. The Columbia River Circuit’s so good that there’s so many big rodeos in it. They’re towards the end of the year, though, so everybody’s entered, and it can get pretty tough.” 

Rogers and Patzke capitalize in Redmond

Patzke, 36, hasn’t ProRodeoed since 2018. He spent the last six years being a dad and family man but, in January, he made the decision to buy his PRCA card again.

Rogers,31, and Patzke are on the same page in that their priorities do still lie outside of rodeo right now—Rogers is a two-time NFR qualifier but now has a cattle operation, two kids and a wife at home, and Patzke shoes horses and works full-time for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, on top of being a father. 

“We started out only planning on going to four,” Patzke, of Lostine, Oregon, said. “Then we had pretty good luck at first, so we just started entering to make the circuit finals.”

Rogers and Patzke only ended up going to 17 rodeos, so they made the Columbia River Circuit Finals in Redmond, Oregon, lower in the standings. The team went into Round 1 focused on doing their jobs and letting the cards fall where they may.

Their first steer was a little strong and ran up the rope, but they managed to split fourth in the round with a 7.6 for $299 a man. Round 2 treated them much better with a 4.8 to win the round and $2,395 apiece. Going into the third and final round second in the average, Rogers and Patzke did what they needed to and won the round with a 4.5 for $2,395 a man. Patzke credits Rogers for their win.

“It was the way Garrett headed—he outheaded everyone there,” Patzke said. “And he handles cattle so good that it’s pretty easy to heel behind him.”

Their trip to Colorado Springs will be Roger’s third trip to the NFR Open (plus a few RAM National Circuit Finals trips, too) and Patzke’s first.

“Garrett went there this last July, so he had to turn out of a [circuit] rodeo and I found a calf roper,” Patzke said with a laugh. “So, I’ve heard about it from him, and he did good back there. It sounds like an awesome rodeo.”

Minors seal the deal on the year-end

While the Minors may not have finished the regular season as they planned, they bounced back with the 2024 Columbia River Circuit year-end titles.

Riley and Brady—who finished 17^th and 19^th in the PRCA world standings with $100,100.30 and $98,420.05 won on the year—got their first circuit check in May at the PRCA Last Stand Rodeo in Coulee City, Washington, for $1,963 a man for first. In June they had a $4,244-a-man trip in Prineville, Oregon, at the Crooked River Roundup, but they didn’t take control of the circuit standings until late July. 

Though the Minors hit the road with NFR dreams each year, they’re still capable of getting their circuit count in because of how valuable the Northwest run is.

“There’s a lot of good rodeos for us,” Riley said. “That’s the thing is if you live in Texas, those guys can’t hardly get to their circuit rodeos because they’re gone too much. But the Columbia River’s easy to get to your rodeos. We count a few small ones that maybe you shouldn’t, but usually, if we’re driving by or they’re close to the house, we try to count them. They’re not too far.”

Riley and Brady rounded out their year on the circuit front winning $6,469 at their hometown rodeo in Ellensburg over Labor Day weekend, followed by $2,304 between the Lewiston Roundup in Idaho and Othello PRCA Rodeo in Washington. They went into the circuit finals with over a $6,000 lead and adding another year-end title to their track record.

In 2025, the brothers still have the NFR on their minds, but they’re playing things by ear.

“Just kind of start out this winter and go from there,” Riley said. “I don’t really have any plans. Like they say, to make the Finals, you got to rope better.”

The post Garrett Rogers and Bo Patzke Win 2024 Columbia River Circuit Finals; Minor Brothers Seal the Deal on the Year-End appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Logan Moore stayed hooked atop the 2024 Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year standings to take home the coveted title with $66,026.39 won on the season.

The 23-year-old from Pleasanton, Texas, took control of the standings in July and never looked back. When the tight race came to an end, Moore beat out Arizona’s Denton Dunning by $5,857.84.

“It’s amazing—it’s a goal that I’ve set for myself since I was a kid and to know I can achieve it against some really, really tough rookies this year, it felt really good,” Moore said. “This means the world.”

Moore didn’t only have his sights set on the prestigious title—he was also looking ahead for 2025. 

“I’ve always wanted to win Rookie of the Year in the PRCA,” Moore said. “I’ve done it at the junior high, high school and college levels, and that’s been a goal, but another goal I had was to get into the buildings in 2025 and set myself up. Of course, I wanted to make the NFR—I’m not saying it’s a long shot, but that’s been pretty difficult to do in a rookie year. I think I had a good year, though.”

A rookie year to remember

Moore first made waves on the rookie race after he returned to the ProRodeo road from his CNFR trip. Heeling for Resistol Rookie Header of the Year Tyler Tryan, Moore pocketed $10,191 over the Fourth of July to jump to No. 2 in the race.  

“Livingston, Montana, over the Fourth of July helped us a lot,” Moore said of their $4,974-a-man win. “We didn’t do good in the first round at Reno—I messed up—but roping in the second round at Reno and winning third in the round was a pretty big win, too. That was a fun run.”

Thanks to a third-place finish at the Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo in Casper, Moore took final control over the heeling standings. August was nice to Moore, bringing in over $25,000 and pairing him up behind three-time NFR qualifier Shay Carroll. The fourth quarter brought some challenges, but Moore pushed through.

“The last two weeks were the roughest time of the year for me,” Moore admitted. “I was making mistakes and I really couldn’t put my finger on why I was making them or what was going on. I got to come home and rope right before Mandan and when we went to Springhill, and I got it all worked back out, so we finished strong.”

Sophomore season

Learning how to fight the inevitable battles that come from the rodeo road is a rookie lesson Moore will apply year after year, too.

“The rodeo season’s not over until the very last week of the season,” Moore said. “There’s so much money to be won every single week that you have chances at everything. I also learned everybody ropes great, but as long as you’re placing here and there and you keep your momentum, you’ll have a good summer. That’s the main thing: Just keep your head down, keep roping and there’s so much money that you can win.”

Finishing his rookie season 29^th in the world standings also checked off another of Moore’s 2024 goals: get into the 2025 winter rodeos.

“It’s just important because there’s a lot of money to be won in the winter,” Moore said. “Last winter I was sitting at home watching the rodeos. I don’t like that whenever I want to be in them. I grew up 30 miles from San Antonio, so it’s pretty much the hometown rodeo for me; that’ll be cool to rope there.”

The post Logan Moore Wins 2024 Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year Title appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Tyler Tryan remained undefeated in the 2024 Resistol Rookie Header of the Year race, racking up $79,694.85 in season earnings.

Tryan, 18, won the coveted title by $39,097.67, giving him the richest rookie season of the last decade and landing him 25^th in the PRCA heading world standings to qualify him to the major winter rodeos in 2025.

“It feels good to win it,” Tryan said. “I’m glad I won it, but I’m also glad I got into Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth. It could have went better and it should have, but it all worked out.”

Tryan’s rookie season

The eldest son of three-time World Champion Clay Tryan kicked off his year winning the first ProRodeo he entered on his permit. Tryan got the ball rolling at the Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Arizona, where he won second and pocketed $3,027 and picked up major momentum grabbing checks everywhere he entered the week of June 5-8. 

Over the Fourth of July, Tryan—who roped with fellow Resistol Rookie of the Year contenders Logan Moore and Denton Dunning—pocketed $10,191, with the Livingston Roundup Rodeo win in Montana for $4,974 highlighting the week.

“That was the first time I was ever 3 seconds, and that’s not an easy rodeo to win, so that was probably my best moment of the summer,” Tryan said.

Tryan went on to have a $23,606 August, and he wrapped up his rookie season with a third-place finish at the Cowboy Capital Of The World PRCA Rodeo in Stephenville and second at the Decatur PRCA Rodeo.

He also learned a valuable lesson about adapting a short-term memory mindset.

“You get to run a lot of steers, so don’t worry about that one,” Tryan said. “Get over it and try to move on and worry about the next one.”

While breaking rookie records is a feat the Lipan, Texas, kid is proud of, he had also set his sights on a much bigger goal and feels he could have turned more steers in 2024.

“I was excited I got to 25th (in the world), but also a little disappointed where I ended up, too,” Tryan admitted. “Everyone’s end goal is to make the NFR, and when you don’t do it, it’s disappointing. Even if you didn’t think you were going to make it.”

Tryan will keep roping with Dunning in 2025, and he continues to look for ways to level up. 

“Making the Finals for me and him, that’s both our goals, to be honest,” Tryan said. “That’s the main goal right now. He’s living at our place right now and we’re both trying to get better at it. I need to do better for him. He’s got it all figured out.”

The post Undefeated: Tyler Tryan Wins 2024 Resistol Rookie of the Year by $39K appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Wyatt Muggli and Casey McCleskey conquered tough steers and a tough field of competition to win the 2024 Prairie Circuit Finals in Duncan, Oklahoma, with a 26.7 on three head, Saturday, Oct. 19.

Muggli and McCleskey pocketed $5,697 apiece between the rounds and the average win, topping a field of NFR teams like Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, J.C. Yeahquo and Buddy Hawkins, and Andrew Ward and Kollin VonAhn.

“All my heroes were in it,” McCleskey, 25, said. “Kollin (VonAhn) and all those guys, so it’s fun to rope with them for sure. Then to come out on top—it was great.”

After switching partners up in 2023, the Oklahoma and Texas guys—who roped together in 2021 and 2022—decided to team back up, and it’s paid off.

“We’ve run so many together and we practically lived together for a while a couple of years ago,” Muggli, 28, said. “We get along pretty good and know what’s going on and what the other person’s going to do.”

Play-by-play

Muggli and McCleskey had a strong but honest steer in the first round. Muggli played it smart on the barrier, making sure they knocked him down and they were right outside the money with a 7.3.

They remembered their second-round steer from Round 1 as one that started slow but then ran hard in the field. For Muggli and McCleskey, though, he was quicker at the line.

“I waited on that, but he just followed the gates,” Muggli said with a laugh. “And when the gates opened, I knew I was in trouble, and I dropped; I was late. It was one of those times you knew you weren’t going to be able to hit him, so I ran my horse until our steer started checking off and veering off the bucking chutes. I headed him down there in that corner.”

While it wasn’t ideal, they made the run work and stayed in the average. They entered Round 3 fourth overall and, despite thinking they couldn’t win the average, misses, legs and barriers plagued the field, opening up their chances. They won the round with a 6.3 for $2,279 a man and took home the average title. 

Muggli credits McCleskey for cleaning things up on the heel side.

“Casey did a great job all week,” Muggli said. “The first steer was big and strong and real wide, and he did a good job heeling him. Then the second one was really hard to heel. Of course, we were running him and he was running as fast in the circle as he was down the arena, so he did a really, really good job this week.”

Duncan horsepower

On the head side, Muggli rode a 19-year-old gelding he bought seven years ago from Cory Kidd. Kidd was staying with Muggli, and when he headed back out on the rodeo road he left “Kidd” behind.

“It was pretty smart—he left the horse with me and I bought him,” Muggli said with a laugh. “I had another I was riding at the time, so he was kind of my second-string horse. But he was always the horse I ended up riding. I’d say, ‘Well, this setup isn’t going to fit this horse, so I’m going to ride Kidd,’ or ‘Well, the steers are going to be too strong here, so I’m going to ride Kidd.’ He’s the one I ride everywhere now.”

McCleskey had the help of 8-year-old futurity-turned-rodeo horse Titos Special Nite. McCleskey’s boss Steve Orth trained and futuritied on the gelding, and McCleskey had the opportunity to show him as a 4-year-old. Four years later, McCleskey bought him this July.

“When I moved back here, I sold one of my good horses, so I was riding him here and there,” McCleskey said. “Then the opportunity came to buy him, and the Horn family let me purchase him from them. It’s been really good. He’s been a blessing for me for sure.”

NFR Open

Both Muggli and McCleskey have been to Colorado Springs before but not since it became the NFR Open. Having the opportunity to rope for a major purse is something they look forward to.

“I’ve got a little boy who’s about to be a year old, and we go to lots of amateur rodeos and circuit rodeos,” Muggli said. “Between the amateur finals and circuit finals, this time of year is when we are actually able to get a little ahead as far as our rodeoing. Going up there is going to be a very good deal. There’s lots of good rodeos that time of year up there, so we’re real excited to go.”

The post Wyatt Muggli and Casey McCleskey Conquer Prairie Circuit Finals appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Braden Pirrung and Dylan Hart won the battle of the Badlands Circuit, taking home the 2024 year-end heading and heeling titles.

For the majority of the season, Pirrung and Hart went head-to-head with Pirrung’s younger brother Payton and his partner Logan Schliinz. But thanks to the Badlands Circuit Finals in Minot, North Dakota, Pirrung and Hart came out on top and punched their tickets to July’s NFR Open in Colorado Springs.

“It means quite a bit,” Hart, 30, from Flandreau, South Dakota, said. “I set the goal at the beginning of the year to win it, and we got it done.”

The 2024 title marks Pirrung’s second year-end victory and Hart’s first.

“It’s always a goal when you decide to circuit rodeo that year,” said 26-year-old Pirrung of Hartford, South Dakota. “It’s always my goal to do the best I can, and it feels as good as it did winning the first one. It’s a good feeling and it gives a guy some confidence going into the winter.”

Pirrung and Hart’s year

When 2024 kicked off, Pirrung was partnered up with two-time NFR header Jr. Dees, who wanted to shift focus to heeling. Longtime friends, Pirrung and Dees had decided to give their 14-year-old dreams of roping together professionally a shot. 

Over the spring run on the West Coast, however, Dees was offered the chance to head for JC Flake, and both he and Pirrung knew it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Pirrung had also decided he was ready to head home and get back to chasing cows and riding colts. Along the way, he gave Hart, who he’d known practically their entire lives, a call.

“I decided to stay home and go to strictly circuit rodeos,” Pirrung said. “Besides Cheyenne, I didn’t go out of circuit once this year, which was unlike me; the last three years I’ve rodeoed a bit. It was fun though. I wouldn’t say it was relaxing because no matter what you do, you’re going 110%. Whether circuit rodeoing or rodeoing, it seems like you’re always gone. But I got to stay home more and hang out, and got a lot more accomplished that way.”

Pirrung and Hart kicked off their partnership in June and, after a rough start, they made some money moves over Fourth of July—a crucial time in the Badlands Circuit. Between Dickinson, North Dakota; Belle Fourche, South Dakota; Killdeer, North Dakota; and Mandan, North Dakota, Pirrung and Hart pocketed $7,680 a man to give Hart a sizeable lead in the heeling standings.

“We had a really good Fourth,” Hart said. “It kind of slowed down after that, but then we kickstarted it again and kept winning—and never looked back.”

All came down to Minot

The year-long battle between the Pirrung brothers and Hart and Schliinz came down to the circuit finals. Big brother Pirrung entered the circuit finals second, and Hart entered No. 1.

Pirrung and Hart had a successful circuit finals, winning second in the average and picking up $6,542 for their weekend. Pirrung finally passed his little brother, and Hart maintained his lead.

“[Payton’s] never made it before, so I was pulling for him,” Pirrung said. “We were first and second all throughout the year, and it was all the sweeter because his horse broke its leg this winter, so we rode my two head horses. He rode Richard—the yellow horse I rode at the finals—half the year, and I rode the sorrel. Then we swapped halfway through.”

Colorado in July

Pirrung is looking forward to his second trip to Colorado Springs, giving him a shot at redemption.

“I’m excited to go back over there,” Pirrung said. “I had a lot of fun the first time I went. I ended up breaking a barrier to win the first round and it didn’t go our way in the second round. I’m ready to try my luck again and get a little redemption.”

With the money up for grabs, Hart is excited for his first NFR Open trip as well. 

“I can’t wait,” Hart said. “I’m excited to get to the next level.”

The post Braden Pirrung and Dylan Hart Clinch 2024 Badlands Circuit Year-End Titles appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Bodie Mattson and Trae Smith picked up the 2024 Badlands Circuit Finals win Oct. 13, in Minot, North Dakota, after roping three steers in 17.7 seconds for $3,568 apiece.

The win marks Mattson’s first Badlands Circuit Finals team roping title and Smith’s second in a row. After going into Minot sixth in the standings, Mattson, 22, and Smith, 24, set their sights on the average title.

“We knew we were kind of back in the pack and honestly, in my mind, winning the average was a bigger deal for us than winning the year-end because all the money counts [toward the standings],” Mattson, of Sturgis, South Dakota, said. “We still got a spot to Colorado Springs. We got to rope at Colorado Springs last year with different partners and it was a good learning experience for us to realize how much money is available there.”

Hockey rink battle

Mattson and Smith kicked things off with a 6.5 in Round 1 to split third for $892 each. After watching some teams mess up in the first round, they knew they could set up their week early. 

“We were trying to knock the first one down in a timely manner, but not a stupid fashion,” Mattson said. “We made a smart run in the first round that set our week up to know whether we either had to step on it a little bit or be in a good spot just to ride that out.”

In the second round, they drew a steer that had taken another team out in Round 1. 

“That was really the only one that made me nervous,” admitted Smith, a Georgetown, Idaho, native. “Me and Bodie watched the video on him before we roped and went with the game plan of he was going to get the steer out of my way, and whenever I thought I could catch him, to take the chance.”

Mattson and Smith turned a tough steer into cash and picked up $595 a man for fourth in the round with a 5.7-second run. They came back to Sunday’s matinee leading the average on two head and sealed the deal with a 5.5 to also split second in the third round for $1,487 a man. Smith credits Mattson for setting steers up for him and making his job easy.

“Bodie is very consistent; with the way he handles cattle, I can ride to my spot and know where the cow’s going to be,” Smith, the 2019 Badlands Circuit year-end champion heeler, said. “I don’t have to guess where they’re going to go. It makes my job easier and helps me be more consistent.”

All in all, they left the circuit finals with $6,542 each.

Minot horsepower

While the steers are good and the barrier is friendly, the setup at Minot is no walk in the park. With a hockey rink for an arena, the draw and horsepower play a huge part in success there. 

Mattson called on his main mount Let R Buck Pendleton, aka “Pendleton.” A been-there, done-that gelding, Mattson knew he could afford to give him some time off before the circuit finals.

“My horse was phenomenal up there,” Mattson said. “It was the best he’s worked all year. I got to come home and give him some time off. I didn’t rope on him for three weeks beforehand, except for the Wrangler Finals, and he made it really easy for us. He scored really good, left flat and seemed like I got some pretty good rolls and didn’t have to reach as much to keep him on a shorter rope and let Trae have the whole arena to work with.”

Smith, meanwhile, rode a horse of Brett Fleming’s after his good horse—who he’d won last year’s circuit finals on—underwent surgery for a bone chip in his fetlock following the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City.

Back to Colorado

In 2022, Mattson and Smith won the inaugural Resistol Rookie Roundup. They decided to pair back up in 2024, thanks to common goals. 

“We both wanted to go more out of the circuit than our partners wanted to, and we thought it’d be a good pairing,” Mattson said. “We roped all year, and I finished just outside the top 50 and he was just inside the top 50. This was dang sure a good steppingstone for next year.”

Both Mattson—who is the reigning NFR Open tie-down roping champion—and Smith are looking forward to heading back to Colorado Springs in July.

“It’s an unbelievable rodeo,” Smith said. “To be able to go during that week and run at that much money can really help a guy’s year go from an OK year to a ‘We have a chance’ type of year.”

The post Bodie Mattson and Trae Smith Capture 2024 Badlands Circuit Finals  appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

If winning the all-around at Cheyenne and Pendleton is 39, I can hardly wait to see what 40 will look like on Coleman Proctor next year. The pride of Pryor, Oklahoma isn’t done racking up rodeo accolades in 2024. He’s been going gangbusters in the world team roping race with New Mexico native Logan Medlin. They’re both top-fivers on their respective sides rolling into Las Vegas, and by proving pretty darn handy at a second event, Coleman’s also in hot contention for the world all-around crown; currently third behind only Shad Mayfield and Junior Nogueira. 

Proctor’s just been named the Big 4 Rodeo Association’s “Best in the Northwest” for stacking up the most points at the Pendleton Round-Up, Lewiston Roundup, Walla Walla Frontier Days and Kennewick Horse Heaven Round-Up. And he’s pretty proud and pumped about it. 

“To win the Big 4 is a dream come true,” said Coleman, who won $31,302 at the four rodeos that have participated in this popular cowboy coalition since 1948. “I first went to the Northwest 17 years ago, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would pull off winning such a prestigious award. This is definitely one of the greatest accomplishments of my career.”

The past champions roster of the Big 4 Award reads like a rodeo who’s who. The impressive list includes the likes of Jim Shoulders, Dean Oliver, Larry Mahan, Tom Ferguson, Fred Whitfield, Cody Ohl, Stetson Wright and Cowboy King Trevor Brazile, who was Best in the Northwest a record five times. 

For being the 2024 champ, Coleman will be awarded a saddle custom made to his specifications by Blake West of Wild West Saddlery in Hermiston, Oregon. Blake’s the guy who crafted the 2024 Pendleton steer roping saddle. Coleman’s the guy who finished second behind Trenton Johnson there. So the Big 4 Award gives Coleman a second crack at a very similar saddle. 

“Blake asked me what tree I want in my Big 4 saddle,” Proctor said. “I chuckled, and said, ‘Same one that’s in that Pendleton steer roping saddle.’ This is a heck of a consolation prize for almost winning Pendleton. I don’t think there’s a more cowboy award than winning the Big 4. I want to ride this saddle, especially when I’m cowboying at the house.”

Proctor will be presented his prized prize at the Big 4 Rodeo Association Reception presented by Pendleton Whisky on December 4 at the South Point in Vegas. 

“Being a kid from Oklahoma who grew up hearing about these great Northwest rodeos makes it extra special to be crowned the champ for winning the most at four special rodeos you don’t want to miss,” Coleman said. “I won money at three of the four (all but Kennewick), and there were (ProRodeo) Tour implications at all four. This award means a lot to me.

“With the level of competition that’s in the PRCA now, you’re shocked whenever you pull something this big off. To be crowned the Big 4 champion is something I take great pride in. It’s like Pendleton just keeps giving back to me.”

Banking over $30 grand at four rodeos that between them paid out $1,797,000 this year alone is rank, though it was technically the 14 points he earned at them that won it for him. Oh, and the week Coleman and Medlin won $2,012 at Lewiston, they also pocketed just shy of $20,000 for 40-percenting them at the Cinch Playoffs in Puyallup, Washington. 

Proctor and Medlin kicked off the 2024 Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Duncan, Oklahoma last night with a second-place run in Round 1. Coleman’s steer roping there today before they run their second one tonight. He’ll then charter to the final round of the CoJo Roping in Belton, Texas tomorrow (Saturday; Coleman qualified for the finals with Medlin and Coleby Payne) before he heads to the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Vegas on Sunday. Proctor is one quarter Cherokee, and will head for Griffin Passmore at the 2024 INFR at the South Point. 

“We’re rodeoing like it’s the Fourth of July,” Proctor grinned. “And next week’ll be another round of chartering between the INFR and Bart Hutton’s inaugural South Texas Showdown in Uvalde. 

“This Big 4 Award is just the cherry on top of what’s been an incredible year. The all-around at two of the greatest rodeos I’ve wanted to win since I was a little kid. Now this. Amazing.”

The post Coleman Proctor is ‘Best in the Northwest’ at the Big 4 in 2024 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

World standings leaders Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord took home the 2024 Texas Circuit year-end title with a historic $60,782.21 won on the year after competing at the Oct. 8-11 Texas Circuit Finals in Waco.

The win marks Egusquiza’s third Texas Circuit year-end title and, for Lord, it’s his first Texas title but fourth circuit title overall.

“It’s pretty awesome to come back,” Lord, 28, said. “I won the Badlands three times, and then I kind of got away from going to any circuit finals. To win two circuits is kind of cool.”

Even though the pair is ranked No. 1 in the world right now, Egusquiza has a sincere appreciation for the level of competition the Texas Circuit delivers.

“It’s not the main goal, obviously, but to come out on top of the Texas Circuit is coming out on top of a pretty tough group of guys,” Egusquiza, 29, said. “It’s not easy to win the Texas Circuit; you have to win a lot, and most of the best team ropers live in Texas. With a setup like that, even the guys that didn’t make the NFR this year could go 3.0 seconds at any time.”

Egusquiza and Lord’s big year

While getting to rope in the bright lights of Vegas is the top priority for Egusquiza and Lord  each year, getting into Waco made the list of 2024 goals because of the NFR Open in Colorado Springs.

“Getting into Colorado Springs, I think, is worth taking a chance on a little bit less money at four or five rodeos just to have a chance to go,” Egusquiza said. “It’s such a good rodeo and at an important time of year. We had to watch this year and that wasn’t really fun. So, we’re looking forward to getting to go there in July.”

The team has been roping together for two years, and in their first year as partners they decided to skip the circuit race, hesitant to official 15 rodeos in Texas. But as more of the smaller rodeos in the circuit begin to add better money, the incentive to go again has been increasing.

Egusquiza and Lord had $4,000 won on the circuit before 2024 even started and, when it did, they went on an absolute tear in the winter. In January, their Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo win in Odessa paid $7,313 a man. Then they won Rodeo Austin for $12,792 each in March, which they followed with an $11,069 week at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.

When Egusquiza and Lord got to Waco for the Texas Circuit Finals last Tuesday, they already had the year-end won. Because Circuit Finals earnings count toward 2025, though, they wanted to leave with as much money as possible. They won the first two rounds for $2,331 a piece, but they slipped a leg in the third round. As the teams behind them began to fall apart, however, they remained second in the average race despite the penalty.

“The last round there were only two clean times when we rode in, and there was only one team behind us,” Egusquiza explained. “It was pretty clear cut: just get the steer caught, win a little bit of round money and win second in the average and get out of there. It wasn’t in our style, really, to just lay up, but you don’t want to mess up in that situation.”

They finished the rodeo with a $583-a-man run in the fourth round to put them second in the average for $3,496 each, which contributed to thier circuit-season total of more than $60,000. 

“It’s pretty crazy to win that much in one year on the circuit,” Lord said. “To do that at just circuit rodeos—I’ve never heard of anybody doing that. It worked out pretty good for us. It seemed like every time we were at a big circuit rodeo we did good. Texas has a few big ones, and we seem to do good at all of them, so we ended up getting to quite a lot of money.”

The post Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord Win 2024 Texas Circuit with Over $60K appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp clinched the Texas Circuit Finals average title in Waco on Oct. 11, 2024, worth $8,739 a man in 2025 season earnings during their trip.

The reigning World Champions roped four steers in 20.0 seconds to best a tough field of 12 that included NFR qualifiers, fellow World Champions like Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, and season leaders Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord.

“The Texas Circuit’s always been the toughest one, in my opinion,” Wade, 32, said. “There’s a lot of guys that aren’t even necessarily NFR qualifiers, but they’re just as tough as everybody else, whether they choose to rodeo or not. But hands down—I’m pretty biased—Texas is going to have the toughest circuit.”

Thanks to their $8,000 week, plus their other Waco win at the Heart O’Texas Fair & Rodeo on Oct. 12, Wade and Thorp already have $12,000 won for 2025. With their NFR Open tickets punched as well, they’re off to a much-needed strong start on the new ProRodeo season.

“There’s a chance I might not get to go to Odessa because we have a little girl due in January around that time, so to get $8,000 from [the circuit finals] and to also get to go to the NFR Open just helps get [2025] started,” Thorp 28, said. “It takes $100,000-something to make the NFR nowadays, so by no means are you in, but you’re at least chipping away at it and getting further down the road.”

Waco surge

Wade and Thorp entered Waco nearly $30,000 behind the circuit leaders, so they focused on winning the circuit finals. They drew a stronger steer in Round 1, but with the barrier 2-under, it was a friendly setup. They kicked their week off with a 4.8 for third and $1,165 a man. In Round 2, they had a steer Wade remembered from Odessa. They stopped the clock at 4.5 to pick up fourth in the round for $583 each.

With a 9.3 on two steers, Wade and Thorp were splitting third and fourth in a tough average race. But that didn’t last long. Wade and Thorp picked up third in Round 3 with a 4.2 for another $1,165 a piece, and the round fell apart after they roped. They went to the lead in the average, and the door was opened to where they just needed to catch in the final round.

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“Wesley and I, we’re big on roping for a living; kind of whatever it takes,” Wade explained. “When we were winning third and fourth in the average with a 9.3, I was like, ‘I don’t know what we’ll win, but we’ll just keep catching and see what happens.’ And when we went 4.2, honestly, there were a lot of good guys after us but it just kind of fell apart. It was in our favor just to get a time in the fourth round and win it.”

Wade and Thorp picked up another third-place finish for $1,165 a man with a 6.5-second run in the final round to seal the deal on the average title. While four rounds can be a mental battle—especially against some of the best teams in the world—it also allows for more chances and for the cream to rise to the top.

“It’s sweet that you get that many chances,” said Wade, who rode the 2024 AQHA/PRCA Head Horse of the Year, Espuela Bro, better known as Spur. “I think every finals should be like that. I mean, the more the better, honestly—as long as it pays good. You work that hard to get there; you don’t want to just get two bullets and be done. Like, we were a ways behind after two, but on four head, you just kind of play it out and see what happens.”

With circuit rodeos now counting toward official rodeo counts, it’s been difficult the past few years for NFR teams to make their respective circuit finals. But between the circuit finals counting for the world standings, a few smaller Texas Circuit rodeos adding more money, and the PRCA rodeo count bumping up to 80 in the team roping, it’s a possibility again.

“The circuit finals counting has gotten to be a big deal,” Thorp said, who rode Mabel, registered as SB Smart CD. “I mean, just like that we won like $8,000 that counted for next year in one spot and, plus, it got us in the NFR Open; that’s an opportunity to win $20,000 at that rodeo. It just springboards your next year.”

The post Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp Kickstart 2025 Season with Texas Circuit Finals Win appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Travis Graves has roped at 14 Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, and when he and Luke Brown ride into the Thomas & Mack in December, they’ll have 30 qualifications among them.

His road to the 2024 Finals wasn’t easy—but Graves’ veteran mentality got him there at crunch time and helped the team win when it mattered most. In this episode of The Score, Graves describes how he and Brown thought about their 2024 season and how they plan to practice for the NFR.

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• Travis Graves’ Horse Care Routine
• The Score Season 1, Episode 15 with Travis Graves
• 911 Emergency Crisis Care for Your Horse
• Travis Graves Preps for Ninth WNFR Appearance
• So Long, Superstar: Travis Graves’ First Great One Goes to Greener Pastures

The post The Mental Game That Got Travis Graves to 15 Wrangler National Finals Rodeos appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The ProRodeo trail may not exactly be like the magical Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz, but it does have its own version of the horse of many colors.

The aptly named El Chapo changes from a chestnut in the summer to a dark, almost bay in the winter, according to his owner J.C. Yeahquo. 

What never changes is his performance.

“He’s good at everything and so easy,” Yeahquo, 24, said. “He’s maybe not great at anything but he’s good at everything.”

Thanks in large part to El Chapo, Yeahquo is heading to his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2024 after earning $126,296 while roping with Buddy Hawkins. He’ll go into Las Vegas ranked eighth in the PRCA World Standings.

El Chapo was bred by Jim Mullin of Westville, Oklahoma, and is registered Captain Playboy Chex. The 14-year-old gelding is by the Freckles Playboy son Playboy Alice and out of MJ Snickels Doll by Great Captain Jac.

Yeahquo’s dad, Luke, first spotted the horse when he was owned by his neighbors, the Fierros. 

“They roped on him a bit, and I’d always seen him and he looked like he moved his feet good,” Yeahquo noted. “My dad found out they were thinking of selling and said, ‘You want to come try him?’”

Trying was believing, and Yeahquo was sold after the first ride.

“After that, I had to have him,” he joked. “He’s been awesome, a really fun ride, and it’s cool to have one this good that came from a friend.”

El Chapo joined Yeahquo’s stable in 2019.

“He had been to some ropings but no rodeos,” he explained. “I used him in high school and college rodeos, so he’s been through the ringer at this point.”

Riding El Chapo, Yeahquo won a Reserve National Championship at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2021 with brother L.J. before setting out on the ProRodeo trail full-time.

“El Chapo’s been so good to me,” Yeahquo said. “He’s done everything I’ve asked and done it pretty darn good.”

The Yeahquos liked El Chapo so much that they sought Mullin out to see if he had any brothers and sisters. They discovered that he had lost MJ Snickels Doll and was no longer breeding Playboy Alice, more or less leaving El Chapo a one-of-a-kind.

For those wondering, the horse’s name came from his confirmation and not the infamous drug gang-lord.

“El Chapo is Spanish slang for shorty, and he’s maybe 14.3 and pretty darn wide,” Yeahquo chuckled.

Yeahquo says the gelding is gentle enough to turn his young nephews loose on but does have his quirks.

“He’s pretty easy, the only bad habit—and I should probably do something about it but I just let him do it—is he tries to walk really fast and is a little jittery,” he admitted. 

Concrete and fairs are something else, too.

“He’s not very handy on concrete,” Yeahquo said. “When I have to ride him through a fair or carnival, he gets really nervous acting and jumps sideways. He gets all crazy and fired up. But he loves his job.”

After finishing 27th in the PRCA World Standings a year ago, El Chapo and Yeahquo’s 2024 campaign started with a huge boost thanks to winning RodeoHouston in March.

Ironically, his biggest win didn’t start with El Chapo. Yeahquo chose another horse from his string for the first two rounds of the Super Series competition before switching back to old faithful when the chips were down. With El Chapo underneath him, Yeahquo and Hawkins swept through the final round of the Super Series and into the SemifInals and ultimately claimed the championship worth $54,375.

“He’s amazing indoors, there’s probably not many better,” Yeahquo said. “He’s got a good stride, pulls good and never gets caught in the wall.”

“He’s good outside,” Yeahquo noted, explaining some of his rationale for not starting with the gelding initially inside the huge Reliant Energy Arena at Houston, “but he’s not as fast.”

Thanks to maintenance treatments like the use of a Magnawave machine, El Chapo has felt his best in 2024 despite being in his teens and traveling the long rodeo road.

“He started running harder, like a whole different horse,” Yeahquo laughed. “I had to figure out how to get back in time with him but he’s never missed a step.”

With a rejuvenated—and now sorrel El Chapo—the summer was golden, allowing Yeahquo to continue to pick up checks and coast into his first Finals. Though El Chapo will probably be looking bay by December, Yeahquo thinks he’ll shine in any color inside the tiny Thomas & Mack in Vegas.

“I think he’ll enjoy it,” he said. “He scores so good for short barriers, and he doesn’t overrun steers.”

One part of the NFR experience that isn’t likely to be on El Chapo’s list? Two words: Grand. Entry.

“I rode him in the grand entry at the CNFR and he was as stiff as could be in the bit,” Yeahquo chuckled at the memory. “He just took off.”

“If I ride him in a grand entry, he’s worked up for the rest of the night.”

Luckily, others can pitch hit for the parade of states, leaving the job of winning big checks in the team roping to the steady gelding that Yeahquo describes as irreplaceable.

“It would be hard for a horse to fill his shoes,” he said. “I don’t think I could find another one that would fit me like he does.”

The post From High School Rodeo to The Thomas & Mack: J.C. Yeahquo’s Ol’ Faithful Mount is NFR-Ready appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord won the 2024 ProRodeo regular season with the second-highest earnings record in team roping history of $201,007.70 a man.

Egusquiza and Lord were just $26,870.30 shy of breaking the regular season earnings record World Champions Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira set in 2022 of $227,878. Regardless, over the span of 80 rodeos, Egusquiza and Lord proved they’re deadly on any and all setups when the season came to a close Sept. 30.

“I think once you get in it, have a chance to win it and get there toward the finish line where you have a chance, you find out how tough it is,” Lord, of Sturgis, South Dakota, said. “Because it’s all season and only one team wins it. Obviously, you’re roping against a lot of good guys, and it is very tough. So to be able to come out on top over the span of 80 rodeos, on all different setups, all different kinds of roping you have to do and have to be able to stay consistent for a whole year—I’m not saying it’s as hard as winning the world or winning the average but, to me, I kind of set it in there for myself as a huge goal.”

If their season earnings aren’t proof enough, their 2024 accolades speak for themselves. Egusquiza and Lord kicked off the year after a tough 2023 NFR with the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo (Odessa) and National Western Stock Show and Rodeo (Denver) wins in January, followed shortly by the Rodeo Austin win in March. In May they took the win at the Guymon Pioneer Days, and in July they kicked off Cowboy Christmas with the Greeley Stampede win. They rounded out the season with the coveted Pendleton Round-Up win, demonstrating they’re just as dominant on long scores as they are on short, quick setups. Egusquiza and Lord were locked in from the first steer of the year to the final one at their 80th rodeo

“Keeping your horses sound and keeping your mind together when you have a bad week or two, which luckily we didn’t have too many of those, is one of the toughest parts,” said Egusquiza of Marianna, Florida. “It’s just keep your head on straight and trying to do good every time you show up. Luckily we didn’t have to worry about [slumps] too much this year—it seemed like if we missed one or two, we had a good check coming at the third one.”

Egusquiza and Lord’s 2024 approach

Egusquiza and Lord are in their second year of roping together, and while their run inevitably got better, other important factors like horses made a difference this year.

“We roped enough before we started roping together that it was a pretty easy transition,” Lord said. “I don’t want to say our run got a lot better; I think it was fairly similar to last year. I think our horses stayed together a little bit better this year as Dustin lost his brown horse for the Northwest last year and that didn’t help us any.”

The gunslinging duo also put more emphasis on staying in the average—while still making their typical, fast run—to ensure they’d qualify for the PRCA Playoff Series rodeos like Puyallup and Sioux Falls.

Learn from Dustin Egusquiza on Roping.com

“We didn’t really rope any different, but we just tried to think about it a little bit more, trying to make sure we got into Sioux Falls,” Lord said. “We wanted to make sure we didn’t leave any money on the table. And we still did, but we tried to keep the dumb mistakes that leave money out there to a minimum. We also probably did a little bit better job doing that this year.”

Nobody’s safe these days

Thanks to their big year, Egusquiza and Lord had roughly a $23,000 lead over second on the head side and a $12,000 lead on the heel side the week of Sioux Falls. But with more money up for grabs at the end of the season with Mandan and Sioux Falls especially, it was still anyone’s game.

“We went back and forth with those guys a couple times this year, and TWade and Thorp, they did the same thing they did last year,” Egusquiza explained. “They finished the year off really good and with Mandan and Sioux Falls right there. The last round didn’t go their way, but if it would’ve those last two rodeos, they could have won almost $70,000. It just didn’t happen pan out that way, but that was one of the most nerve-wracking moments I’ve had all year, just sitting there watching them rope that last one, knowing that they could pass us.”

The entire year was a battle at the top as Egusquiza and Lord fought JC Yeahquo and Buddy Hawkins for No. 1 throughout the spring and Driggers and Nogueira and Wade and Thorp the last half of the year.

“I think the guys that were at the top were really roping good—I think maybe we were just pushing each other,” Lord said. “One week we would do good, then one week Kaleb and Junior would do good, and then TWade and Thorp would do good. The top teams just seemed to win every time they needed to, and it kept it tight. I think $150,000 something won the regular season last year, and we finished with over $200,000 this year and literally had to sweat it out on the last steer.”

Egusquiza and Lord’s 2024 horsepower

Egusquiza and Lord had a relatively small, but mighty, herd of horses that also won the regular season. Egusquiza may have cracked Mohawk out for the grass in Pendleton, but his year was split 50/50 on Cajun Treat, aka “Cajun,” and King Sabre Bar.

“I won Denver on Cajun but, other than that, the bay got Odessa, Fort Worth, San Antone, San Angelo and most of the shorter one-headers this year,” Egusquiza explained. “There are quite a few of those and we do win a lot of our money at those.”

Lord primarily rode Birdie, whose registered name is Zoomin Diamond Prom, riding him at nearly 77 of their 80 rodeos. His grade gelding Pauly may have only gotten the call at three rodeos, but he helped them get the wins at Guymon, Greeley and Pendleton.

“Birdie was pretty handy for me this year,” Lord said. “He didn’t really ever cost any money. It was really good for me. Birdie was also good for me and stayed sound all year, so that’s a big reason we were able to kind of finish strong.”

Looking to Vegas

With the 2025 season kicking off first thing in October, Egusquiza and Lord are trying not to think too much about the Finals just yet and get a solid start on the beginning of a new season.

“Every steer matters, so we’re fixing to start over again and try to go to all these ropings and these couple circuit rodeos,” Lord said. “Then come November, we’ll kind of start thinking about a little bit.”

The team will figure out the right combination of horses they’ll ride inside the Thomas & Mack and stay sharp by entering up when possible. Between events like the CoJo Team Roping, Hondo Rodeo, Texas Circuit Finals and Arizona, Egusquiza and Lord will get some competition runs in before they hit the bright lights.

“I’ve set the arena up before and went hard 30 or 45 days out, but I don’t think I’m going to take that approach this year,” Egusquiza admitted. “I mainly want my horsepower to be good for the setup. I don’t really care to practice that much for it because I don’t think it’s ever the same when you get there. And if I feel stupid when I get there, then maybe next year I’ll set it up. I’ve put a lot into it setting up the arena, buying steers, going hard, practicing and then I get there and it’s something completely different, so that’s more stressful than anything. This year I’m going to try to show up with a clear mind and just rope.”

The post Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord Win Regular Season, Second-Highest Earnings Record in Team Roping History  appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Two-time World Champion Paul Eaves heeled his steer in 5.0 seconds at San Bernardino’s Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo Sunday, Sept. 29 to win $3,763 end the regular season team roping top 15 race and deciding the 2024 NFR team roping qualifiers.

The heeling was the only thing undecided going into the final day of PRCA regular-season competition, and Eaves—with Erich Rogers already locked in on the head side—sat $80 ahead of his buddy-teammate, Colter Todd. Todd, the reigning NFR average champion, heeled for Derrick Begay, who was also already locked in on the head side.

Rogers and Eaves roped fourth out in the performance at San Bernardino, with a 5.3 winning the rodeo. They made their signature veteran run that didn’t take any risks but still set the new pace with a 5.0, while Begay and Todd followed and took a no-time with a miss on the head side, ending the season and sending Begay to the Finals with (presumably) Florida heeler Jonathan Torres, whose header, Nelson Wyatt, finished 16th.

Headers Qualifying for 2024 NFR

Heelers Qualifying for 2024 NFR

The post It’s Over: These 15 Headers and Heelers Qualified for the 2024 NFR appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The 2024 Resistol Rookie of the Year pool in the heading and heeling showed up and showed out with Tyler Tryan and Logan Moore leading the charge.

With the ProRodeo season coming to a close Sept. 30, the Resistol Rookie of the Year race is at the finish line with only one day of opportunity left. Unofficially, 18-year-old Tryan will win the Resistol Rookie Header of the Year title as he leads the standings with $78,203.38 won on the year, a cool $37,606.20 over second. Tryan has had the richest Resistol Rookie season of the last decade, as well as the largest lead over second place in the last decade. Tryan is currently 26th in the heading world standings, meaning he also set himself up nicely for the 2025 winter rodeos.

While standings and earnings are unofficial, New Mexico’s Korbin Rice will finish second in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race with $40,597.18, followed by Brayden Schmidt of Washington with $38,153.06 at third. The 2024 rookie earnings are comparative to 2023 where Cutter Machado finished second with $43,822.07 and Mason Appleton was third with $37,254.90.

On the head side, the fight is technically not over. Moore leads the pack with $66,026.39 won on the year, but Arizona’s Denton Dunning is second with $58,148.33. While that $7,878.06 is relatively close in terms of a lead, Dunning is down to his final rodeo of the year with the Cowboy Capital Of The World PRCA Rodeo in Stephenville, Texas, which he’ll rope at Sunday, Sept. 29. It also appears Dunning’s $529 from the Decatur PRCA Rodeo Sept. 28, hasn’t been added to his earnings yet. Going off 2023 rodeo earnings, $7,000 won’t be possible to win on the final day of the season.

Moore is currently 29th in the world standings, and Dunning is 32nd so, like Tryan, they should also be in for a good portion of the winter rodeos.

Unofficially, Dunning will finish second in the rookie standings, and Utah’s Wyatt Thomas will win third with $24,940.40. In 2023, JR Gonzalez won second with $44,516.23, and Cooper Freeman finished third with $42,800.82.

Once the 2024 season officially wraps up, we’ll have the final Resistol Rookie of the Year winners and their season earnings.

The post The End of the 2024 Resistol Rookie Race appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

With the heading race for the top 15 spots decided, the 2024 heeling top 15 will come down to a one-header in San Bernardino, California at the Sheriffs PRCA Rodeo between two-time World Champion Paul Eaves and reigning NFR average champ Colter Todd.

Before the San Bernardino performance begins at 6 p.m. tonight, Eaves is $80 ahead of Todd, with $105,148.98 to $105,068.55. The pair is a buddy team, and Todd has ridden Eaves’ horses on and off for the last two years. Both Derrick Begay and Erich Rogers are already locked in on the head side.

Derrick Begay and Todd had rodeos left, so they roped at Mona, Utah, and Poway, California, this week. They got a leg in Mona and a barrier in Poway. But, they’re the reigning champs at San Bernardino. In 2023, Begay and Todd won the rodeo with a 4.5-second run, worth $3,356 a man. At present, a 5.3 is winning it and sixth is a 6.5.

Current San Bernardino Team Roping Results:

1. Cutter Machado/Dalton Pearce, 5.3 seconds; 2. Lane Lowry/Cord Forzano, 5.5; 3. Case Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 5.7; 4. Daniel Green/Elijah Green, 6.1; 5. Josh Siggins/Robert Murphy, 6.3; 6. Dan Williams Jr./Cody Stewart, 6.5.

The post Heeling Top 15 Race is a One-Header in San Bernardino Between Buddy Team Eaves & Todd appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Andrew Ward and Kollin VonAhn—two longtime best friends who’ve never ProRodeoed together until this year—are now heading to their first National Finals Rodeo as a team after pulling off nearly miraculous come-from-behind victory worth $30,000 a man at the Cinch Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Ward, 34, of Edmond, Oklahoma, spun a steer in 4.0 in the Round of 8 then came back and spun one for the two-time World Champ VonAhn in 3.9 to win the clean-slate Round of 4, solidifying the NFR qualification for the team of past NFR average champs.

VonAhn entered the final day of Sioux Falls 21st in the PRCA world standings with $95,382 won, with the ProRodeo season ending Sept. 30.

“We just said we need to try to win this,” Ward said. “Neither one of us really knew where we were at. I heard Joe (Beaver) say maybe we needed to win third. Kollin kind of talked me off of just, ‘Hey, let’s go catch one.’ He is like, ‘No.’ He said, ‘We can win this. Let’s just go at ’em.’ So then for me, it makes it a lot more peaceful when you don’t think. I’m just trying to get a great roll and head ’em as fast as I can. And it’s really easier roping up by the chutes than it is when you go out there in the arena. And I don’t believe that those heel shots are lucky, and this guy’s confidence to finish rodeos and the last month we didn’t rodeo our wheels off. He’s like, ‘We’ll get in. We’re going to do fine. We’re just going to believe in it, catch and do our job and we’ll be out there.’ And it’s the great mindset that wins at big nights like tonight, I think.”

VonAhn did have faith—enough faith in fact to whip it down there when Ward got it on them dirty fast—and maybe it was faith that brought two feet into his loop in both the Round of 8 and Round of 4 in Sioux Falls Sept. 28.

“Both shots were borderline,” VonAhn admitted. “I’m just lucky I was a little too far ahead of the steer. I picked my bottom stranded up off the ground, then tried to set it back down on the ground and the last one, the steer wanted to hop high enough, he put himself right back in it. I needed them both to work and Andrew did a great job. He obviously turned ’em fast enough to win and so there really isn’t much more thinking about it. Put it down there and what happens, happens.”

With stout horsepower in Ward’s Cole E Man and VonAhn’s Juicy, they had all the right pieces to make the down-to-the-wire puzzle come together.

“I’m a pretty lucky guy,” VonAhn said. “I’ve got a great family, my mom and dad, my brothers, they’re all great people and it’s been one of them things my whole life. I’ve got a great wife, great kid. Everything for me is perfect, anyways. And then it comes time to making the Finals. And if I didn’t make it, it’s not ever lack of effort. I mean we worked hard at it. There’s literally nothing else I think I can do anyways. And so I just believe when I get in them situations, it’s not about sometimes doing more and worrying about it. I think God kind of scripts us a plan, and that’s the way it works out.”

Governor’s Cup Team Roping Round of 4 Results

Governor’s Cup Team Roping Round of 8 Results

The post Ward & VonAhn Seal the NFR Deal with Sioux Falls Governor’s Cup Win and $30K-a-Man Payday appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The heat is on with just 48 hours to go in the rodeo season, with four veterans—Travis Graves, Paul Eaves, Colter Todd and Kollin VonAhn—all vying for the final three spots on the heel side in 2024

Unofficially, the heading top 15 is already set, with Erich Rogers safe at No. 15 with $104,549.97.

We’ll start this bubble update with two-time World Champion VonAhn, who must place in the top three in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s Cinch Governor’s Cup tonight to have a fighting chance and force any of the rest of these projections to matter.

Kollin VonAhn: $95,382.46

VonAhn, at 21st in the world, stayed alive going into the top eight at Sioux Falls with 13.8 on two, despite a leg in Round 2. That guarantees him $3,611 just for roping tonight, with the first paying $30,000, second paying $22,000 and third $15,000—all which would make the rest of the contenders have to hustle to keep their spots. His header, Andrew Ward, is already locked in.

Travis Graves: $103,050.66

Graves holds down the No. 15 spot in the PRCA world standings heading into the final eight in Sioux Falls. Making the final four at Sioux Falls should clinch his 15th NFR berth, but he’s also up at Stephenville, Texas, on Sunday just in case. Graves’ header, Luke Brown, is locked in.

Paul Eaves: $105,148.98

Eaves is currently in at No. 13, but Graves will automatically jump past him and Todd just by roping tonight with the $3,611 he gets guaranteed. Erich Rogers and Eaves only have San Bernardino left on Sunday, and the rodeo is filled with doctor releases because plenty of guys didn’t want to trek to California without a mathematical chance at a Finals qualification.

Colter Todd: $105,069

Derrick Begay is in, but Todd could be bumped if VonAhn finishes third or better in Sioux Falls. Begay and Todd have the most rodeos left of the bunch, with Poway left tonight and San Bernardino tomorrow. That rodeo though has at least eight doctors releases in the team roping, though, and only adds $5,000 a side, so it won’t give Todd more than $2,800 to help his chances.

The post Veterans Travis Graves, Paul Eaves, Colter Todd & Kollin VonAhn in PRCA Heeling Bubble Battle in Season’s Final 48 Hours appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Three days remain on the 2024 ProRodeo season, and the top 12 in each respective circuit will be determined at the season’s end on Sept. 30.

For some circuits, like the Montana, Mountain States and Badlands, their year ended over two weeks ago. And for a few, there’s still minimal opportunity to take the regular season lead or just lock in a spot at their respective circuit finals.

Here’s who is still up and running and who are written in stone.

Texas Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Comal County Fair & Rodeo: New Braunfels, Texas; Sept. 26-28
• Decatur PRCA Rodeo: Decatur, Texas; Sept. 27
• Cowboy Capital Of The World PRCA Rodeo: Stephenville, Texas; Sept. 27-29
• Decatur PRCA Rodeo: Decatur, Texas; Sept. 28

Circuit finals date and location: Waco, Texas; Oct. 8-11

Texas Circuit standings

Southeastern Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Flagler County Pro Rodeo: Bunnell, Florida; Sept. 27
• 1st Annual Twizted R Pro Rodeo: Jasper, Alabama; Sept. 28
• Flagler County Pro Rodeo: Bunnell, Florida; Sept. 28
• 1st Annual Twizted R Pro Rodeo: Jasper, Alabama; Sept. 29

Circuit finals date and location: Davie, Florida; Nov. 8-10

Southeastern Circuit standings

Turquoise Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Southern NM State Fair & Rodeo: Las Cruces, New Mexico; Sept. 27-28
• Poway Rodeo: Poway, California; Sept. 27-28 | *Co-Approved
• Southern NM State Fair & Rodeo: Las Cruces, New Mexico; Sept. 28

Circuit finals date and location: Camp Verde, Arizona; Nov. 1-2

Turquoise Circuit standings

California Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Kern County Fair & Rodeo: Bakersfield, California; Sept. 27-28
• Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo: San Bernardino, California; Sept. 27-29
• Poway Rodeo: Poway, California; Sept. 27-28

Circuit finals date and location: Red Bluff, California; Dec. 29-31

California Circuit standings

With just a few days remaining on the year, Preston Burgess has taken over first after Jaxson Tucker’s long reign at No. 1 since late spring.

First Frontier Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Cumberland County Fair Rodeo: Cumberland, Maine; Sept. 25
• Cumberland County Fair Rodeo: Cumberland, Maine; Sept. 26
• Cowtown Rodeo: Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey; Sept. 28

First Frontier Circuit standings

Wilderness Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Young Living’s Last Chance Rodeo: Mona, Utah; Sept. 27-28

Circuit finals date and location: Heber City, Utah; Nov. 1-2

Wilderness Circuit standings

Columbia River Circuit

No remaining rodeos in 2024.

Circuit finals date and location: Redmond, Oregon; Oct. 17-19

Columbia River Circuit standings

Prairie Circuit

No remaining rodeos in 2024.

Circuit finals date and location: Duncan, Oklahoma; Oct. 17-19

Prairie Circuit standings

Great Lakes Circuit

No remaining rodeos in 2024.

Circuit finals date and location: Louisville, Kentucky; Nov. 14-16

Great Lakes Circuit Standings

Montana Circuit

No remaining rodeos in 2024.

Circuit finals date and location: Great Falls, Montana; Jan. 9-11, 2025

Montana Circuit standings

Mountain States Circuit

No remaining rodeos in 2024.

Circuit finals date and location: Loveland, Colorado; Oct. 25-26

Mountain States Circuit standings

Badlands Circuit

No remaining rodeos in 2024.

Circuit finals date and location: Minot, North Dakota; Oct. 11-13

Badlands Circuit standings

The post Clock is Ticking on the 2024 ProRodeo Circuit Team Roping Race appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Louisiana header Cyle Denison jumped into the the top 15 with two days remaining in ProRodeo’s regular season after he and partner Tanner Braden smoked their Round 2 steer at the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Cinch Governor’s Cup in 3.9 seconds to win $11,000 a man.

Round 1 Results and Recap

Denison entered the Sept. 27 go-round 20th in the world with $94,200.88 won on the year, but the Governor’s Cup payday will move him to $105,200.88. That’s unofficially 13th, ahead of Derrick Begay with $105,068.55. It bumps out Nelson Wyatt, who took a no-time in Round 2 and won’t advance to the semifinals on Saturday.

The round win helped solidify Braden’s first NFR berth. Braden, from Dewey, Oklahoma, jumped from No. 11 to No. 8 with $121,3477.76.

Here’s our Team Roping Journal play-by-play of Sioux Falls’ Governor’s Cup Team Round Round 2:

Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin drew a good one to be 4.3 at first out.

Denison and Braden needed to make it through to the semifinals to keep their NFR dreams alive, and Denison stole the start to be 3.9 and put the pressure on early.

Luke Brown and Travis Graves drew a steer that didn’t take it as well, and Graves scoops him up and finishes fast to be 4.4.

Wyatt and Paden Bray take the first no-time of the rodeo with a miss on the heel side to significantly diminish their NFR chances, as both were outside the top 15 going into Round 2 at 22nd and 23rd, respectively.

Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord make a solid run and go 4.2.

Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp take an extra split second to get the finish and stop the clock in 4.3.

Brenten Hall and Kaden Profili miss on the heel side.

Nelson Wyatt and Jonathan Torres get the first head-side miss of the rodeo to put Wyatt’s NFR hopes in question.

Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira draw a bigger, stronger red and white paint steer and are plus five to be 9.5.

Clint Summers and Jake Long get a leg to be 9.2.

Jake Smith and Douglas Rich have a hickey on the horn to take a no-time.

Andrew Ward and Kollin VonAhn needed to squeak into the top 8, and their 9.4 with a leg got them in splitting last hole in the average. With that, VonAhn keeps his hopes alive at another shot at the Finals with a chance big check Saturday. VonAhn is currently 21st in the world with $95,382.46. Ward is inside the top 15 at 12th with $106,581.02.

FINAL-DAY PAYOUT 

After the first two full rounds, the top eight teams on two head will advance to Saturday’s round. In Saturday’s clean-slate round, fifth-eighth place will pay $3,611 each, and the top four fastest times will advance to a four-man short round. 

The four-man shootout round will pay the following amounts:

1. $30,000
2. $22,500
3. $15,000
4. $7,500

Sioux Falls Governor’s Cup Round 2 Winners

Sioux Falls Governor’s Cup Aggregate Leaders

The post Cyle Denison & Tanner Braden Blast Round 2 Steer at Sioux Falls to Get Denison Fighting Chance at 2024 Finals appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The last weekend of the 2024 ProRodeo season is here, and that means it’s time for the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls.

This culmination of the PRCA Playoff Series takes place Sept. 26-29, 2024, and will pay out more than $1.3 million. The richest rodeo in South Dakota history, the event’s massive payout provides one last opportunity for a Top 15 shakeup of ProRodeo athletes hoping to punch their ticket to Vegas.

Governor’s Cup team roping results

Round 1 Results — Sept. 26, 2024

Round 1: 1. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 3.8 seconds, $11,000 each; 2. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 3.9, $8,250; 3. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 4.1, $5,500; 4. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord and Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 4.2, $1,375 each.

Governor’s Cup payout in 2024

ROUND 1 & 2 PAYOUT: 

1. $11,000
2. $8,250
3. $5,500
4. $2,750

FINAL-DAY PAYOUT 

After the first two full rounds, the top eight teams on two head will advance to Saturday’s round. In Saturday’s clean-slate round, fifth-eighth place will pay $3,611 each, and the top four fastest times will advance to a four-man short round. 

The four-man shootout round will pay the following amounts:

1. $30,000
2. $22,500
3. $15,000
4. $7,500

Team Ropers Competing at the 2024 Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup

The post Wade and Thorp Take Round 1: 2024 Governor’s Cup Team Roping Results appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Sioux Falls’ Cinch Governor’s Cup dropped perhaps the toughest team roping of the regular season on night one, with Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp coming out on top with a 3.8 for $11,000 a man, with the last hole being a 4.2.

In a round that may make or break NFR dreams for the team ropers on the bubble, Sioux Falls provided the single most intense round of team roping in recent memory, with a 5.3 winning last hole.

Here’s The Team Roping Journal’s play-by-play of the round:

Andrew Ward took an aggressive start and got it on their steer fast. Kollin VonAhn was on the hunt and locked in, coming with a quick throw, and they finished eighth in the round with a 4.40.

Jake Smith sent his loop two swings out of the box, and Douglas Rich met him on the corner ready to set it down. Smith and Rich pocketed $5,500 a man for third in the round.

Clint Summers got his rope up in the box fast and threw quick. Jake Long took a typical Jake Long throw with a big swing and delivered fast. Their 4.60-second run landed them ninth in the round.

Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira were 5.3 with Nogueira getting the steer around the hips and fumbling his dally ever so slightly to cost him. 

Nelson Wyatt and Jonathan Torres made a solid run in 4.3 that would have won most of the summer rodeos, with Wyatt throwing the heat and Torres taking a smart shot to finish FAST. 

Brenten Hall reached as soon as he broke the plane of the box, and the reigning Resistol Rookie of the Year Kaden Profili looked like a veteran taking an aggressive first shot. They tied for fourth and fifth in the round with a 4.20.

Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp made their signature run—though Wade through a SHARP horn loop—with Thorp taking the first legal shot to be 3.8. 

Levi Lord took a smart shot on a Dustin Eguquiza reach to make a 4.2-second run, staying in the game after a run from Wade and Thorp that set a tough bar. 

Wyatt Bray might have been a tick behind their steer, but he sent some line and got things turned around quick. Paden cleaned it up fast, and they stopped the clock in 4.70 seconds.

Buda got Luke Brown to their steer fast, and Brown sent a sharp head loop. Travis Graves had a fast, aggressive swing and came with a strong loop and a rank slide on the heel side, and they were 4.90 seconds.

Cyle Denison and Tanner Braden roped like their NFR futures depend on it, with a BIG reach from Denison and a wild shot from Braden to be 3.9. 

Returning champs Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin take Proctor’s normal time in the box to get Admiral on point, and Proctor gets him on a long rope to be 4.3. 

Governor’s Cup team roping Round 1 results

Unofficial**

The post World Champs Wade and Thorp Take $11K Win in Round 1 of the 2024 Governor’s Cup Team Roping appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

When there is a purse of $144,444 up for grabs at the 2024 Governor’s Cup, the best team ropers in the PRCA will be riding their best horses, too.

• Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin will return on the same team of horses they won the rodeo on in 2023—Lenas Spark Dunit and TRR Freckles Holiday.
• Clint Summers will again crack out WSR Hesa Alive, the 20-year-old gelding he rode to clinch his NFR trip at the last minute in Sioux Falls last year.
• Kaleb Driggers is borrowing Fin Bar Whiskey One, a horse of Marcus Theriot’s.
• Wyatt Bray will ride DMO Sand Drifter, the same mare Erich Rogers won the NFR average on when he headed for Paden Bray in 2020.

The post The 2024 Governor’s Cup Head and Heel Horses appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

One week remains on the 2024 ProRodeo season, and with few regular season rodeos and the Governor’s Cup remaining, it’s do or die for the bubble teams.

While a team could win up to $52,000 in Sioux Falls if they absolutely dominated, a majority of the teams making the trek are safe inside the top 10 of the world standings, meaning it’s still anyone’s game. 

In this article, The Team Roping Journal maps out where the bubble teams are entered in the final week of the ProRodeo season and how their odds at the Top 15 are looking. 

*NOTE: Final rodeos listed below are based off trade lists from the remaining rodeos of the 2024 season.

Clay Smith & Coleby Payne: $109,106.97 / $119,106.97

No Sioux Falls

Clay Smith and Coleby Payne technically aren’t on the bubble at No. 9 and No. 8 in the world standings, and that’s thanks to a $10,549 weekend. Smith and Payne started the weekend 14th and 11th before picking up $2,336 a man for second at the Omaha River City Rodeo in Nebraska. They followed that up with $8,213 a man for fourth at the inaugural North Dakota Roughrider Cup in Mandan to push them deeper inside the Top 15. 

Smith has $10,686.92 over the No. 16 header in the world standings, whereas Payne is $17,890.89 ahead of 16^th in the heeling. The team did not qualify for Sioux Falls, but only two headers and heelers outside the Top 15 did, bettering Smith’s odds for his 10th NFR and Payne’s chance for his first qualification. 

Luke Brown & Travis Graves: $108,426.87 / $103,050.66

Yes Sioux Falls

Between Puyallup and Pendleton, Luke Brown and Travis Graves have made a hard push into the Top 15 and currently sit 10th and 14th in the world standings. While Brown is $10,006.82 ahead of No. 16, Graves is only $1,834.58 ahead of 16^th in the heeling. Luckily for Brown and Graves, though, they did qualify for Sioux Falls. Brown and Graves aren’t exactly safe, so they’ll head to Stephenville Sept. 29, for one final opportunity after Sioux Falls.

Cody Snow & Hunter Koch: $107,766.62 / $109,777.63

No Sioux Falls

Cody Snow and Hunter Koch are currently 11th in the world standings, with Snow $9,346.57 ahead of 16th and Koch $8,561.55 ahead. Snow and Koch did not qualify for Sioux Falls, so they’re battling the bubble in Pasadena Sept. 23 and 24, and Stephenville Sept. 28. 

Similar to Smith and Payne, only two headers and heelers outside the Top 15 qualifying for Sioux Falls levels out the playing field for the bubble guys as many of them are headed to the same rodeos.

Andrew Ward & Kollin VonAhn: $106,581.02 / $95,382.46

Yes Sioux Falls

Andrew Ward and Kollin VonAhn made the cut for Sioux Falls, and they need it for different reasons. Ward needs some cushion as he’s 12th in the world with $8,160.97 more than 16th, but VonAhn needs to make up ground as he’s currently 21st in the world and outside the Top 15 by $6,715.30. With rounds paying $11,000 to its victors and a grand prize of $30,000 a man, a standout performance in Sioux Falls could seal the deal. 

Sioux Falls is also their final rodeo of the year, making it even more important that they capitalize there.

Derrick Begay & Colter Todd: $105,068.55

No Sioux Falls

Derrick Begay and Colter Todd may not have made the cut for Sioux Falls, but the fan favorites are still alive in the race. Begay and Todd currently sit 13th in the world and are $6,648.50 and $3,852.47 ahead of 16th. They pocketed $1,098 a piece in Amarillo, and while the race is tight, Begay and Todd’s final three rodeos can pay a decent penny. 

Mona, Utah, paid $2,143 a man to its 2023 winners, and Begay and Todd are the reigning Poway champs where they picked up $2,381 each. They’ll round out their year in San Bernardino where they also took home the 2023 win for $3,356 a man.

Erich Rogers & Paul Eaves: $104,549.97 / $105,148.98

No Sioux Falls

Erich Rogers and Paul Eaves sit 14th and 12th in the world standings and are down to their last rodeo in 2024. Rogers and Eaves will round out their season in San Bernardino and need to capitalize as they are only $6,129.92 and $3,932.90 ahead of 16th. 

For Rogers, Nelson Wyatt is directly behind him at 15th and did qualify for Sioux Falls, and Riley Minor is 16th but did not make the cut. Eaves is followed by Todd at 13th, by Sioux Falls qualifiers Graves and Tanner Braden at 14th and 15^th, and by JC Flake at 16th who did not qualify. 

Nelson Wyatt: $101,988.06

Yes Sioux Falls

Nelson Wyatt picked up $8,213 for fourth at Mandan over the weekend to push him back inside the Top 15 right at 15th. Wyatt is only $3,568.01 ahead of 16th, but he qualified for Sioux Falls. The Governor’s Cup will be Wyatt’s final rodeo, and its large payout keeps him alive in the NFR hunt

Riley Minor & Brady Minor: $98,420.05

No Sioux Falls

Riley and Brady Minor are on the outside looking in of the world standings, but make no mistake, they still have a chance. Riley and Brady are currently 16th and 17th in the world standings and only outside the Top 15 by $3,568.01 for Riley and $3,677.71 for Brady. While their bubble fight will be difficult as they did not qualify for Sioux Falls, they still have Mona and San Bernardino left to give them a chance at the NFR.

Jr. Dees: $98,047.33

No Sioux Falls

Jr. Dees is 17th in the heading and chasing 15th by $3,940.73. Though he didn’t make the Sioux Falls cut, Dees has three rodeos left, all of which are California rodeos. 

JC Flake: $101,216.08

No Sioux Falls

JC Flake is searching for his first NFR and is currently 16th in the heeling world standings. Just $881.68 separates Flake from 15th, but Flake did not qualify for Sioux Falls and the No. 15 heeler did. While Flake’s partner, Dees, is entered at three rodeos, Flake only has San Bernardino left. Flake needs to pick up the win there to even have a slight chance at bursting the bubble.

Tanner Tomlinson & Patrick Smith: $96,939.57

No Sioux Falls

The 2022 NFR champs Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith are down to their final rodeo: Stephenville. Tomlinson and Smith are 18th in the world and chasing the Top 15 by $5,048.49 for Tomlinson and $5,158.19 for Smith. Unfortunately, the team did not make Sioux Falls, and Stephenville only paid $2,647 a man to win in 2023, with number of entries affecting the payout.

Jake Clay & Trey Yates: $92,742.41

No Sioux Falls

Jake Clay and Trey Yates did not make the Sioux Falls cut, but they still have multiple opportunities to burst the bubble. Clay and Yates pocketed $2,092 each for second in Sonoma, California, to put them 19th and 22nd in the world standings. Clay is $9,245.65 outside the Top 15, and Yates is $9,355.35 behind 15th. With five rodeos leftall but one of which paid more than $2,000 to its winners in 2023Clay and Yates need to earn money every time they nod their heads to stay alive in the fight.

Wyatt Bray & Paden Bray: $92,651.59 / $89,787.32

Yes Sioux Falls

Bray brothers Wyatt and Paden have nothing to lose and everything to gain as they enter the final week of the 2024 ProRodeo season. While Wyatt is outside the Top 15 by $9,336.47 at 20th, and Paden is 23rd and $12,310.44 behind 15th, they still have a chance at major money in Sioux Falls. A round win and a top four finish in another could seal the deal on their NFR dreams, but the brothers also still have opportunities in Poway and San Bernardino if all else fails.

Cyle Denison & Tanner Braden: $85,950.88 / $102,097.76

Yes Sioux Falls

Cyle Denison and Tanner Braden are in an interesting situation as Denison is currently outside the Top 15 at No. 23, but Braden is the No. 15 heeler in the world. Denison and Braden are both in the hunt for their first NFR qualifications, and their tickets to Sioux Falls are critical as Denison is outside the Top 15 by $16,037.18 and Braden is only $881.68 ahead of 16th. Denison and Braden need to get the ball rolling big time in Sioux Falls to have a chance at the bright lights of Vegas.

Chad Masters & Wyatt Cox: $91,849.02 / $95,470.57

No Sioux Falls

Chad Masters and Wyatt Cox may not be in for Sioux Falls, but they’re entered deep the last week of the 2024 season. Masters and Cox pocketed $934 a man for sixth in Omaha, $1,569 a piece in Amarillo for fifth, and they also picked up $521 for fourth in the first round in Pasadena. Outside the Top 15 by $10,139.04 for Masters at 21st and $6,627.19 at 20th for Cox, a strong week of picking up checks at their remaining seven rodeos could push them inside the Top 15, especially if their fellow bubble teams that did qualify for Sioux Falls are unable to cash in.

The post NFR Bubble Battle Breakdown: Who’s Still In? appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The North Dakota Roughrider Cup may be new in town, but it’s promising a major payout in the final two weeks of the 2024 ProRodeo season.

The largest one-head payout in North America, the North Dakota Roughrider Cup will take place Sept. 20–22, in Mandan. With the top 32 in the team roping world standings, plus the winners of four specific Badlands Circuit rodeos, invited, the North Dakota Roughrider Cup is sure to shake up the world standings in the final stretch of the season.

North Dakota Roughrider Cup results

 1. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 3.6 seconds, $15,112 each; 2. Tee McLeod/Sid Sporer, 4.0, $13,141; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.1, $11,170; 4. (tie) Clay Smith/Coleby Payne and Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 4.3, $8,213 each; 6. (tie) Mason Appleton/Billie Jack Saebens and Pedro Egurrola/Justin Davis, 4.5, $4,271 each; 8. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 4.7, $1,314.

Who got into the North Dakota Roughrider Cup?

The top 32 headers and heelers in the 2024 PRCA world standings as of 7 days prior to entries closing qualify. The winners of each of the following four Badlands Circuit rodeos will also qualify for a total of 36 teams.

• Dickinson, North Dakota (June 28-30)
• Mandan, North Dakota (July 2-4)
• Aberdeen, South Dakota (August 12-13)
• Rapid City, South Dakota (August 26-28).

North Dakota Roughrider Cup team roping draw

Performance 1, Friday, Sept. 20

Performance 2, Saturday, Sept. 21

Performance 3, Sunday, Sept. 22

What is the format at the North Dakota Roughrider Cup?

The North Dakota Roughrider Cup is one round of competition, spread out over three nights with 12 teams roping nightly.

What is the payout at the North Dakota Roughrider Cup?

While The Team Roping Journal hasn’t yet figured out the exact payout, we know the North Dakota Roughrider Cup has a $60,000 purse on both ends and will pay eight places.

When and where is the North Dakota Roughrider Cup?

The North Dakota Roughrider Cup is headed to the Dale Pahlke Arena in Mandan, North Dakota, Sept. 20-22.

The post Tyler Wade, Wesley Thorp Win Mandan’s Roughrider Cup appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The Cinch Governor’s Cup will pay out $144,444 to Sioux Falls team roping qualifiers on each side, potentially reshaping the ProRodeo bubble race again Sept. 26 to 28, 2024 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.

The top eight teams in the PRCA’s ProRodeo Playoff Series Standings qualify to rope at Sioux Falls, joined by the top four teams from the Puyallup, Washington Cinch Playoffs—dropping farther down the tour standings when ropers qualified to Sioux Falls both via Puyallup and the tour standings.

The Sioux Falls’ Format

The 12 qualifying teams will compete across two rounds for a position into the final eight. From the eight-man Semifinals, four return to the final shootout, clean-slate round Saturday, Sept. 28 for a chance at the Governor’s Cup and its possible season-changing payday.

2024 Sioux Falls Team Roping Qualifiers

Final-Day Payout 

After the first two full rounds, the top eight teams on two head will advance to Saturday’s round. In Saturday’s clean-slate round, fifth-eighth place will pay $3,611 each, and the top four fastest times will advance to a four-man short round. 

The four-man shootout round will pay the following amounts:

1. $30,000
2. $22,500
3. $15,000
4. $7,500

The post The 12 Teams Vying for Season-Changing Money at Cinch Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls in 2024 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association announced Tuesday, Sept. 17, that the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo will feature a review system for six specific calls, four of which will impact the team roping.

The system will allow the review only of calls made by the Pro Officials in the arena. The following calls can be reviewed at the 2024 NFR:

• Contestant competing before breaking the plane of the barrier
• Crossfire
• Livestock infraction (tie-down roping)
• Spur out (Mark Out rule in the rough stock)
• Barrier malfunction (all timed events)
• No-nod (all events)

The crossfire, barrier malfunction, a no-nod situation and throwing before breaking the plane of the barrier all correspond to the team roping.

“I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction to add instant replay,” reigning and two-time World Champion Thorp said. “I think the fans, contestants and judges will benefit from it. I understand it’s harder to implement than one might realize because then you have to set certain rules of how it will be applied and who makes the final decision; I understand the complexity of instant replay, but I do find it necessary.”

While the specifications of how the review system will work have not been released, the addition of instant replay has been a hot topic of conversation in the rodeo world as more associations have made it possible. The PRCA has long said that adding instant replay would be too costly and complicated, in spite of contestants advocating for the change. It’s a change that the WCRA and PBR initiated in their events, as well as at the International Finals Rodeo.

“As access to technology has increased, it is vital that we adapt a fair opportunity for competition,” PRCA Director of Rodeo Administration Steve Knowles said in a press release. “The PRCA is committed to providing our committees the best resources to allow for the best competition, including embracing video review, when possible.”

So, what exactly are these calls?

The crossfire

The crossfire call is one of the most controversial rules in the world of team roping, often igniting social media debates. In the fifth round of the 2023 NFR, the world watched as Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin broke the NFR arena record with a 3.1-second run inside the Thomas & Mack. But, in a matter of seconds, Proctor and Medlin were flagged for a crossfire and given the 30-second penalty. 

“The crossfire rule is such a hard call, especially when the flagger flags from the right side and gets stuck behind the horse on occasion,” Thorp said. “Because the steer is blocked from his vision and this seems to be where a majority of the incorrect calls come from. I think instant replay will give the judge more confidence in his decision knowing someone else has a better angle to either back him up or correct his mistake. It won’t make it perfect, but I’m optimistic enough to believe it will be beneficial to everyone.”

The rule, as stated in the PRCA rulebook:

R10.8.3 Throwing Heel Loop. “Crossfire” The heel rope cannot come in contact with the steers legs until BOTH: 

(A)The header has control of the steer’s head 
(B) And the steer’s hips have changed direction, with the steer having forward motion. 

A steer that stops, slows down, or drifts towards the header, must still fulfill rule A and B.

Contestant competing before breaking the plane of the barrier

The rule, as stated in the PRCA rulebook:

R10.3.2 Breaking Plane of Barrier. A contestant must be on his horse and his horse must break the plane of the barrier with his draw breaking the plane of the scoreline before he is allowed to compete. 

Barrier malfunction

The rule, as stated in the PRCA rulebook:

R10.3.5 Barrier Failure. If barrier fails to work but the flag operates correctly and time is recorded, contestant or team will receive that time. Barrier penalty will be waived unless barrier is obviously beaten by contestant.

The more you know

• Can ProRodeo REALLY Add Instant Replay?
• The Short Score: Crossfire Rule Update
• Crossfire Calls: The Toughest Team Roping Call

The post Replay at the NFR? Crossfire Call and More to be Available for Review at 2024 NFR appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Thanks to their Pendleton Round-Up win in 2024, Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord lead the PRCA Playoff Series standings on the way to the $288,888 Governor’s Cup—a rodeo they had to watch from home in 2023. 

Having missed Sioux Falls—a rodeo with now $144,444 on both ends—by one point last year, they decided to put more focus on the average race at the 2024 PRCA Playoff Series rodeos without losing sight of their run.

“The average definitely kicked our butt a little bit last year, so it’s been more on our mind,” said six-time NFR header Egusquiza. “I can’t say that we just completely changed the way we rope, though—we’re still pretty aggressive, it just seems like more things have went in our favor this year. Things just fell into place, and we got in better situations. It’s just been a really nice year as far as winning and catching a lot of steers in a row and not getting in too bad of slumps.”

Both Egusquiza, 29, and Lord, 28, are also No. 1 in the world standings with $187,771.70 won on the year. Saturday, Sept. 14, they added the Pendleton Round-Up title and $12,223 a man to their names after roping three steers in 17.9 seconds, a cherry on top of their season.

“Those are just moments you think you’ll know what they feel like, but you don’t really until it happens,” said three-time NFR heeler Lord. “I just rode to the side and watched Coleman (Proctor) rope, then I saw the steer beat him out of there and, at that point, I knew we got it done. Then you just start running around: you go get on the horse, run across the field and then all the pictures and victory lap. It’s one of a kind over there.”

Conquering the grass

They pocketed $1,783 a piece for the win in the short round and $9,868 each for the average with a 17.9 on three steers. They rode out of Pendleton with $12,223 a piece.

Egusquiza and Lord’s battle-tested horsepower

 Egusquiza called on JE Shining Rowdy, better known as his long-score gelding “Mohawk.” Primarily Egusquiza’s jackpot horse, the 14-year-old has only been ridden at maybe three rodeos this year, including Cheyenne, and is a must on the Pendleton grass.

“He scores and he can really Run,” Egusquiza said. “He doesn’t have the flashy butt drag or face really good. He’s just kind of free running, but he’s really good at Pendleton. I don’t even know if I would enter if I didn’t have him just because the scare factor of it. You need to have confidence in your horse there and, on him, I’m not worried in the least bit. He’s very surefooted no matter how fast he’s running that the slipping never crossed my mind as I was riding him.”

Lord switched things up and chose his 11-year-old grade gelding “Pauly” for the Green Mile. 

“I’ve kind of had both my horses at all of the rodeos because we haven’t done much flying or anything like that, so if Birdie’s staying there, I’ve just kind of rode him,” Lord said. “But for a setup like that and just trying to save Birdie, I’ve rode Pauly there three or four times, and he’s been really good there. He jumps that big score line every time, but other than that, once I got him out of the box, it was pretty good.”

Egusquiza and Lord’s push for the regular season title

The Florida and South Dakota cowboys have had a near fairytale year, kicking off 2024 with wins in Odessa, Denver and Austin. 

“I think we left the house with maybe $60,000 or $70,000 won, and it never really slowed down too much for us,” Lord said. “We’ve been able to keep our horses together and we seem to both be roping pretty well all the time. If one of us is struggling a little bit, the other one seems to pick up the slack.”

Adding the Pendleton Round-Up to their resumes is a dream both Egusquiza and Lord have wanted for a long time.

“You talk about winning a rodeo, you’d like to win a rodeo when you get to it or whatever, but Pendleton’s one that kind of stays on the mind year-round,” Egusquiza said. “That’s one of the coolest wins that I have ever had, and I think that there was a part of me that didn’t know if I’d ever get it done. I like that rodeo so much, but it’s kind of nerve wracking and it seems really hard to win. So, to actually get it done was pretty awesome.”

With just two weeks remaining on the 2024 season, Egusquiza and Lord are entered till the whistle blows. The team will rope next at the North Dakota Roughrider Cup in Mandan Sept. 21, followed by the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls and Cowboy Capital Of The World PRCA Rodeo in Stephenville, Texas, the following week to give them a shot at winning the regular season.

“We obviously have a goal to win the regular season; that would be awesome,” Lord said. “But there’s a couple teams, especially Kaleb and Junior, every time you look up, they’re winning something, too. They’re pretty tough to stay ahead of. We’re just trying to do our best to win what we can win and, whenever they draw us a good one, to have a chance to try to capitalize.”

The post Pendleton Round-Up Win Lands Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord at Top of Tour Standings for Sioux Falls appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

As we enter the last two weeks of the 2024 ProRodeo season, the results from across the country are shaking up the team roping standings.

From Pendleton to Albuquerque, the action was hot the weekend of Sept. 11-15, seeing movement inside the Top 15 and on the bubble.

2024 ProRodeo team roping world standings

As of Sept. 16.

ProRodeo team roping results

Pendleton Round-Up

Pendleton, Oregon, Sept. 11-14

First round: 1. Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, 5.0 seconds, $6,579 each; 2. (tie) Jake Clay/Trey Yates and Coleman Proctor/Junior Nogueira, 5.3, $5,292 each; 4. (tie) Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan and Clint Summers/Jake Long, 5.6, $3,576 each; 6. (tie) Luke Brown/Travis Graves and Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 5.8, $1,859 each; 8. (tie) Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray and Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 5.9, $286 each.

Second round: 1. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 4.0 seconds, $6,579 each; 2. Hayes Smith/Justin Davis, 4.9, $5,721; 3. David Temple/Tio Simmons, 5.2, $4,863; 4. Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 5.3, $4,005; 5. Kreece Thompson/Cooper Freeman, 5.4, $3,146; 6. Wawa Ben JR./Brandon Ben, 5.5, $2,288; 7. Jake Stanley/B.J. Campbell, 5.6, $1,430; 8. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord and Roger Nonella/Colton Gow, 5.9, $286 each.

Finals: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 6.1 seconds, $1,783 each; 2. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 6.3, $1,550; 3. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 6.7, $1,318; 4. Coleman Proctor/Junior Nogueira, 8.4, $1,085; 5. Jason Handy/Cole Cooper, 8.8, $853; 6. Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 10.9, $620; 7. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 13.3, $388; 8. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 14.4, $155.

Average: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 17.9 seconds on three head, $9,868 each; 2. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 18.3, $8,581; 3. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 18.7, $7,294; 4. Coleman Proctor/Junior Nogueira, 19.8, $6,007; 5. Jason Handy/Cole Cooper, 22.1, $4,720; 6. Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 23.0, $3,433; 7. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 26.4, $2,145; 8. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 28.0, $858.

New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo

Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sept. 11-15

1. Billy Bob Brown/Josh Patton, 4.6 seconds, $4,814 each; 2. (tie) Derrick Begay/Colter Todd and Coy Rahlmann/Ross Ashford, 4.9, $3,964 each; 4. (tie) Chris Francis/Cade Passig and Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, 5.0, $2,832 each; 6. Pedro Egurrola/Jace Helton, 5.1, $2,265; 7. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 5.3, $1,982; 8. (tie) Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves and Kreece Thompson/Cooper Freeman, 5.4, $1,416 each; 11. Coleman Proctor/Tanner Braden, 5.5, $850; 12. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 5.7, $566.

West Texas Fair & Rodeo

Abilene, Texas, Sept. 6-14

First round: 1. Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 4.4 seconds, $1,637 each; 2. (tie) Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, Cody Russell/Jake South and Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 4.5, $1,210 each; 5. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 4.9, $783; 6. (tie) Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili and Lane Webb/Tanner Darst, 5.0, $463 each; 8. (tie) Shay Dixon Carroll/Logan Moore and Zane Murphy/Colton Tate, 5.4, $71 each.

Second round: 1. Billy Bob Brown/Josh Patton, 4.0 seconds, $1,637 each; 2. Jake Orman/Corey Hendrick, 4.1, $1,423; 3. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 4.2, $1,210; 4. Cory Kidd V/Dustin Davis, 4.7, $996; 5. (tie) Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves and Chace Thompson/Chad Williams, 5.0, $676 each; 7. Andrew Ward/Kollin VonAhn, 5.1, $356; 8. Jake Clay/Trey Yates, 5.4, $142.

Average: 1. Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 9.4 seconds on two head, $2,455 each; 2. Riley Kittle/Will Woodfin, 11.1, $2,135; 3. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 11.8, $1,815; 4. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 15.4, $1,495; 5. Jayse Tettenhorst/Ty Arnold, 16.2, $1,174; 6. Mason Rust/Nathan Walker, 17.5, $854; 7. Cory Smothers/Justin Copp, 18.0, $534; 8. Jake Orman/Corey Hendrick, 19.0, $214.

Marysville Stampede

Marysville, California, Sept. 14-15

1. (tie) Zack Engelhart/Dusty Bravos and Case Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 6.3 seconds, $1,445 each; 3. Bronc Boehnlein/Monty Joe Petska, 6.9, $1,036; 4. Presto Burgess/Cody Cowden, 7.2, $763; 5. Bryor Minton/Rhett Kennedy, 7.6, $491; 6. Dallas Owen/Brent Lockett, 7.7, $273.

Lion’s Dixie Roundup

St. George, Utah, Sept. 12-14

1. Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, 4.3 seconds, $2,830 each; 2. Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 4.5, $2,460; 3. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 4.6, $2,091; 4. Kreece Thompson/Cooper Freeman, 4.9, $1,722; 5. Ben Jordan/JR Gonzalez, 5.2, $1,353; 6. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 5.3, $984; 7. Rhen Richard/Coby Drake, 6.0, $615; 8. Kaden Richard/Whitt Crozier, 6.1, $246.

Othello PRCA Rodeo

Othello, Washington, Sept. 13-14

1. Jake Clay/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds, $2,201 each; 2. Coy Rahlmann/Ross Ashford, 4.7, $1,942; 3. Brayden Schmidt/Bucky Campbell, 4.8, $1,683; 4. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 5.1, $1,424; 5. Jack Fischer/Phoenix Everano, 5.2, $1,295; 6. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 5.6, $1,165; 7. Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 5.9, $1,036; 8. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 10.1, $906; 9. Tanner Patzke/Quade Patzke, 11.0, $777; 10. Dale Benevides/Shane Crossley, 11.3, $518.

Oldstoberfest

Olds, Alberta, Sept. 13-14

1. Tee McLeod/Sid Sporer, 5.5 seconds, $2,811 each; 2. Grady Quam/Riley Wilson, 5.8, $2,444; 3. Luke Skocdopole/Garrett Brownlee, 5.9, $2,077; 4. (tie) Steele DePaoli/Rhett Haveroen, Jesse Popescul/Rylan Brost and Braden Brost/Levi Schmidt, 6.3, $1,344 each; 7. Riley Wakefield/Beau Cooper, 6.7, $611; 8. Derek Hadland/Jackson Braithwaite, 6.8, $244.

Cowtown Rodeo

Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey, Sept. 14

1. Morgan Anderson/Shawn Quinn, 8.4 seconds, $1,022 each; 2. Jimmy Healy Jr./Casey Cox, 8.8, $846; 3. Waylon Cameron/Scot Brown, 9.8, $670; 4. Eric Fabian/Derek Carey, 10.9, $494; 5. Gary Dubois/Eric Parker, 11.8, $317; 6. Brandon Chambers/T.R. Serio, 12.6, $176.

White County Fair Rodeo

Searcy, Arkansas, Sept. 13-14

1. Zane Kilgus/Tator Taton, 4.4 seconds, $886 each; 2. Cooper Cowan/Cade Cowan, 4.8, $733; 3. Wheston Jones/Blake Barnes, 5.2, $580; 4. Ric LeBlanc/Dusty Purvis, 5.4, $428; 5. Travis Dorman/Craig Stevens, 5.9, $275; 6. Clint Keller/Morgan Jones, 6.2, $153.

Crowley’s Ridge Saddle Club Charity Rodeo

Forrest City, Arkansas, Sept. 13-14

1. (tie) Chance Oftedahl/Wyatt Kanan and Ryan Pope/Kaden Graves, 5.5 seconds, $905 each; 3. Dalton Turner/Cooper Bruce, 6.5, $517; 4. Will Clark/Derrick Crawford, 6.6, $259.

Hanna Pro Rodeo

Hanna, Alberta, Sept 13-14

 1. Denim Ross/Kavis Drake, 4.0 seconds, $1,708 each; 2. Grady Quam/Riley Wilson, 5.0, $1,485; 3. Tate Schmidt/Kagen Schmidt, 5.2, $1,262; 4. (tie) Jackson Braithwaite/Derek Hadland and Lance Gordon/Kelly Buhler, 5.3, $928 each; 6. Jesse Popescul/Rylan Brost, 5.4, $594; 7. Trey Gallais/Jeremy Buhler, 6.5, $371; 8. Kasper Roy/Riley Roy, 9.5, $149.

Reeves Family Ranch Rodeo Series

Eagle Butte, South Dakota, Sept. 9

1. Clint Gorrell/Cash Hetzel, 6.1 seconds, $705 each; 2. Wyatt Bice/Mason Bice, 7.2, $529; 3. Weston Mills/Nevada Berquist, 9.3, $353; 4. Trevor Olson/Tel Sorenson, 13.0, $176.

The post Getting Interesting: ProRodeo Team Roping Results September 11-15 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

I’ve been asked to describe Coleman Proctor a lot here lately to people who don’t yet know him personally. I say Coleman’s a cowboy character with character. He’s funny, and doesn’t let foolish pride get in the way of poking fun at himself when he feels he has it coming. He’ll let a guy trying to beat him borrow his horse, and go out of his road to help a friend from another team trying to reach his first National Finals Rodeo finish line. And if you weren’t sure just how much cowboy game Coleman’s got, he just set the record straight on that—again—in two events at Pendleton.

The 39-year-old pride of Pryor, Oklahoma jumped to second behind only Shad Mayfield in the world all-around race after his $28,351 all-around title at the Daddy of ’em All in Cheyenne in July. 

After finishing fourth in the team roping with Junior Nogueira and second in the steer roping at the Pendleton Round-Up, which just ended Saturday, September 14 and was worth another $24,154 to him, Proctor pulled to within less than $50,000 of Mayfield—$230,630 to $181,922—as we head into the last two weeks of the 2024 regular rodeo season.

“Winning this all-around championship at Pendleton is the greatest accomplishment of my career, because it’s the most cowboy accomplishment of my career,” said eight-time National Finals Rodeo header Proctor, who’s now won well over $1.5 million in PRCA rodeo arenas. 

“Winning the all-around at Cheyenne was a great accomplishment, but when you can conquer the Green Mile and win more than any other contestant there at Pendleton, that’s a dream come true. I just think it’s the most cowboy thing you can do in rodeo. To be known as a cowboy, and a damn good one, is all any of us has ever wanted.”

Thanks in part to a big win with his main man, Logan Medlin, the other day at the Washington State Fair Pro Rodeo in Puyallup, Washington, Proctor is now ranked No. 4 in the world heading standings with $144,979. He’s also rolled up to 17^th in the world steer roping standings with $41,612 ($11,770 was won at Pendleton).

READ: Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin Sweep in Puyallup with $19K Trip

To set the record straight on why he has $181,922 in the world all-around standings instead of that two-event total of $186,591, there are a couple of factors to consider. Single-event stand-alones don’t count toward the all-around, and you can only count 70 rodeos toward the all-around. Steer ropers don’t have an event limit, but team ropers can count 80 rodeos toward their official standings count in 2024. 

If you’re wondering why Proctor and Nogueira joined forces at Pendleton, we’re back to them both being contenders in the world all-around race. 

“Logan and I had a pretty full schedule booked, but once we got the Governor’s Cup (in Sioux Falls) made, he was able to drive his family home (to Texas) and me just have a peaceful Pendleton experience without having to fly back and forth to other rodeos,” Proctor explained. “I had to go to Pendleton, because I’m on the bubble in the steer roping.”

Proctor flew straight from Pendleton to the New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo in Albuquerque yesterday (Sunday, September 15) to head for his fellow-Okie homie Tanner Braden, who’s fighting for his first NFR back number. They were 5.5 for 11^thand won $850 a man. With that money in the bank, Braden’s now 15^th in the world. Meanwhile, Albuquerque with Braden and Amarillo this Thursday with Medlin are the last two regular-season rodeos Coleman can count toward the 2024 world all-around standings.

“Mandan (the North Dakota Rough Rider Cup, September 20-22) will be a $15,000 one-header, and I won $35,000 in Sioux Falls (at the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup Rodeo, which this year runs September 26-28), but I can’t count either for the all-around,” Proctor explained. “I can count them in the team roping, because we get 80 rodeos in that, and won’t get to 75. But I’ll be over the 70 I can count toward the all-around.”

When did Coleman set his sights on the world all-around crown?

“I started thinking about the all-around when I was leaving the NFR last year,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on like a maniac, and why I have four steer roping horses. I want to be like Tee Woolman and Taylor Santos, and qualify for the NFR and NFSR (National Finals Steer Roping) the same year. The elite of the elite cowboys—starting with Trevor Brazile—got it done, and I want to join that list.”

Proctor will steer rope in Amarillo and Seminole, Texas this week, with high hopes of clinching his first NFSR qualification. If he has to, he’ll charter from Sioux Falls to Stephenville and Decatur to catch the last two steer ropings of the regular season.

“I’ll pull out all the stops, if it comes to that,” he said. “But I’m hoping to get it done before then.”

Proctor and Medlin’s final four stops this regular season include Amarillo, Omaha, Mandan and Sioux Falls. And with or without the NFSR, he has high hopes for his all-around chances.

“I have a lot of confidence in Logan and me at the Thomas & Mack,” Proctor said. “Our run is very efficient, and Heisman’s great there. There’s not really a lead that scares me. 

“Fighting with Junior for a world title is nothing new (Nogueira is currently ranked third in the all-around race). And I can’t control what Shad does in the calf roping. I just have to try and out-win everybody.”

Proctor entered one California jackpot with Nogueira years ago, but Pendleton was their first rodeo roping together. 

“I’m blessed to head for Logan Medlin every day,” Coleman said. “When we won Puyallup, my phone went to ringing. My main focus at Pendleton was to try and win about $12,000 in the steer roping (he won $11,770), to give myself a shot at making it. 

“Junior and I had fun. At Pendleton, you really want your heeler up there blocking them off, and Junior did an exceptional job of that every run. Even when I missed the barrier so bad on that last one, I could still feel where Junior was and where I needed to lead the steer for him; the route we needed to run. It was OJ’s first trip down the hill, so I also looked at it as a free chance to season a grass horse.”

About that black horse…Proctor headed on Poco Tuck Drift Gin at Pendleton. He calls him OJ, and he’s the same black horse Billy Good just won the steer roping on at Ellensburg. Good, who’s currently ranked 15^th in the world steer roping standings, has ridden OJ everywhere but Pendleton during this year’s Northwest run, and will probably finish the season on him, according to Coleman. 

As Proctor put it, “Steer ropers are the bulldoggers of the roping world. Billy and I are both vying for the 15^th spot, but cowboys are supposed to exemplify helping your fellow man. If I’m not good enough to beat him on the best horse he can get on, then I don’t deserve to go. Billy’s also seasoning OJ, and if he’s there, I can always jump on and ride him, too. 

“Kelton McMillen had a big shot at making the NFSR after almost 40-percenting them at Abilene, Texas the other day. And Kelton let Billy ride his great bald-faced horse that he just set the Cheyenne record on at Pendleton.”

Proctor—who rode the 20-year-old chestnut Dualotaplayin, “Cheeto,” who came from CA Lauer in the steer roping at Pendleton—also won the Round-Up timed-event all-around buckle, the Ron Currin Jr Memorial. It’s just hard to put into words what this Pendleton all-around championship means to him.

“I was two days old the first time I attended Clem McSpadden’s (Bushyhead) Pasture Roping,” he said. “I come from Tom Ferguson country, and he was a great all-around hand. I know this made my mom (Melody Brewer) and dad (Keith Proctor) really proud. 

“To think that I’ll now get to walk into the Rainbow Café in Pendleton and see my name and picture on the wall with the all-around greats, and heroes of mine, like Trevor Brazile and Kyle Lockett, is awesome. I don’t think I’ll ever miss Pendleton. It’s not for everybody, but it’s a great rodeo and I love it.”

Neither of his draws on short-round Saturday was a day off. 

“I had to make two wild, gritty runs yesterday, lay all caution aside and go as hard as I could,” Coleman said. “I never thought I’d be over-and-undering my horse, gapped wide open coming down the hill, but both (short-round) steers beat me at the barrier.

“I really try to stay draw neutral and respect my opponent, even when I draw the loper. If you mess him up, you make him a medium steer. Both steers Saturday came by me so fast that there was no gauging going on.”

The prize line at Pendleton is way past impressive. The three-bucking-horses buckle went straight onto Coleman’s belt. The rest caught a ride back to Oklahoma in the Proctor family toterhome. 

Coleman’s father-in-law, Gary Arnold, passed away seven years to the day of Proctor’s big Pendleton win. The prize that struck a sentimental chord was a compound bow.

“When they handed me that bow, I thought how Gary would have loved to teach me how to use that thing,” he said. “Pendleton is the greatest rodeo in the world, and this is the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever had. This is one of the coolest days in rodeo a guy could ever wish for.” 

The post Coleman Proctor Strikes Again: Pendleton All-Around Champ! appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Things are about to get western as the 2024 Pendleton Round-Up kicked off Sept. 9, with team roping slack. One of the most anticipated rodeos of the year, Pendleton runs Sept. 11-14.

Legendary for the grass, the Indian relay races, the long start and so much more, Pendleton also marks a time in the year where the stakes are extremely high. And for some, how they fare on the grass could determine their December.

Bubble Battle

The short round could have major implications on the Top 15 race, as well as the PRCA Playoff Standings for the Governor’s Cup.

Cody Snow and Hunter Koch set a new arena record in Round 2 with a 4.0, and that $6,579-a-man payday will help them in their fight to the 2024 NFR. Snow and Koch currently sit 14th and 13th in the world standings, just $713.90 ahead of 15th for Snow and $960.94 for Koch. If they can add a solid average check to their round earnings, they can give themselves a much needed cushion in the Top 15 as they’re currently not qualified for the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls.

Riley and Brady Minor are in a similar boat as Snow and Koch as they’re fighting right around the Top 15, but they are not qualified for Sioux Falls. The Ellensburg brothers are 15th and 16th in the world with $96,995.72 won on the year and while they haven’t won anything in the rounds, a strong run in the short round could give them a nice check to add to their earnings and bring Brady back in the Top 15 on the heel side.

Wyatt and Paden Bray have already secured their spot to the Governor’s Cup through Puyallup, but they’re fighting extra hard to make their NFR dreams a reality. At 22nd and 24th in the world standings, Wyatt needs $14,761.45 to break inside the Top 15 and Paden needs $19,389.69. Coming back fourth high call, the Bray brothers are still in the running for the Pendleton Round-Up title, which would tighten the gap between them and the Top 15.

Like the Brays, Luke Brown and Travis Graves have been on another level as we enter the final weeks of the 2024 season. Brown and Graves are headed to Sioux Falls, and while Brown is currently in the Top 15 at No. 12, Graves is currently on the outside looking at 19th, just $6,066.11 behind 15th. Brown and Graves have already pocketed $1,859 a man on the grass, and a top three finish in the average should bring them over $6,000 a piece.

Pendleton Round-Up team roping short round

Pendleton Round-Up team roping results

As of Sept. 13

First round: 1. Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, 5.0 seconds, $6,579 each; 2. (tie) Jake Clay/Trey Yates and Coleman Proctor/Junior Nogueira, 5.3, $5,292 each; 4. (tie) Hagen Peterson/Chase Tryan and Clint Summers/Jake Long, 5.6, $3,576 each; 6. (tie) Luke Brown/Travis Graves and Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 5.8, $1,859 each; 8. (tie) Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray and Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 5.9, $286 each.

Second round leaders: 1. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 4.0 seconds, $6,579 each; 2. Hayes Smith/Justin Davis, 4.9, $5,721; 3. David Temple/Tio Simmons, 5.2, $4,863; 4. Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 5.3, $4,005; 5. Kreece Thompson/Cooper Freeman, 5.4, $3,146; 6. Wawa Ben JR./Brandon Ben, 5.5, $2,288; 7. Jake Stanley/B.J. Campbell, 5.6, $1,430; 8. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord and Roger Nonella/Colton Gow, 5.9, $286 each.

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Finals: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 6.1 seconds, $1,783 each; 2. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 6.3, $1,550; 3. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 6.7, $1,318; 4. Coleman Proctor/Junior Nogueira, 8.4, $1,085; 5. Jason Handy/Cole Cooper, 8.8, $853; 6. Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 10.9, $620; 7. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 13.3, $388; 8. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 14.4, $155.

Average: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 17.9 seconds on three head, $9,868 each; 2. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 18.3, $8,581; 3. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 18.7, $7,294; 4. Coleman Proctor/Junior Nogueira, 19.8, $6,007; 5. Jason Handy/Cole Cooper, 22.1, $4,720; 6. Jeff Flenniken/Jake Minor, 23.0, $3,433; 7. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 26.4, $2,145; 8. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 28.0, $858.

2024 PRCA team roping world standings

As of Sept. 11. Does not appear to include current Pendleton earnings.

The post Egusquiza and Lord Win Pendleton: 2024 Team Roping Results and More appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The end of the 2024 ProRodeo season is right around the corner, and the last two weeks looks different for each circuit.

For a few, these last coming weeks might actually offer surprisingly abundant opportunities to rake in some extra circuit money. For others, the race is over with the 12 contestants locked in for their respective circuit finals.

Abundant opportunities

The Texas Circuit is still rolling strong with 14 rodeos left in the 2024 season. The Southeastern Circuit is right behind with nine rodeos left, and the Turquoise Circuit follows closely with eight. The California and Prairie Circuits both have six rodeos left, while the First Frontier Circuit has five.

With multiple opportunities left to capitalize on the circuit front, it’s likely some standings shuffles will happen before the first of October. But, it’s also expected each year for teams on the bubble for the NFR to make appearances in these circuits, taking money out of the circuit.

Texas Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• West Texas Fair & Rodeo: Abilene, Texas; Sept. 6-14
• Springhill PRCA Rodeo: Springhill, Louisiana; Sept. 19-21 | *Co-Approved
• Western Heritage PRCA Rodeo: Goldthwaite, Texas; Sept. 19
• Amarillo Tri-State Fair And Rodeo: Amarillo, Texas; Sept. 19-21
• Western Heritage PRCA Rodeo: Goldthwaite, Texas; Sept. 20
• Comanche PRCA Rodeo: Comanche, Texas; Sept. 20
• Gaines County Riding Club Pro Rodeo: Seminole, Texas; Sept. 20-21
• Buffalo Pro Rodeo presented by Bill Fick Ford: Buffalo, Texas; Sept. 20-21
• Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo: Pasadena, Texas; Sept. 20-26
• Western Heritage PRCA Rodeo: Goldthwaite, Texas; Sept. 21
• Comal County Fair & Rodeo: New Braunfels, Texas; Sept. 26-28
• Decatur PRCA Rodeo: Decatur, Texas; Sept. 27
• Cowboy Capital Of The World PRCA Rodeo: Stephenville, Texas; Sept. 27-29
• Decatur PRCA Rodeo: Decatur, Texas; Sept. 28

Circuit finals date and location: Waco, Texas; Oct. 8-11

Top 12

Southeastern Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Crowley’s Ridge Saddle Club Charity Rodeo: Forrest City, Arkansas; Sept. 13-14
• White County Fair Rodeo: Searcy, Arkansas; Sept. 13-14
• Springhill PRCA Rodeo: Springhill, Louisiana; Sept. 19-21
• Buffalo Pro Rodeo presented by Bill Fick Ford: Buffalo, Texas; Sept. 20-21 | *Co-Approved
• Flagler County Pro Rodeo: Bunnell, Florida; Sept. 27
• 1st Annual Twizted R Pro Rodeo: Jasper, Alabama; Sept. 28
• Flagler County Pro Rodeo: Bunnell, Florida; Sept. 28
• 1st Annual Twizted R Pro Rodeo: Jasper, Alabama; Sept. 29

Circuit finals date and location: Davie, Florida; Nov. 8-10

Top 12

Turquoise Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo: Albuquerque, New Mexico; Sept. 11-15
• Amarillo Tri-State Fair And Rodeo: Amarillo, Texas; Sept. 19-21 | *Co-Approved
• Gaines County Riding Club Pro Rodeo: Seminole, Texas; Sept. 20-21 | *Co-Approved
• Comanche PRCA Rodeo: Comanche, Texas; Sept. 20 | *Co-Approved
• Southern NM State Fair & Rodeo: Las Cruces, New Mexico; Sept. 27-28
• Poway Rodeo: Poway, California; Sept. 27-28 | *Co-Approved
• Southern NM State Fair & Rodeo: Las Cruces, New Mexico; Sept. 28

Circuit finals date and location: Camp Verde, Arizona; Nov. 1-2

Top 12

California Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Marysville Stampede: Marysville, California; Sept. 14-15
• Wing & Barrel Western Days: Sonoma, California; Sept. 21-22
• Kern County Fair & Rodeo: Bakersfield, California; Sept. 27-28
• Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo: San Bernardino, California; Sept. 27-29
• Poway Rodeo: Poway, California; Sept. 27-28

Circuit finals date and location: Red Bluff, California; Dec. 29-31

Top 12

Prairie Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• White County Fair Rodeo: Searcy, Arkansas; Sept. 13-14 | *Co-Approved
• Springhill PRCA Rodeo: Springhill, Louisiana; Sept. 19-21 | *Co-Approved
• Amarillo Tri-State Fair And Rodeo: Amarillo, Texas; Sept. 19-21 | *Co-Approved
• Buffalo Pro Rodeo presented by Bill Fick Ford: Buffalo, Texas; Sept. 20-21 | *Co-Approved
• Omaha River City Rodeo: Omaha, Nebraska; Sept. 20-21

Circuit finals date and location: Duncan, Oklahoma; Oct. 17-19

Top 12

First Frontier Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Cowtown Rodeo: Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey; Sept. 14
• Cowtown Rodeo: Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey; Sept. 21
• Cumberland County Fair Rodeo: Cumberland, Maine; Sept. 25
• Cumberland County Fair Rodeo: Cumberland, Maine; Sept. 26
• Cowtown Rodeo: Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey; Sept. 28

Top 12

At the finish line

For the Columbia River, Wilderness, Great Leaks and Maple Leaf circuits, it’s down to the wire on the 2024 season. While movement can still happen inside the top 12 of these circuits, there are less opportunities meaning it’s likely the top guys in some of the circuits are locked in for their respective circuit finals. Uniquely, the Great Lakes Circuit is the only one in which co-approved rodeos are left.

Columbia River Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Pendleton Round-Up: Pendleton, Oregon; Sept. 11-14, 2024
• Othello PRCA Rodeo: Othello, Washington; Sept. 13-14

Circuit finals date and location: Redmond, Oregon; Oct. 17-19

Top 12

Wilderness Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Lion’s Dixie Roundup: St. George, Utah; Sept. 12-14
• Young Living’s Last Chance Rodeo: Mona, Utah; Sept. 27-28

Circuit finals date and location: Heber City, Utah; Nov. 1-2

Top 12

Great Lakes Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Crowley’s Ridge Saddle Club Charity Rodeo: Forrest City, Arkansas; Sept. 13-14 | *Co-Approved
• White County Fair Rodeo: Searcy, Arkansas; Sept. 13-14 | *Co-Approved

Circuit finals date and location: Louisville, Kentucky; Nov. 14-16

Top 12

Maple Leaf Circuit

What rodeos remain?

• Oldstoberfest: Olds, Alberta; Sept. 13-14
• Hanna Indoor Pro Rodeo: Hanna, Alberta; Sept. 13-14

Top 12

See you next year

The curtain has officially dropped on the 2024 ProRodeo season in the Montana, Mountain States and Badlands circuits. The top 12 for these three circuit finals has officially been decided, as well as the regular season winners. 

Montana Circuit

No remaining rodeos

Circuit finals date and location: Great Falls, Montana; Jan. 9-11, 2025

Top 12

Mountain States Circuit

No remaining rodeos

Circuit finals date and location: Loveland, Colorado; Oct. 25-26

Top 12

Badlands Circuit

No remaining rodeos

Circuit finals date and location: Minot, North Dakota; Oct. 11-13

Top 12

The post Final Push on the 2024 ProRodeo Circuit Race appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The top 25 headers in the world standings vote each year for the AQHA/PRCA Head Horse of the Year bronze to go to one great head horse—and every year, The Team Roping Journal asks some of the best headers in the world to weigh in on who they think deserves the title.

On this episode of ‘The Score’ podcast, we get Brenten Hall, Coleman Proctor, Dustin Egusquiza, Tanner Tomlinson and Tyler Wade to weigh in on who’s the best of the best over 80 rodeos in the PRCA.

—

This week’s episode of The Score is presented by Fast Back Ropes’ Hombre.

Fast Back Ropes is thrilled to unveil its latest innovation in roping technology: the Hombre. After rigorous testing by Fast Back endorsees over the past year, the Hombre is set to redefine performance expectations in team roping.

A four-strand crafted with a core, the Hombre stands out with its vibrant orange color, ensuring exceptional visibility in any arena. Its smaller diameter and rough exterior are meticulously designed to enhance grip, making it ideal for swift and precise maneuvers around the saddle horn.

“The Hombre represents a significant advancement in our team rope lineup,” said Coy Upchurch, General Manager at Fast Back Ropes. “It offers a relaxed feel combined with superior functionality that ropers of all levels will appreciate. Our endorsees have given it high praise during testing.”

Available in both head and heel variations, the Hombre head rope spans 31 feet and is offered in XX-Soft, X-Soft, Soft, and MS lays. Meanwhile, the 35-foot heel rope options include Soft, MS, Medium, and HM lays. This versatility ensures that every roper can find a Hombre rope suited to their specific needs.

“The Hombre is designed to meet the demands of competitive ropers who seek precision and reliability,” added Upchurch. “We’re excited to bring this game-changing rope to market and anticipate it will make waves in the roping community.”

The Hombre will be available for purchase at retail locations starting September 1st, marking a new era in team roping technology. For more information about the Hombre and Fast Back Ropes’ complete product offerings, visit fastbackropes.com.

The post Who Deserves the 2024 PRCA/AQHA Head Horse of the Year Title? And WHY? appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin maxed out at the Cinch Playoffs in Puyallup, Washington, Sept. 5-8, winning $19,900 a man in pursuit of their second Puyallup title in three years.

Proctor and Medlin took home the maximum amount of money a contestant could win in Puyallup after winning both rounds in their set and the overall title. Their $19,900-a-man weekend pushed them to No. 4 in the PRCA world standings with $131,745.64 won on the year.

“It’s funny because we’re down to the last few rodeos, but it’s really the crunch time of the season for our goals,” Proctor, an eight-time NFR header, said. “We feel like we’re a world champion caliber team, and that’s what we’re after. And big hits like that, those are so crucial, especially coming into the later parts of September. You want to talk about momentum and keeping the ball rolling and this and that, but I think it just kind of validates what Logan and I truly believe about our team, and that it’s good enough to win under all situations.”

The win echoed Proctor and Medlin‘s first Puyallup title in 2022. Both years, they were in the Top 15 and the victory pushed them into safer territory to solidify their NFR qualifications. This time, however, it also locked them in for the $144,444 Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls the final weekend of the season.

“It kind of felt like it officially pushed us over the hump to where it takes all the weight off your shoulders,” said four-time NFR heeler Medlin. “Not that we thought we had it made for sure, but we thought we were in a decent spot. The biggest thing about it this time, though, is we were a little ways back in the tour standings; it was going to be hard to get into Sioux Falls through the standings. Whenever we made the top four, obviously we were wanting to catch the last one because that one’s what paid the most, but really making the top four was a big deal—that got us back into the Governor’s Cup.”

How to win Puyallup

Proctor and Medlin roped in the second and final set with both their first and second round runs on Saturday, Sept. 7. Their first round steer was textbook, staying straight and in the middle of the arena. They took the win in Round 1 of their set with a 4.4-second run for $3,450 a man.

Staying consistent, they turned in a 4.5 in Round 2 to pick up another round win and $3,450 each on a steer that Medlin wasn’t too sure about.

“Jake Smith and Douglas Rich had him and he ran to the right and ducked his head,” Medlin explained. “Whenever I saw we had him, I didn’t love what we had. But Coleman told me, ‘I think he’ll be better if I can just head him before he starts ducking his head.’ Coleman got a good start and the steer stayed a little straighter for us. Coleman got it on him before he was expecting it and, as it turned out, he was probably the very best steer to have.”

They punched their ticket to Sunday’s Semifinals round of eight after winning their set, and the stakes were high.

“When you show up for the eight-man, what’s really on the line that’s huge is the buy into the Governor’s Cup at Sioux Falls,” Proctor said. “I mean, there’s a lot riding on that eight-man round, money aside. Fortunately we were in a great position where we got to go at the end and you kind of get to make your game plan.”

Proctor and Medlin were No. 1 in the overall aggregate, so they were able to rope last in the eight-man. Their 4.7-second run put them third in the round and advanced them to the sudden-death round of four. With a 4.9 in the Finals, they sealed the deal on the $13,000-a-man win. Medlin credits the steers they drew and Coleman’s spins for their huge success.

“You expect to do good, but to run the table like that, that’s probably a little far fetched against the team that you’re having to go against,” Medlin said. “But we fortunately drew on the better end of the steers, and Coleman was getting good starts and got tapped off on his horse right there, and he was doing some sticking. It really made my job pretty easy.”

Puyallup horsepower

While Puyallup’s short score is usually “Heisman’s” setup, Proctor called on “Mills,” which came from his college rodeo partner Mitch Barney and just so happens to be a half-brother to “Dillon,” Jr. Dees’ signature sorrel.

“He has been the workhorse of my crew,” Proctor said of the 9-year-old. “I rode him all summer; I cracked him out a lot in the spring and in the summer, and I jackpot on him a bunch. He scores great. He’s temperamental, if you will, at times about stuff, but that makes him gritty.”

On the heels, Medlin called on his 2023 Heel Horse of the BFI, Cantina.

“He is a good horse to have at places like that where the steers are going to want to step to the left a little bit,” Medlin said of the 8-year-old Tongue River Ranch-bred gelding. “You can’t come too early or you’re going to haze them left, as you need to let them start. And he can really run, so he lets you let the steer start and gets there fast.”

A perfect fit

With two Puyallup titles and the 2023 Governor’s Cup win, Proctor and Medlin’s track record demonstrates how well their run fits this setup.

READ: Proctor, Medlin Win Sioux Falls Where Payout Punches NFR Tickets for Many

“Our run really sets up fast, and it fits really good in a place like Puyallup where the conditions can be kind of tough,” Proctor said. “You want to keep the run out in the middle of the arena with as little wasted time as possible to still have a chance to win a lot.”

Medlin had no doubt Proctor deserved the win.

“He heads good all the time, but that’s what I was telling people yesterday: Coleman deserved to win Puyallup because in my opinion, he headed better than everybody there this year,” Medlin said. “He turned every one of them in the same spot.”

A season well spent

With less than a month left in the 2024 season, the Puyallup win is giving Proctor and Medlin a push in momentum to finish the year strong.

“It gives you a lot of confidence,” Medlin said. “We kind of had a stretch there for about a month where we didn’t win very much, which was kind of rough there for a while and had to work through that, maybe had to ride the ship and get things back going the right direction right here before the season’s over. Because there’s a lot of money to be won the last month of the season.”

Proctor ropes next at the Pendleton Round-Up to make some gains in the all-around race but, thanks to the year they’ve had, Medlin is heading home until the North Dakota Roughrider Cup in Mandan and Sioux Falls.

“We’ve had an amazing summer,” Proctor said. “I think we started Reno a little over $30,000, and we’re leaving Puyallup with over $130,000. So it’s been an amazing summer and mostly it just lets you know that what we got is good enough. I’m really excited. we’re fixing to start shortening the scores. I’m fixing to get back on Heisman, things start coming our way because I mean, the most important thing besides going in the top five or number one to the national finals is that I pass Wacey Schalla and get to carry the Oklahoma flag in the grand entry. I mean, that’s my next goal.”

The post Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin Sweep in Puyallup with $19K Trip appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The Cinch Playoffs in Puyallup, Washington, was the star of the weekend Sept. 5-8, with major money on the line to shake up the 2024 PRCA team roping world standings. But rodeo action was all over the country last weekend

These are the updated team roping world standings and ProRodeo team roping results from the Sept. 5-8, weekend.

2024 PRCA team roping world standings

As of Sept. 9, 2024.

PRCA team roping weekend results

Washington State Fair Pro Rodeo – Cinch Playoffs

Puyallup, Washington, Sept. 7-10

SET 1

First performance: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 4.1 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 4.6, $2,588; 3. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 4.7, $1,725; 4. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 4.8, $863.

Second performance: 1. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 3.8 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 4.7, $2,588; 3. (tie) Luke Brown/Travis Graves and Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 4.9, $1,294 each.

Four advancing: 1. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 9.3 seconds on two head; 2. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 9.7; 3. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 9.8; 4. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 11.1.

SET 2

First performance: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.4 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Clint Summers/Jake Long, 4.6, $2,588; 3. (tie) Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 5.2, $1,294 each.

Second performance: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.5 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 4.6, $2,588; 3. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 4.7, $1,725; 4. Clint Summers/Jake Long, 4.8, $863.

Advancing: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 8.9 seconds on two head; 2. Clint Summers/Jake Long, 9.4; 3. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 9.9; 4. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 10.1.

Semifinals: 1. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 4.3 seconds; 2. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 4.6; 3. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.7; 4. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 4.9; 5. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 5.5, $1,500; 6. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 9.0, $1,500; 7. (tie) Jake Smith/Douglas Rich and Clint Summers/Jake Long, NT, $1,500 each.

Finals: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.9 seconds, $13,000 each; 2. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 9.7, $9,750; 3. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 9.8, $6,500; 4. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, NT, $3,250.

The West’s Most Western Rodeo

Scottsdale, Arizona, Sept. 6-8

1. James Arviso/Cashton Weidenbener, 4.2 seconds, $1,512 each; 2. Tyson Charley/Wyatt Gibson, 4.3, $1,251; 3. Jake Rodriguez/Clinton Groff, 4.8, $991; 4. Trey Begay/Jeremy Alcott, 5.0, $730; 5. Wyatt Kent/Trey Nowlin, 5.1, $469; 6. Tanner Bryson/Tye Reddell, 5.9, $261

Chelan County Fair and Rodeo

Cashmere, Washington, Sept. 7-8

1. Brayden Schmidt/Bucky Campbell, 4.8 seconds, $1,199 each; 2. Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 5.1, $899; 3. Jack Fischer/Phoenix Everano, 5.9, $599; 4. Marcus Marriott/Mike Marriott, 6.1, $300.

Apple Hill Stables Rodeo

Levant, Maine, Sept. 8

1. Shawn Tennant/Tanner Naylor, 6.3 seconds, $1,063 each; 2. (tie) Waylon Cameron/Scot Brown and Jacob Rounds/Drew Carnes, 6.4, $788 each; 4. Morgan Anderson/Shawn Quinn, 6.5, $513; 5. Gary Dubois/Eric Parker, 7.9, $330; 6. Eric Fabian/Derek Carey, 11.6, $183.

Reeves Family Ranch Rodeo Series

Eagle Butte, South Dakota, Sept. 8

1. Turner Harris/Jade Nelson, 6.2 seconds, $752 each; 2. (tie) Clint Gorrell/Cash Hetzel, 7.4, $564 each

Lewiston Roundup

Lewiston, Idaho, Sept. 5-7

1. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 3.7 seconds, $4,275 each; 2. (tie) Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, Jake Smith/Douglas Rich and Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 3.8, $3,017 each; 6. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.1, $2,012; 7. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 4.2, $1,760; 8. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 4.3, $1,509; 9. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 4.4, $1,257; 10. (tie) Jr. Dees/JC Flake and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.5, $880 each; 12. Kreece Thompson/Cooper Freeman, 4.9, $503. 

Tri-State Rodeo

Fort Madison, Iowa, Sept. 5-7

1. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 4.7 seconds, $2,836 each; 2. Carson Coffelt/Clay Clayman, 5.1, $2,503; 3. (tie) Will Jones/Heath Williams and Dalton Turner/Cooper Bruce, 6.3, $2,002 each; 5. Branden Duff/Gabe Gwaltney, 6.6, $1,669; 6. Lane Goebel/Trey Frank, 9.1, $1,502; 7. Jake Clay/Trey Yates, 9.8, $1,335; 8. Quinton Parchman/Whitney DeSalvo, 9.9, $1,168; 9. Clint Wallace/Blaine Caldwell, 11.4, $1,001; 10. Blaine Turner/Trent Vaught, 11.6, $667.

Spokane Interstate Rodeo

Spokane, Washington, Sept. 6-7

1. (tie) Tee McLeod/Sid Sporer and Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 5.7 seconds, $1,751 each; 3. Spencer Mitchell/Trigger Hargrove, 5.9, $1,256; 4. Delon Parker/Ryan Zurcher, 6.2, $925; 5. Will Powell/Caleb Guardipee, 6.4, $595; 6. Quincy Crum/Daniel Martin, 6.7, $330

Cowtown Rodeo

Woodstown Pilesgrove, New Jersey, Sept. 7

1. Jose Mota/ANGEL Mota, 7.3 seconds, $1,431 each; 2. Dylan Beam/Ryan Whetham, 8.3, $1,184; 3. Chad Stoltzfus/Chris Boxler, 11.5, $938; 4. Wyatt Long/Mike Charles, 16.6, $691; 5. Troy Musser/Casey Cox, 23.8, $444; no other qualified runs.

Stagecoach Days

Banning, California, Sept. 6-7

1. Colton Farquer/Trey Dawg White, 5.2 seconds, $1,799 each; 2. Marcus Battaglia/Todd Hampton, 5.6, $1,489; 3. Josh Siggins/Robert Murphy, 6.2, $1,179; 4. Jared Gonzales/Paul Brashears, 6.5, $869; 5. (tie) Trey Blackmore/Tom Bill Johnson and Case Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 6.9, $434 each

Defeat of Jesse James Days Rodeo

Northfield, Minnesota, Sept. 6-7

1. Henry Dean/J.W. Nelson, 6.5 seconds, $1,043 each; 2. Myles Kenzy/Elliott Gourneau, 6.6, $783; 3. Tate Oftedahl/Cory Borman, 9.1, $522; 4. Lane Goebel/Trey Frank, 21.2, $261.

Weekley Brothers Davie Pro Rodeo

Davie, Florida, Sept. 7

1. Travis Dorman/Craig Stevens, 6.2 seconds, $1,081 each; 2. Kaston Peavy/Adam Plyler, 15.3, $811

Apple Hill Stables Rodeo

Levant, Maine, Sept. 7

1. Jacob Rounds/Drew Carnes, 6.1 seconds, $1,029 each; 2. Waylon Cameron/Scot Brown, 6.2, $852; 3. Kyle Letzelter/Bill Riel, 7.8, $674; 4. Terry Shetron/Britt Bockius, 8.0, $497; 5. Chase Quinn/Riley Quinn, 11.0, $319; 6. Gary Dubois/Eric Parker, 11.5, $177.

Apple Hill Stables Rodeo

Levant, Maine, Sept. 7

1. Darren Morgan/Shane Jenkins, 6.2 seconds, $1,029 each; 2. (tie) Terry Shetron/Britt Bockius and Shawn Tennant/Tanner Naylor, 6.7, $763 each; 4. David Ballantyne/J.R. Myers, 7.9, $497; 5. Kyle Gardner/JB Burgess, 8.0, $319; 6. Chase Quinn/Riley Quinn, 9.7, $177.

Bigfork Montana

Bigfork, Montana, Sept. 7

1. Ben Folsom/Sid Sporer, 5.9 seconds, $893 each; 2. Landon Williams/Zachary Schweigert, 7.0, $670; 3. J.D. Ralston/Kory Mytty, 7.1, $447; 4. Dustin Bird/Ike Folsom, 13.9, $223. 

Coronation Pro Rodeo

Coronation, Alberta, Sept 7-8

1. Jackson Braithwaite/Derek Hadland, 5.0 seconds, $1,227 each; 2. Luke Skocdopole/Rocky Ross, 5.4, $1,015; 3. Tyce McLeod/Brody Groves, 6.3, $804; 4. Riley Warren/Grady Quam, 6.6, $592; 5. Lance Gordon/Kelly Buhler, 6.9, $381; 6. Tuftin McLeod/Brady Chappel, 8.0, $212.

Medicine Lodge Fall Roundup

Medicine Lodge, Alberta, Sept. 7 

1. Tyce McLeod/Brody Groves, 5.5 seconds, $1,128 each; 2. Luke Skocdopole/Austin Young, 6.4, $846; 3. Travis Nicholson/Dawson Pratt, 7.4, $564; 4. Tate Schmidt/Kagen Schmidt, 10.9, $282.

Reeves Family Ranch Rodeo Series

Eagle Butte, South Dakota, Sept. 7

1. Turner Harris/Jade Nelson, 7.4 seconds, $658 each; 2. Trevor Olson/Cash Hetzel, 8.7, $494; no other qualified runs. 

Palouse Empire Rodeo

Colfax, Washington, Sept. 5-6

1. Zach Raley/Justin Reno, 4.5 seconds, $1,055 each; 2. (tie) Jack Fischer/Phoenix Everano and T.C. Hammack/Ryan Powell, 4.8, $782 each; 4. (tie) Quincy Crum/Daniel Martin, Tee McLeod/Sid Sporer and Delon Parker/Ryan Zurcher, 5.0, $340 each. 

Apple Hill Stables Rodeo

Levant, Maine, Sept. 6

1. Darren Morgan/Shane Jenkins, 6.5 seconds, $1,029 each; 2. (tie) Morgan Anderson/Shawn Quinn and Eric Fabian/Derek Carey, 6.6, $763 each; 4. Kyle Gardner/JB Burgess, 7.0, $497; 5. Shawn Tennant/Tanner Naylor, 8.2, $319; 6. Lance Hower/Brock Hower, 9.0, $177. 

Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo

Blackfoot, Idaho, Sept. 2-4

1. Bodie Mattson/Trae Smith, 4.5 seconds, $2,443 each; 2. Travis Whitlow/Tyler Whitlow, 5.1, $2,124; 3. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/Jace Helton and Jase Staudt/Jayden Johnson, 5.5, $1,646 each; 5. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Josh Patton and Arye Espenscheid/Jade Espenscheid, 5.6, $1,009 each; 7. Cole Eiguren/Tyler Eiguren, 5.8, $531; 8. Jade Stoddard/Matt Williams, 6.0, $212.

RAM – Jim Baier Chute Out Rodeo

First round: 1. Dalton Turner/Cooper Bruce, 5.0 seconds, $1,926 each; 2. Dylan Breitsprecher/Cole Stevens, 5.7, $1,445; 3. Adam Rose/Wyatt Kanan, 9.6, $963; 4. Mitchell Barney/Butch Levell, 10.9, $482. Finals: 1. Dalton Turner/Cooper Bruce, 7.7 seconds, $2,000 each.

Average leaders: 1. Dalton Turner/Cooper Bruce, 12.7 seconds on two head; 2. Dylan Breitsprecher/Cole Stevens, 5.7 on one head; 3. Adam Rose/Wyatt Kanan, 9.6; 4. Mitchell Barney/Butch Levell, 10.9; no other qualified runs

The post Puyallup Shake-Up: ProRodeo Team Roping Results September 5-8 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The team roping battle in Puyallup at the 2024 PRCA Playoff Series Finale kicked off Sept. 5. There will be 24 teams battling for a spot in the final four to not only lock themselves in for the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls but also keep their NFR dreams alive.

In case you’ve missed this…

The bubble implications continue to grow in Puyallup as five of the eight teams that advanced to Sunday’s round of eight Semifinals are comprised of ropers on the bubble: Cyle Denison and Tanner Braden, Wyatt and Paden Bray, Nelson Wyatt (his heeler Jonathan Torres is currently No. 9 in the world standings), Luke Brown and Travis Graves and Chad Masters and Wyatt Cox.

Denison is currently 25th in the world standings with $74,475.88 won on the year, and Braden is 18th with $89,773.24. Denison is $20,216.34 behind 15th, whereas Braden is $6,132.40 outside the Top 15. The team has won $1,725 a man, and the The $13,000-per-man swing at Puyallup could give Denison a much-needed lift toward the Top 15 and push Braden back in. A top-four finish at Puyallup would also get them into Sioux Falls the last week of the season—a major coup for the one-time NFR qualifiers.

The Bray brothers are $21,563.15 and $25,640.84 outside the Top 15 with Wyatt at 26th and Paden at 28th in the world standings. Wyatt and Paden have pocketed $3,019 each and, like Denison and Braden, are one step closer to the potential to jump greatly in the standings.

While Wyatt’s partner Torres is already in the Top 15, Wyatt has been fighting tooth and nail and is only $3,711.16 behind 15th. The $1,294 a man Wyatt and Torres won in the second performance will tighten that race up even more.

Luke Brown and Travis Graves have added $2,157 a man to the world standings earnings, which were $88,156.29 for Brown and $82,780.08 for Graves. At 18th and 19th in the world, Brown is $6,535.93 outside the Top 15 and Graves is $13,125.56 outside.

Chad Masters and Wyatt Cox were on fire in their set, pocketing $5,176 a man. Prior to Puyallup, Masters was 22nd and outside the Top 15 by $17,794.96, and Cox was 21st and outside the Top 15 by $15,386.83. Making the final four is crucial, and that $13,000 check every team is chasing could potentially push them both back into the Top 15.

2024 Puyallup team roping Semifinals draw

2024 Puyallup team roping results

Set 1

First performance: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 4.1 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 4.6, $2,588; 3. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 4.7, $1,725; 4. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 4.8, $863.

Second performance: 1. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 3.8 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 4.7, $2,588; 3. (tie) Luke Brown/Travis Graves and Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 4.9, $1,294 each.

Four advancing: 1. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 9.3 seconds on two head; 2. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 9.7; 3. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 9.8; 4. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 11.1.

Set 2

First performance: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.4 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Clint Summers/Jake Long, 4.6, $2,588; 3. (tie) Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 5.2, $1,294 each.

Second performance: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.5 seconds, $3,450 each; 2. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 4.6, $2,588; 3. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 4.7, $1,725; 4. Clint Summers/Jake Long, 4.8, $863.

Advancing: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 8.9 seconds on two head; 2. Clint Summers/Jake Long, 9.4; 3. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 9.9; 4. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 10.1.

Semifinals: 1. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 4.3 seconds; 2. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 4.6; 3. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.7; 4. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 4.9; 5. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 5.5, $1,500; 6. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 9.0, $1,500; 7. (tie) Jake Smith/Douglas Rich and Clint Summers/Jake Long, NT, $1,500 each.

Finals: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.9 seconds, $13,000 each; 2. Cyle Denison/Tanner Braden, 9.7, $9,750; 3. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 9.8, $6,500; 4. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, NT, $3,250.

2024 Puyallup team roping draw

Thursday, Sept. 5; reverse order for Friday, Sept. 6

Saturday, Sept. 7 matinee; reverse order for Saturday, Sept. 7 night perf

Puyallup team roping format

There will be two “sets” or “sections,” both comprised of 12 teams. Each set is two go-rounds, back-to-back. Following the long rounds will be a top eight Semifinals, followed by a top four Finals.

The top four teams based on the average from each of the two sets will advance to the Semifinals on Sunday, Sept. 8. The top four teams from the Semifinals will advance to the Finals.

Projected Payout

Puyallup Rodeo has a purse of $73,000 for both the head and heel side. 

Payoff per performance:

• 1st: $3,450 per man
• 2nd: $2,587.50 per man
• 3rd: $1,725 per man
• 4th: $862.50 per man

In the Semifinals, which will be made up of eight teams, 5th-8th will receive $1,500 a man. The top four teams will advance to the Finals. Payoff for the Finals is as follows:

• 1st: $13,000 per man
• 2nd: $9,750 per man
• 3rd: $6,500 per man
• 4th: $3,250 per man

A refresher on Puyallup

Standings are kept throughout the season and there is a championship event at the end of the year. Contestants competed at rodeos such as Odessa, San Antonio and Salinas, just to name a few, to earn points. 

Points are distributed to contestants who place in the top 20 at each of the designated PRCA Playoff Series Rodeos, based on the fastest time (or highest score). For rodeos with multiple rounds, the points are calculated based on the average. Tournament rodeos are more complicated, but points are assigned based on how far each competitor advanced through the tournament.

The top 23 in the standings, plus the NFR Open team roping champs, compete in Puyallup at the PRCA Playoff Series Finale Sept. 5-8. The top eight teams from the Playoff Series year-end standings and the top four from Puyallup will earn a position into The Governor’s Cup, Sept. 26-28.

Why does the Governor’s Cup matter? 

The Governor’s Cup takes place Sept. 26-28, 2024, and offers a payout across eight events of $1 million. In the team roping, there is a purse of $144,444 per side. 

The close of the PRCA regular season is Sept. 30. That means that the following massive payouts will hit during the final days of the season and it will have an impact on who makes the National Finals Rodeo in December as the buzzer sounds.

The post Proctor, Medlin Win Puyallup: Team Roping Draw, Results and More appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Eight of the PRCA’s best heelers have their seasons on the line in Puyallup, Washington, with the semifinals and finals of the Cinch Playoffs paying out big money Sunday, Sept. 8—and these are the heel ropes they’ll use to try to get the title at the Washington State Fair and Rodeo.

The post The 8 Heel Ropes in Puyallup’s 2024 Short Round appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The top eight headers in the Cinch Playoffs will go head-to-head in Puyallup, Washington, Sept. 8, and they’ll put these head ropes to use on the short score with big money up for grabs and seasons on the line.

Full Details, Payout and Results from 2024 Team Roping in Puyallup

On the line Sept. 8: In the Semifinals, 5th-8th will receive $1,500 a man. The top four teams will advance to the Finals. 

Payoff for the Finals is as follows:

• 1st: $13,000 per man
• 2nd: $9,750 per man
• 3rd: $6,500 per man
• 4th: $3,250 per man