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The new ProRodeo team of Andrew Ward and Jake Long survived the pressure cooker of the CoJo Roping high-stakes short round, walking away with new Bill Fick Ford F-350s and stock-combo Bloomer Trailers, plus $60,000 in cash.

In a roping that had seen sub 5-second times all day long, Ward and Long just had to be 8 to win it all at high back. Ward got out the barrier, and they made a 6-second run in the middle of the pen to seal the deal. We caught up with them after their win.

Full Results: CoJo Roping

Team Roping Journal: Okay. Tell me about that short round. What was going through your head as everybody was breaking the barrier? There were barriers, legs—what were you thinking, or were you not thinking?

Andrew Ward: I listened to what we needed to be, and they said eight-something. So, then I’m trying to get out of the barrier. Obviously, I don’t want to break the barrier, but I don’t want to miss it by a long way because it’s not a real long arena, and the steers are running. I thought I did a good job of just sending Biscuit at the right time, and it made my job a lot easier when I got a good start.

TRJ: Jake, how much maturity did you use on your heel shot?

Jake Long: That has not been my forte over the years, but the older I get, the more I’ve worked on that in the practice pen. Truthfully, it sounds stupid to be a high-level heeler and be nervous that you have to go be nine flat, but I’m wired so aggressively that I really have had to work on that. And truthfully, it doesn’t bother me now. I kind of rib around a little bit. But I think the scariest part about it is you look like an idiot if you miss one when you have to be nine. If I have to be 4.2 and if I miss him, it’s like, ‘Well, he’s just trying to win.’

TRJ: Did you know that steer when they ran him in?

AW: I didn’t know. I didn’t watch. It’s hard to watch a lot of the short round, so I sat back there in the warmup arena a lot and then just walked up probably five or six to go and ran the cow. So, I didn’t know.

TRJ: You didn’t know ’em either, Jake?

JL: I don’t know any of ’em. I could rope the same, probably 10 or 12 steers in the practice pen, and they’re always new to me. I don’t pay attention at all. I remember ’em after I run ’em usually, but kind of the same deal. Me and Clint were the 10th call, so I roped and then I was kind of hustling around because I didn’t know how long it’d take me to get around there. By the time I walked around, I think the fourth call was in the box. So, it was kind of weird. I didn’t know what was going on. I had no clue what was winning or not winning. And then I didn’t even realize the last two or three teams before us had to be some kind of eight, I think, or long seven. So, it was crazy.

TRJ: That’s crazy. And what year did you win the George Strait?

JL: I won it in 2010. It’s been a minute.

TRJ: Do you still have that trailer?

JL: I have the trailer. I had to sell the truck pretty well immediately. I was pretty broke back then, so this rig is not going to leave my possession ever—until it quits running, I guess, on the side of the road somewhere.

TRJ: No, Bill Fick will send you something else even then. He’s pretty good about that. If it quits running on the side of the road, he sends you another pickup.

AW: He’s done it. He bailed me and Buds (Buddy Hawkins) out one summer to make the Finals, and he did it.

TRJ: He’s a pretty good dude that way.

AW: He’s amazing. I love Bill. He’s great to us.

TRJ: Andrew, did you get to go to the George Strait?

AW: I did. I won third the last year they had it, and we’ve been saying it all day: We didn’t think that there would ever be a roping for the Open guys that gave a truck and trailer again. Then Cody came up with this, and we’re so grateful to him. It takes a guy like Cody to put something like this on, and he stepped up. That’s amazing.

TRJ: Jake, Roger was Roger today. But what was Roger scared of at the end of the arena after the roping?

JL: I don’t know what got into him. I was away from the house the other day, and my wife called me and said, “Was Roger sound when you came home?” I went to Coleman’s and roped for a few days, and I said, “Yeah, he was fine.” Then she said, “Well, he’s three-legged right now.” And I’m like, “That’s awesome, because the Cody Johnson’s tomorrow.” So, I ran him over to the vet, and I talked to Charlie (Buchanan) at Signature, and he’s like, “Well, what do you want to do?” And I was like, “Well, the problem is the biggest roping of the year is tomorrow, so I kind of need him to be sound.” So, he had some medical assistance in being sound.

I don’t know if he was just feeling his Cheerios, but he did feel better today. I went ahead and gave him the medicine to really make him feel good. And I will say he was really, really running, but he didn’t like the flashes and stuff at the back end for some reason. I don’t know why, but on day one, I waited on the photographer. The team was fixing to go, so I stopped back to let her take her pictures. When they went to flashing, he didn’t like that. And from then on, that end of the arena was not good. Luckily, Andrew turned them all a little closer to the boxes.

TRJ: And Biscuit—you haven’t been riding him as much as you used to, but in these situations, Biscuit is the numero uno still?

AW: Oh, yeah. He’s a special horse. Anytime I need to step on the gas a little bit, like a roping, it’s nice to have him. He speeds it up for me.

The post Ward, Long Kick Off Partnership with Historic CoJo Roping $60K Win, New Trucks & Trailers appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The qualifying round of the 2024 CoJo Team Roping Open is in the books with 60 teams headed to the Saturday, Oct. 19, short round.

The 10 fastest times from each of the six rotations in the Oct. 15, prelims nabbed a spot in the clean-slate short round. The winners of the George Strait-style roping will take home Bill Fick Ford F-350s and Bloomer Trailers, amongst numerous other prizes.

Here’s how the long round went down Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Rotation 1 qualifiers

Rotation 2 qualifiers

Rotation 3 qualifiers

Rotation 4 qualifiers

Rotation 5 qualifiers

Rotation 6 qualifiers

The post CoJo Open Short Round to Feature these 60 Teams appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The CoJo Team Roping Open kicks off Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m., in an enter three times format that will award Bill Fick Ford F-350s and Bloomer Trailers to the winners of the George Strait-style roping.

The roping features a golf tournament Oct. 16, #12.5 Oct. 17, #10.5 with an #8.5 Incentive Oct. 18, ProAm Oct. 19 and 60-team Open Short Round Saturday afternoon, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.

When the roping begins Oct. 15, ropers will enter with their second and third partners, giving us some exciting, rarely-seen teams to watch.

(Editor’s note: This is just for funsies, so nobody feel left out please.)

Here are just some we’re looking forward to seeing, in no particular order, at the CoJo:

Aaron Tsinigine and Kyle Lockett: Because they’re always a favorite and we haven’t seen them rope together in a minute.

Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison: Because they’re a fun veteran teams to watch, and it’s exciting to see Joseph go off on them when he’s been living in horse show land all year.

Clay Smith and Nicky Northcott: Nicky Northcott is already getting the best headers in the game, and he’s been explosive behind Clay Smith thus far.

Colby Lovell and Joseph Harrison: Lovell’s one of those everyone runs to the fence to see when he decides to get off the ranch in Madisonville.

Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin: Nope, they’re not a new team at all. But they’re great in this setup.

Erich Rogers and Cory Petska: Well, these world champs are always fun to watch when they’re jackpotting. Add Jake Clay and Tanner Tomlinson to Petska’s lineup, and this could get really interesting.

Ketch Kelton and Denton Dunning: If we have to explain this one, you’ve clearly not been paying attention.

Tyler Tryan and Hunter Koch: Hunter Koch is now the veteran of the team, and the reigning American Champ will surely have one of his great horses behind the young gun who can really use his long game.

Kaleb Driggers and Jade Corkill: These two are showstoppers no matter who they rope with… but these partners from 2012 are must-sees when they’re together. Corkill’s also got Bubba Buckaloo and Luke Brown, so… he’s stacked.

Jake Smith and Douglas Rich: Not a new or unlikely team, but because Cade Passig accurately pointed out that I left them off the “teams to watch at the Riata” last month, I won’t make that mistake again.

James Arviso and Landon Glenn: Because these two are veteran jackpotters even if they’re still too young to celebrate with a beer afterward.

Bubba Buckaloo and Michael Calmelat: Lil Mike isn’t so little anymore and he’s paired with one of the best jackpotters ever.

Nelson Wyatt and Wyatt Cox: Because I’m going to have hell typing that over and over again in Instagram captions.

Rhen Richard and Dillon Graham: We haven’t gotten to see Rhen go fast outside the futurities all summer really.

Tanner Tomlinson and Cory Petska: Yes.

Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp: Reigning world champs and all…

The full draw coming soon.

The CoJo Open Prizeline

Full Livestream Schedule

How can you watch The CoJo? It’s on TetonRidgePlus.

• Tuesday, October 15, 9AM CT: The CoJo Open Team Roping qualifying rounds
• Thursday, October 17, 9AM CT: The 12.5 Roping
• Friday, October 18, 9AM CT: 10.5 Businessman’s Roping with 8.5 Incentive 
• Saturday, Oct. 19, 9AM CT: CoJo Celebrity Pro-Am Roping
• Saturday, Oct. 19, 2PM CT: CoJo Open Championship Round

The post Teams You Gotta See to Believe for The CoJo Prelims Oct. 15 in Belton, Texas appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

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The Riata Championships kicked off with its $200,000-added Riata Open, with Cash Duty riding Metallic Katrina and Dylin Alhstrom riding DD Denvers Badger to the title, worth $72,600 for their time of 38.22 on five head.

Watch the Whole Riata Championships on Roping.com

They also placed third in the overall fast-time from the qualifying rounds with a 6.37, worth $2,500.

Metallic Katrina—by Metallic Gray out of Aristocrat Goldseeker by Herman Goldseeker—is a 2019 gray mare that 21-year-old Weimer, Texas header Duty hadn’t run a steer on before getting to Guthrie and roping at first-out in the Riata.

“I’ve got to see the horse go practicing a few times, but I’ve never gotten to ride her until today,” Duty, This is the first time team one. It’s a little scary, but that just goes to show how easy and how good she is. I’ve never gotten to be on her back.”

The mare—consigned to this December’s Riata Stallion Showcase Horse Sale Dec. 8 at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas—is owned by TL Horse Holding LLC and was bred by Cudd Ranch.

“Trent Hartley owns her and they had a guy break, but Jace did all the roping on her pretty well,” Ahlstrom, who set up the deal for Duty to ride the mare, said. “And she’s just one of those mares that just wants to be good all the time. She’s a good horse.”

Utah’s Ahlstrom, 26, was new to his mount, too, but the horse wasn’t a freshman at the Lazy E despite being just 5. DD Denvers Badger by DD Docs Irish Badger out of Denver Red Buck daughter Miss Frosty Red Buck came from the late, great NFR switchender and belongs to former Resistol Rookie of the Year Caleb Hendrix.

“Quinn Kesler trained him, rode him last year and then a good friend of mine, Caleb Hendrix, bought him,” Ahlstrom said. “And the horse I was supposed to ride and kind of fell through a week ago and I was with Caleb in the truck, and he said, ‘Just take him. He’s good enough.’ And so he’s so easy. Just simple. Quinn and Caleb’s done a great job with him. He’s so good. The Double Dollar horses are so easy, everybody can get along with them. I mean from the Open to down, they placed on same horse here last year. He’s just simple. “

Those two horses stayed solid over the grueling five head on strong cattle and a longer start at the E, including a Round 3 run that tested the horses’ minds with some trick-dallying by Duty.

“Our third one was pretty hairy,” Ahlstrom admitted. “It was a little rough, but it was a ‘just survive’ moment.”

Regardless, they drew a good steer in Round 4 that let them edge out the rest of the field to enter the short round high-back with 8 seconds and change to move to the lead ahead of returning champs Jake Smith and Douglas Rich.

“I like to just have to catch the cow, because my thought about it is if somebody told me I could come out here and run one steer for as much money as there is, who wouldn’t want to come run one steer and just have to catch?” Duty said. “I would love to do that every day. I like to throw fast.”

When they came tight in 7.62, a summer of tough-luck rodeoing washed away with the Riata payday.

Pro Futurity Total Payoff: $350,000

Incentive Head Horse

Incentive Heel Horse

The post Metallic Katrina & Cash Duty, DD Denvers Badger & Dylin Ahlstrom Get $75.1K Riata Open Payday appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Have you heard about the inaugural South Texas Showdown, which is coming right up October 24-27 at the Uvalde County Fairplex? If you’re a hard-core roping enthusiast, this event has it all—steer roping, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, a match roping between two world champion tie-down ropers and yes, the 3S Services South Texas Showdown Invitational Team Roping featuring $50,000 added and a 100% payback. 

“I want everybody who competes in this event to say, ‘I can’t wait for next year,’” said volunteer committee co-chair Bart Hutton, who’s working hard on this cowboy-community passion project alongside his business partner, Chad Foster. “The goal is to get sponsors to pay all the expenses, and really make this something special for the contestants and fans, while raising money for our area youth.

“The vision of this event comes from the overwhelming response that the citizens of our area have with any event that has to do with rodeo. We are a committee of people who all love rodeo, from current and former contestants, rodeo moms and dads, and people who love our sport and the Western way of life.” 

On Thursday, October 24, South Texas Showdown steer roping, tie-down roping and breakaway roping qualifiers will kickstart the 2024 South Texas Showdown party. The top five qualifiers in each event will advance. Every event beyond the qualifiers will, in fact, feature a 100% payback and big added money. Calcuttas will also be held the night before each of the main events, starting with Thursday evening’s team roping calcutta. 

Friday, October 25 will feature the 100% payback, $50,000 added 3S Services South Texas Showdown Invitational Team Roping. It’s an enter-once six header, $2,500 a man entry fees with five full rounds and a top-15 short round. Beyond the fat paychecks, the winners will get their entry fees paid at next year’s 2025 BFI. This setup will be something similar, by the way, with a long score and strong steers. 

The Shootout at the Showdown will be held between Round 5 and the short round of the team roping. Conditions will be opposite of the big open roping, so this side show is sure to be a reaching, crossfiring contest that’s fun for fans. Four teams—Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp, and Clay Smith and Coleby Payne—will run four steers. The twist is that they’ll only count their two fastest times in the two-steer average, with the winner-take-all fastest team taking home $5,000. 

The TXN Bank Roy Angermiller Invitational Steer Roping will take center stage on Saturday, October 26, and will include contestants who earn a spot from the qualifier along with the top 35 in the world. It’ll be a four header, with three full rounds and a top-12 short round. There will be $15,000 added, $1,150 entry fees and a 100% payback. Local legend Angermiller is a nine-time National Finals Steer Roping qualifier who served as rodeo coach at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde for 38 years. 

The Cuatro Light Cattle Co. Invitational Girls Breakaway will be held on Sunday, October 27, with $850 entry fees, $15,000 added and 100% payback. It’ll feature the top 35 in the world plus the five qualifiers. 

The Jasper Ruth Ranch Phil Lyne Invitational Calf Roping is also slated for Sunday, with $25,000 added, $1,150 entry fees and 100% payback. It, too, is open to the top 35 in the world and five qualifiers. Lyne is a living legend famous for not only world all-around, calf roping and steer roping championships, but for winning the National Finals Rodeo average in both the calf roping and bull riding in 1972. Klapper Spurs will be awarded to the calf roping and steer roping winners. 

The first-ever Southwest Texas Showdown will also include the Byler Ranch Company Showdown Match Calf Roping between 2019 World Champion Tie-Down Roper Haven Meged and 2020 World Champion Tie-Down Roper Shad Mayfield. The 12-head match will be run between rounds of the Phil Lyne Invitational Calf Roping, and will pay $15,000 to the winner.

The Southwest Texas Showdown is a 501C3 that will benefit area youth. 

“We started this trek with the goal of having the very best event we could for the rodeo contestant,” Hutton said. “We have seen how rodeo and event committees forget how important the contestant is, and just want to work on seeing how much they can make for their event and not appreciating the contestants. 

“Our idea and dream is to make this the very best event in the world for the contestant, and we feel if we do that then our event will be successful in raising money for the youth of Uvalde and surrounding communities. We are going to benefit the youth of Uvalde County and surrounding counties, and we have big goals for raising a lot of money. We want to help our local Little Leagues, 4-H and FFA clubs, Uvalde Rodeo Club, Carrizo Springs Rodeo Club, and provide scholarships for kids in this area. A lot of tragedy hit this town a couple years ago with that shooting, and we want to do all we can to help.”

Tickets to the Southwest Texas Showdown go on sale Monday, August 26. There will be a trade show with vendor booths. For further information for contestants, fans and vendors, visit southtexasshowdown.com. 

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Ace Ashford, 18, of Lott, Texas, died Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in a horse accident while day working.

Born Feb. 1, 2006, Ace was the son of Troy Ashford and Jamie Ashford of Lott. Already an accomplished roper, Ace was the 2023 Riata Buckle #10.5 Jr. Champion Header with Jade Philipp and 2024 Patriot #11.5 All Ages Champion Header with Ryder Davis. He attended Rosebud-Lott High School and was set to rodeo for Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas, this fall.

Ace is the younger brother of NFR heeler Ross Ashford, who currently sits 15th in the PRCA world standings with $78,391.44 won.

“He was about as pure as they get,” NFR Header Cody Snow said about Ace. “He was gold. He just started coming up and roping with Ross and I all the time now that he’s 18. We’ve got to be around him a lot the last year, and he’s been roping good. He’s got a lot of try, and he’s just a good dude.

“He came to the house Tuesday and we roped before we went to Lovington—him and his dad. They ate dinner and went home, and we got to spend one last night with him. He looked up to Ross, and he loved being around him. I’m glad he got to see him before we left.”

“He’s like an old man,” said John Philipp, father of Ace’s high school rodeo and Riata partner, Jade. “From the time I spent with him, he didn’t talk a lot, and he didn’t bother nobody. He’d have rather been out there doctoring yearlings than going to a roping sometimes. He was a good kid. It’s so hard to put into words how he was. At the high school rodeos, he’d be the kid who pushed everybody’s steers.”

Ace was coming off a banner year in the arena, having placed all over Arizona during Vegas Week in December 2023, followed up with a win in the warm-up at the World Youth Team Roping Championship hosted by Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp in March, as well as at The Patriot and Philipp Ranch just at the end of July.

“That’s who you want your son to grow up to be,” said flagger Marcus Becerra, who won the #11.5 Big Gamble in Wickenburg with Ace. “That’s why it hurt quite a bit. Everybody knows how good a kid he was, how cordial he was, how respectful he was. He was good with horses, he had manners and he was a real great kid. Flagging, you meet these kids when they’re young, and you get to know them. You see from the time they’re little, and you get to watch them win and you pull for them.

“That kid grew up to be a really good kid, and his family is golden. I started roping with him when he was a 4 and, as he got older and stronger, his horsemanship got better.”

Big brother Ross just won Dodge City, Kansas, and moved into the Top 15 in the world as of Monday morning Aug. 12. He caught a flight home from Idaho immediately upon hearing the news, leaving his horses with partner Coy Rahlmann.

Rahlmann picked up NFR tie-down roper and Cinch Timed Event Championship contestant Brushton Minton at Caldwell, Idaho, Monday, getting two steers down in 13.3 seconds to be fifth in the average as of Aug. 13. Rahlmann will rope with Clayton Hass in Gooding, Idaho, with Ross planning to return for Kennewick, Washington.

Visitation

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Rosebud-Lott High School

1789 US-77, Lott, TX 76656

Service

10:00 a.m.

Rosebud-Lott High School

1789 US-77, Lott, TX 76656

Family and friends are invited to the First Baptist Church Annex at 518 East Gassaway Street in Lott to share stories and food after the service.

Memorial donations can be mailed to the Ace Ashford Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Classic Bank, PO Box 475, Rosebud, TX 76570.

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One of the summer’s best jackpots, Ariat WSTR’s “The Daddy,” produced by JX2 roping, is happening July 18-22, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and we’ve got the scoop on all the team roping action just across town from the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Watch live on Roping.com

Open WSTR Super Qualifier

Champions: Clayton VanAken and Jaylen Eldridge

Time: 28.77 seconds on four

Team earnings: $4,740

Find full results here.

• Clayton VanAken and Denton Dunning Pair Up for First-Ever WSTR American Rodeo Qualifier Win
• Dillon Holyfield and Jaylen Eldridge’s 6.64-second run in Top 4 of America’s Team Roping Challenge

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#16.5 Warm-Up

Champions: Kelton Hill and Jaylen Eldridge

Time: 30.09 seconds on four

Team Earnings: $4,850

Find full results here.

#15.5 Warm-Up

Champions: Seth Hall and Tanner Baldwin

Time: 35.93 on four

Team Earnings: $8,700

Find full results here.

• Breaking The Ellensburg Rodeo Arena Record with Tanner Baldwin

#14.5 WSTR Super Qualifier

Champions: James Gililand and Kevin Lozares

Time: 29.56 on four

Total Earnings: $19,980

Find full results here.

#13.5 Super 7-Header

Champions: Riley Pedro and Mark Morrison

Time: 52.56 on seven

Total Earnings: $60,000

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#13.5 Slide Muley

Champions: Cory King and Rodney Teichart

Time: 31.39 on four

Total Earnings: $8,310

#13.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Riley Pedro and Dusty Taylor

Time: 27.27 on four

Total Earnings: $25,140

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#12.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Kylie McLean and Logan Wengert

Time: 30.62 on four

Total Earnings: $29,820

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#12.5 Slide Muley

Champions: Marty Larner and Rodney Teichart

Time: 31.41 on four

Total Earnings: $13,470

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#11.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Zane Marty and Jake Day

Time: 33.84 and four

Total Earnings: $34,560

#10.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Doug May Jr and Beau Rees

Time: 34.22 on four

Total Earnings: $36,140

#10.5 Slide Muley

Champions: Walker William Jones and Kade Elkins

Time: 23.91 on three

Total Earnings: $14,520

#7.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Eden Gutierrez and Haize Fornstrom

Time: 33.67 on three

Total Earnings: $20,400

#10.5 WSTR Legends Over 40

Champions: Darryl Carroll and Jeremy L. Mallette

Time: 36.89 on four

Total Earnings: $35,280

#9.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Connie L. Harris and Ben Pierce

Time: 34.48 on four

Total Earnings: $34,980

#8.5 WSTR Qualifier

Champions: Jim Rose and Earl Higgins

Time: 40.48 on four

Total Earnings: $33,500

#8.5 Bonus

Champions: Brandon Nelson and Jim Huxtable

Time: 24.50 on three

Total Earnings: $8,000

The post Ariat WSTR’s The Daddy Results Tracker 2024 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Click to download team roping events

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The Patriot Reno is right around the corner, with team roping action kicking off June 24, 2024, and running through June 28, and there’s still time to enter.

In conjunction with the Reno Rodeo, The Patriot Reno is once again housed inside the Reno-Sparks Livestock Center in Reno, Nevada. With World Series of Team Roping qualifiers, specialty ropings and more, there’s something for every team roper at this year’s Patriot Reno.

The Patriot Reno team roping schedule

The Patriot Reno team roping kicks off Monday, June 24, with The Patriot Open at 8 a.m. inside the Reno-Sparks Livestock Center.

Monday, June 24

• The Patriot Open: 8 a.m., $30,000 added
  • $2500/roper, enter one time, five full rounds, top 20 to short round, 100 team cap, 90% payback, rope barrier

(Tuesday, June 25, is barrel racing day! Check out all the details on The Patriot Reno Barrel Race at BarrelRacing.com)

Wednesday, June 26

• #11.5 WSTR: 8 a.m.
  • #7 heeler cap, $500/roper, enter two times, pick only, progressive, 4 steer, capped at 100 teams, 80% payback
    • Riata Sidepot: $10K bonus
    • Riding Riata Horses: more information at RiataBuckle.com
• #10.5 WSTR: immediately following the #11.5
  • #6 heeler cap, $500/roper, enter two times, pick only, progressive, 4 steer, capped at 100 teams, 80% payback
    • Riata Sidepot: $10K bonus
    • Riding Riata Horses: more information at RiataBuckle.com

Expect these ropings to fill. Take advantage of early entry discount of $450/Roper. Must be recieved by 6/21. Enter Team Roping online at GlobalHandicaps.com

Thursday, June 27

• #9.5 WSTR: 8 a.m.
  • #5.5 heeler cap, $500/roper, enter two times, pick only, progressive, 4 steer, capped at 100 teams, 80% payback
• #8.5 WSTR: immediately following the #9.5
  • #4.5 cap on both ends, $500/roper, enter two times, pick only, progressive, 4 steer, capped at 100 teams, 80% payback
• Patriot Open Ladies with #9.5 Incentive: immediately following the #8.5
  • $250/roper, pick or draw, enter two time, progressive, 4 steer with incentive paid on 3, 80% payback; #9.5 Incentive capped at a #5.5 heeler

Friday, June 28

(The Patriot Reno Breakaway and Tie-Down Roping will take place Friday, June 28, before the team roping. For breakaway information, visit BreakawayRopingJournal.com.)

• Hooey Jr Patriot Open Team Roping: immediately following the calf roping
  • $200/roper, enter two times, pick or draw, progressive on one, 4 steer, 80% payback, must be 19 or under day of event, $200/roper Patriot Jr Sidepot
• Hooey Jr Patriot #10.5
  • $200/roper, enter two times, pick or draw, progressive on one, 4 steer, 80% payback, must be 19 or under day of event, #6.5 heeler cap, $200/roper Patriot Jr Sidepot

How to watch The Patriot Reno

Patriot Reno roping will be streamed live on Roping.com, and available on demand following the event. Start a three-day free trials for Roping.com.

How to buy stalls at The Patriot Reno

All stalls for this event are being sold on Open Stalls.

Where to stay during The Patriot Reno

The Silver Legacy Resort is the place to stay during The Patriot Reno and Reno Rodeo. They have restaurants, shopping, and Starbucks on site. The host hotel has offered a unique discount code to Patriot contestants, family and friends that can be found HERE, along with more information regarding The Patriot Reno.

What about The Patriot Reno kickoff part?

A calcutta for the Open team roping calcutta at the Novi Nightclub in Eldorado on Sunday, June 23. Doors open at 6 p.m. MST, with the calcutta kicking off at 7 p.m. and music following with Shane Minor. For more information, click HERE.

The post The Patriot Reno Team Roping 2024: Schedule and How to Enter appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Tyler Wade has had a banner week in jackpot land with partner Wesley Thorp, second partner Paul Eaves and draw partner Tyler Worley, banking some $40,000 since the start of the Memorial Day Weekend in 2024.

Wade—on his team of young mares to let his good gelding Espuela Bro rest before the summer run—kicked off the week Friday, May 24, with a second-place check at the Windy Ryon Memorial with Eaves for $3,714 a man, roping five head in 43.91 seconds. He was third at the Danny Dietz Memorial Classic Saturday, May 25, with Worley for $5,850 each, roping five head in 33.09 seconds.

TRJ’s Full Tyler Wade Archive

May 26, Wade was third in the Cody Johnson 7-Header at the Cody NesSmith Memorial May 26 for a time of 60.84 on seven, worth $11,000 a man with Thorp. They finished the week with a $12,500 win for the team at the Priefert Ranch Pro Roping Open with a time of 35.99 on five head.

“I’ve always thought that whoever jackpots well are the ones who can make a living roping a little easier,” Wade, 31, of Terrell, Texas, said. “Clay Tryan was the best example of it when I was younger. He made more of a profit doing it than anyone else. This week, we won $40,000 and didn’t go but two hours from the house.”

Wade’s wins this week (and for most of the last decade) came thanks to his reliable neck shots and signature handles.

But why rope the neck so dang much?

“I rope the neck good,” Wade said. “When I go to rope the horns sharp, I miss some. I have a lot of faith in my neck roping. The rhythm sets it up for Wesley and Paul, and it’s an easy read for them. If I need to go catch one and if his horns are even fair, I try to rope the neck.

“I will get a front leg sometimes, but I bet I’d wave it off more than I’d get a front leg,” Wade explained further. “There’s a better chance of me waving it off than me getting a front leg, so I’m just playing the odds. I do think a little bit of it boils down to pride getting in the way, wanting to rope sharp or wanting to make sure it looks good. For me it’s doing whatever it takes to win, however it looks. I don’t care, I just want to win. I think that’s what it takes.”

Another element to Wade’s win streak? His team of young mares in RS Rare Timber (“Brandy”), a 2016 daughter of First Timber out of the Rare Bar daughter RS Rare Cherry, and Apache R Biscuit (“Butters”), a 2013 daughter of the late, great Apache Blue Boy out of Rooster For Chris by Wild Bills Hancock.

“I have two mares coincidentally,” Wade said. “Butters came from Bubba Buckaloo. He gave her tome to ride for a while and told me to do whatever. I liked her and thought she was easy and super honest so I bought her, and the black mare was an outside horse of my brother-in-laws for like a year and a half and I always knew she was good and green. He told me I needed to ride her, and I liked her a bit. They wanted her to run barrels, so my wife rode her and liked her. When I came home from the summer, I snuck off one day and headed some on her and I decided I needed to find a way to own her.”

Wade stayed on his two best jackpot horses because of how much all the week’s jackpots were going to pay.

“The jackpots were so good this week that you ride your top horses—you stay on your good horses and you get in a groove,” Wade said. “Both of these mares have gotten so consistent and easy to rope on, and they’re honest in every setup because the scores were different everywhere we went. But with the cattle fresh all week, their speed helped a lot.”

This profitable spring is a far cry from the drought Wade found himself in jackpotting this winter when he’d go weeks without a check.

“Roping in general is a marathon,” Wade said. “I think if you think you’re in a slump and act like you’re in a slump and focus on how long it’s been since you’ve won, it will be even longer til you win. It will turn around if you’re working hard and doing it right. A lot of it is in your head.”

Wade will enter the summer run ninth in the world with $41,533 won so far this year.

—TRJ—

The post World Champs Tyler Wade, Wesley Thorp Win Priefert Ranch Open on Way to $40K Week for Wade & His Trademark Neck Shots appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The 3rd Annual Priefert Ranch Pro Roping is now streaming live on Roping.com. Members of Roping.com this week can watch the livestream of the Priefert Ranch Open Team Roping starting Tuesday, May 28, through June 2, 2024, from Mount Pleasant, Texas.

Schedule update Thursday, May 30, 2024: All ropings for Friday, May 31, have been postponed to Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2.

Priefert’s PRO Roping is comprised of five days of team roping and breakaway at the Priefert Ranch. It kicked off May 28, with the Cavender’s 19 & Under Breakaway, followed by the Priefert Ranch Open Breakaway. The COJO Cologne Pro-Am Team Roping and Priefert Ranch Open are scheduled for Wednesday, followed by steer wrestling Thursday, May 30, and a full slate of World Series ropings May 31-June 2.

The Open was won in 2023 by young gun Gabe Williams and eight-time NFR qualifier Coleman Proctor. Williams and Proctor roped five steers in 31.33 seconds, a special win together for two guys who are more like brothers than partners.

The full schedule for the 2024 Priefert Ranch Pro Roping is as follows:

Schedule of Events

May 28

• Cavender’s 19 & Under Breakaway w 15U Side Pot
• Priefert Ranch Open Breakaway

May 29

• COJO Cologne Pro-Am Team Roping 
• Priefert Ranch Open

May 30

• Priefert Ranch Open Steer Wrestling 
• Ote Berry Jr Steer Wrestling

May 31: POSTPONED TO SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

June 1

• #12.5 Heartland 
• #12.5 WSTR 
• #11.5 WSTR 
• #10.5 WSTR 
• #9.5 Trent Ward Saddlery Add-On

June 2

• #9.5 WSTR 
• #8.5 WSTR 
• #7 WSTR 

Priefert Ranch Pro Roping Results

COJO Cologne Pro-Am Team Roping – Pro Headers

1. Nelson Wyatt/Spencer Perkins, 51.28 on four
2. Jake Smith/Jackson Lee, 52.24 on four

COJO Cologne Pro-Am Team Roping – Pro Heelers

1. Cole James/Buddy Hawkins, 33.67 on four
2. Ryan Sims/Jake Smith, 34.16 on four
3. Abbie Williams/Tyler Worley, 35.34 on four
4. Gus Sharp/Junior Nogueira, 35.95 on four

Priefert Ranch Open

Average

1. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 35.99 on five, $12,500
2. Nelson Wyatt/Travis Graves, 37.20 on five, $9,300
3. Ty Arnold/Dustin Davis, 38.19 on five, $6,200
4. Jake Smith/Nicky Northcott, 38.68 on five, $3,100

FT Short Go

1. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 6.05 seconds, $2,000

15.5 Cactus Saddlery Add-On

Average

1. Denton Parish/Hayden Sanders, 33.42 on four, $3,700
2. Bryson Berry/Dane Reed, 35.68 on four, $2,200
3. Bryce Jenkins/Cash Palmore, 39.25 on four, $1,480

FT Short Go

1. Walker Smith/Hayden Sanders, 5.96 seconds, $300

About Priefert PRO Roping

With more than 1,200 dealers around the world, family-owned-and-operated Priefert has been a leading manufacturer of farm, ranch and rodeo equipment for more than 50 years. Its Priefert Chutes have become synonymous with the roping industry. In 2022, the Priefert family hosted the first Priefert Ranch Open in Mount Pleasant.

About Roping.com

Powered by The Team Roping Journal, Roping.com is designed to enhance your roping ability with access to instruction from the likes of World Champion Team Ropers Jake Barnes, Matt Sherwood and Clay Cooper. The site is also the exclusive home of record-breaking cowboy Trevor Brazile’s full training system and a video archive of the industry’s richest events.

The post Priefert Ranch Pro Roping 2024: How to Watch on Roping.com, Results and More appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Luke Brown and Travis Graves kicked off the busy Memorial Day weekend jackpot circuit with the 50th Annual Windy Ryon Memorial Roping win in Saginaw, Texas, May 24, 2024, for $9,904.

Brown and Graves, who have 28 NFR qualifications between the two, roped five steers in 41.22 seconds to conquer the big arena and long score of the Windy Ryon. Though Brown and Graves both have Windy Ryon titles to their names, the win is historic, regardless.

“I’ve been coming here since I was probably 15 years old,” Graves, 40, said. “It’s a pretty historic kind of roping, and every Memorial (Day) weekend this is where you’d go back in the day. Now there’s a few more other ropings, too.”

The win also comes as another title to Brown’s impressive first half of the year. With The American Rodeo title, WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi win and success at the inaugural Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo under his belt, the 49-year-old has some momentum going into the summer.

READ: Luke Brown and Hunter Koch Get $100K a Man for 2024 American Rodeo Team Roping Win

“It feels really good,” Brown said. “I feel like things are finally kind of turning around and going my way. My horses are getting better, my loop feels good, so I’m excited about this summer.”

The famous score them out and run them down nature of the Windy Ryon fits Brown’s style.

“I’m more comfortable when it comes to catching,” Brown admitted. “I love going fast and that’s what I’ve worked on is trying to be a better, faster header. But, like I said, my roots go back to turning steers, and when I get in that situation it seems like my confidence goes up.”

The Rundown

Brown and Graves entered the short round high call, just needing to make a 12-second run or better to take home the win.

“I didn’t know that we were going to have that big of a lead, but when they did call out the short round, it was a relief,” Brown said. “I felt like that was something we could pull off pretty easily; we should be able to do it. But even at that, if we stopped the clock, we were going to get paid, so my job was to get out of the barrier and turn him.” 

They drew a stronger, older steer, and Brown was strategically off the barrier a touch.

READ: Travis Graves Breaks Down Finding That Sure Shot

“Our last steer tried pretty good and was kind of fighting just a little bit,” Graves explained. “I just made sure I caught. I think we ended up being 10-something—got it done.”

With a 10.29, they sealed the deal.

“Travis did a great job of heeling him, that was a superman heel shot right there to make sure he got him down,” Brown said.

Windy Ryon horsepower

Brown rode an 8-year-old buckskin mare he calls Pecos. DDD Miguelssmartbusy was trained by his nephew, and they took it pretty slow on her to start.

“I rodeoed on her some and jackpotted on her quite a bit, and she’s been doing good,” Brown said. “I went slow enough to not try to fry her so that when you are high call and you have to see tail around, she’ll let you do it.”

Graves rode a gelding he calls Night Rider, whom he bought from 2017 NFR qualifier Tyler McKnight.

“I rode him a lot last summer and he got hurt,” Graves explained. “He’s really, really fast, so this deal kind of fits him really good. He makes it pretty easy to be able to get up there and get my shot.”

The post Luke Brown and Travis Graves Take Home 50th Annual Windy Ryon Memorial Roping appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Click to download team roping events

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Kenzie Kelton and Whitney DeSalvo went 31.27 seconds on four steers on Wednesday, April 3, to notch the $23,000 Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl team roping win during Bob Feist Invitational Week at the Lazy E Arena in 2024.  

Kelton and Desalvo are no strangers to the winner’s circle at the BFI. DeSalvo, 29, has won an impressive six All-Girl titles heeling at the event, and Kelton, 20, celebrated her second consecutive win on the racks for Desalvo in 2024.  

“I didn’t realize until last year that you could enter twice on each end,” DeSalvo explained. “So this year I made my mind up. No matter how much fees were, I was going to max it out.” 

Watch Whitney burn up both ends of the All-Girl on demand—any time, anywhere—at Roping.com!

DeSalvo capitalized on both her pick and drawing runs to bring a total of five runs back to the short round between her heading and heeling.  

“I’m glad Kenzie’s here to keep track,” DeSalvo said. “I got off my horse for a minute before the short round and text my mom that I had three coming back in the top 10.  I didn’t realize how many I caught, but Kenzie knew I had those other two runs coming back.”  

Kelton coming in clutch

Kelton’s been busy pursuing a degree in cosmetology, and another member of her family has been keeping her iconic mare, “Peaches,” in shape over the last couple months.  Little brother Ketch, 18, has been notching wins on the grade mare across the country, and even placed deep in The Feist just days before Kenzie stepped back on board in the shorter all-girl setup. 

“I haven’t been able to ride Peaches much lately because Ketch has taken her,” Kenzie explained. “But she’s the same every time. She’s just a winner. Ketch has been going so fast on her over the past month, then we completely slowed down today. She knows exactly what to do.” 

Introducing DeSalvo’s ‘Rango’

For DeSalvo, her heel horse weapon of choice was Rango, a 4-year-old she’s recently started seasoning.

“He’s not fancy, but you can win on him,” DeSalvo said. “I might not win another thing on him the rest of the time I ride him, but I’ve used him at two jackpots and three rodeos so far and I’ve won a check at every one of them.”  

King W W Merada, aka Rango

We’re following DeSalvo as she prepares to compete at the 2024 Women’s Rodeo World Championship.

Click here to learn more about DeSalvo’s clean sweep of the rounds and aggregate at BFI All-Girl 2024, and how she’s using the WCRA to increase earnings on each run—heading and heeling—in 2024.

— TRJ —

• Kelton and DeSalvo Claim the 2023 BFI All-Girl Team Roping
• Homegrown ‘Peaches’ Carries Kelton Siblings to $125K in 1 Month 
• Mare Magic: DeSalvo’s Becky Dominates
• Global Handicaps Assigns No. 8 to First Female Roper
• #WomenInRodeoMonth: Whitney DeSalvo

The post Whitney DeSalvo Ropes *Both* Ends to be 2024 BFI All-Girl Champ with Kenzie Kelton, Reserve Champ with Kelsie Domer appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Click to download team roping events

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Did you miss the BFI Week livestream? Roping.com has all the action from the 2024 Bob Feist Invitational and you can watch it anywhere on any device.

From no-crossfire heel shots to the World Champs finally winning on six head to one of the greatest holdouts in all-girl roping, you can watch it all today.

The Feist

On Saturday, March 30, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira entered up with 124 other teams to compete for more than $600,000 in prize money and the chance to claim the coveted and, thus far, elusive championship title from The Feist. Watch them win their hard-earned victory over six head against wolfy reachers and untethered heelers freed from crossfire regulations.

Hooey Jr. Open

The day prior, Arizona young gun Ketch Kelton took first place for $50,000 and second place for another $25,00 in the Hooey Jr. Open with the equally impressive talents Denton Dunning and Nicky Northcott on the heels, respectively.

Kelton has been cleaning up and is hot off claiming his second Jr. Ironman title at the 2024 Cinch Timed Event Championship, which is also available on demand on Roping.com.

Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl

Jump to the end of the 2024 BFI Week, and fans of women in rodeo got to watch legendary and World Champion ropers alike do battle at one of the greatest holdouts in all-girl event history. The win was seized by reining champs Kenzie Kelton (sister to Ketch) and Whitney DeSalvo, but seeing DeSalvo then win second place heading for Kelsie Domer was a lesson in real roping talent.

Big BFI Week Payouts

Between the start and finish, ropers gave it their all to cash in on big payouts at the 2024 pay window, and it’s all on demand at Roping.com

Plus, there was breakaway!

Head to Roping.com to watch breakaway’s Macy Young show up and deliver. Plus, you can also spy The Team Roping Journal’s Client Relations Coordinator—our own Kayla Lombardo—coming in hot on Young’s heels at No. 2.

(We’re just a little proud … and if you find yourself watching these gals on repeat, no shame: We’ll be watching right there with you.)

For more action you might have missed, head over to Roping.com and watch the Lone Star Shootout and the Cinch Timed Event Championship, plus, stay tuned for the USTRC Finals streaming April 21-28.

— TRJ —

More event coverage from The Team Roping Journal:

The post The 2024 BFI Week Action is Now on Roping.com appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

BFI Week, the most exciting week of the year, is underway. For years, the BFI has stood as a pinnacle event in the roping world, earning a spot on nearly every roper’s bucket list.

Find full results and more from the 2024 BFI.

BFI Results

Thursday, March 28

HOOEY JR 10.5

Average

Short go

Round 1 fast time

Round 2 fast time

Friday, March 29

HOOEY JR OPEN 

15.5

Saturday, March 30

The Feist

Sunday, March 31

12.5

Monday, April 1

11.5 BUSINESSMAN’S W/10.5 INC.

10.5 Over 40

Tuesday, April 2

9.5 Over 40

8.5 with 7 incentive

Wednesday April 3

Charlie 1 Horse All-Girl

When is the 2024 Wrangler BFI?

The BFI will take place March 25–April 6, 2024. The final day of team roping is April 3.

Where is the BFI held?

The BFI is held at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

Where to watch the 2024 BFI live?

The 2024 BFI can be livestreamed for FREE at bfilive.com.

Who’s roping at the 2024 BFI?

 With a purse of over $650,000 and 125 teams, here’s who’s entered in The Feist at this year’s BFI.

The post 2024 Wrangler BFI Week: Full Results appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

In a testament to the explosive growth of the rope-horse futurity and breeding industries, Colby Lovell and Dakota Kirchenschlager paired up at the 2024 Bob Feist Invitational on a team of standout, incentive-enrolled gray stallions—SEVS Judgement Day and Metallic Payday—to win fourth and $59,000 against 127 of the best teams in the world.

The 2020 PRCA World Champion Lovell was aboard the 2015 stallion SEVS Judgement Day, a son of Judge Cash out of Dancing Kaweah Jet by Gray Dancer. The horse, just purchased by NFR switchender and Reserve World Champion Clint Summers and partner Griffin Marshall, is a Royal Crown roping and barrel racing, Pink and Ruby Buckle Young Guns and Riata Buckle-enrolled stallion, now with over $50,000 in lifetime earnings.

Kirchenschlager, a three-time NFR heeler and ARHFA world champ header, rode Kaleb Driggers’ Metallic Payday—the 2023 ARHFA Reserve World Champion Heel Horse by Metallic Cat out of Another Playgirl by Freckles Playboy. Metallic Payday, a 2017 model, had won $63,294, per QData, before his BFI debut. Metallic Payday is Royal Crown roping, Riata Buckle and Gold Buckle Elite Stallions eligible.

“I think the BFI is the true testament of horsepower,” Driggers said. “The barrier is long and the cattle are strong, then mix in having to do that six times. Let the steer tail around the end of the gate then ask them for everything they have, and, while doing that, they have to be responsive to your hand and listen. Neither horse has been in that extreme a setup, and for them to back in there and take it time after time with no bobbles speaks volumes to me about their mindset. We already know they have the speed and athletic ability to do it, or we wouldn’t put them in that situation. But what they did Saturday was impressive.”

SEVS Judgement Day

The BFI was Lovell and SEVS Judgement Day’s big-stage debut. The horse had a great career with prior trainer Cody Hilzendeger, winning the Limited Open Heading at the Royal Crown in Buckeye in 2022. The stud also stood out in the barrel racing, placing at major futurities from coast to coast, including the BBR Finals and the BFA.

Previously owned by Hull Lantern Ranches, SEVS Judgement Day sold at the Barrel Futurities of American Sale in the fall of 2023 to Lovell—the same guy who, coincidentally started Metallic Payday in the heeling. Lovell took him back to the roping pen and was immediately impressed.

“I thought he was a real deal head horse from the first steer I ran on him,” Lovell said. “He can go anywhere, and I think he can be one of the best head horses at the highest level.”

Lovell took him to the Clay Logan Open, where he turned plenty of heads. Two days later, Summers tried the horse, and four days later, he and Marshall owned him.

“He looked like exactly the kind of horse I want to ride when my money is up,” Summers said. “He scores, he can really run, but he stays in control and handles the cow. He’s a freak facing. I’m ready to ride him, but I want Colby to continue to season him because it’s obvious he’s doing all the right things. I’ll just be patient, but our goal is to showcase him on all the biggest stages in the sport and offer him to select mares that will continue to elevate the rope horse game.”

Metallic Payday

Metallic Payday needs little introduction. The ARHFA Reserve World Champion has been grinding it out on the futurity trail, finishing his show career in 2023 with Kirchenschlager. He’s been doing double duty between the breeding barn at Outlaw Equine and the Open jackpots with Kirchenschlager.

“I have really enjoyed the journey with Payday, but the most exciting part is yet to come,” Driggers said. “His babies are short-backed, big-boned, clean-throat latched, good-footed colts, and 95% of them being grey doesn’t hurt anything either.”

Payday first showed as a 3-year-old at the ARHFA World Championship with Lovell, and then he went into the hands of Driggers. Driggers showed him, as did Junior Nogueira and Andy Holcomb before Kirchenschlager took the reins.

At the Feist, Kirchenschlager showcased the stud’s run and cow behind tougher draws than most, handily letting Kirchenschlager get to one that hooked left along the wall.

—TRJ—

The post Lovell and Kirchenschlager Ride Superstar Team of Jam-Up Gray Studs to $59K at 2024 BFI appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Bob Feist Invitational announcers Dru Stewart and Reed Flake repeated their request for Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira to re-enter the Lazy E Arena and make their victory lap over and over after the duo had won $162,000 at the 2024 BFI, roping six steers in 44.76 seconds March 30 in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

But it took what seemed like forever for the two-time world championship team to break free from the crowd of fellow ropers who mobbed them after the biggest jackpot win of their storied careers—careers that amount to over $5 million in collective PRCA earnings, six $100,000 American Rodeo paydays (four for Driggers, two for Nogueira) and nearly every major rodeo and jackpot title in the sport.

Watch BFI Week LIVE

In 16 prior BFI appearances for Driggers and 10 for Nogueira, the Feist and its six-figure payday had eluded them. And the mass of professional team ropers all watching the short round at the bottom end of the Lazy E Arena were all overwhelmed with the significance of the moment the greatest team of the generation sealed the deal on their first BFI win.

“That roping means so much to everybody who ropes,” Driggers said. “Growing up watching the old tapes, dreaming of it, everyone realized what it means to us.”

They clinched the win at third callback, roping their short round steer in 6.84 seconds, the third fastest time of a tough, tight short round.

“The better the start that I could get would give us a better opportunity,” Driggers, 34, from Hoboken, Georgia, said. “I thought if we could go some kind of a 6-second run that we would have a good chance to win it, because it was so tight. Those guys rope great, and this isn’t an easy setup just to knock a 6-second run out. So that was kind of my game plan was. Smart, but try to get a good start at the line as well. And we just kind of stuck to the same thing in the run. We just went and caught him… You don’t take this roping. You have to let this roping come to you. And that’s one thing we did different today—we allowed the steers to come to us.”

Driggers had only won $34,100 in nearly two decades at the Feist, while Nogueira had won $57,250 since his first appearance in 2014 (behind Jake Barnes).

“We want to go catch him and win, or try to win,” Nogueira, 33, from Presidente Prudente, Sao Paolo, Brazil, added. “Especially me, I was just trying to get through the day and do my job, you know, just try to get focused and just go through the roping and catch all the steers. But that last one, that was a good run. We’re going fast, but the steer was good. Man, we’re rolling up there, but I thought felt like it was a good run.”

Their 44.76-second win was the fastest average time in the Lazy E since the Feist moved to the famous arena in 2020. Pair that with the hard-running Mexican cattle that only allowed one 4-second run in all of 2024’s competition (Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp in Round 6 for the Rickey Green Fast-Time Award), and their win is even more impressive. But that’s not it.

Unlikely Timing

Driggers and Nogueira are coming off their most unusual winter as a duo yet. This year, at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Nogueira was far from the explosive and unstoppable heeler he’s always been inside the Thomas & Mack, and fans were left questioning what was going on with the 2016 All-Around Champ of the World.

“I always had really bad sinus and allergies, and I always use the (nasal) sprays for years, and that’s what kind of kept me going,” Nogueira explained. “I make a little hole behind my retina. So then it started leaking through into my eye. And it got worse and worse, and my vision was really, really blurry. I’m not, no excuses. I should have done a better job, but it was kind of like out of my reach.”

Nogueira came home from the Finals needing surgery, so he ducked off the radar of ProRodeo and social media, and in January he underwent sinus surgery that had him sleeping upright in a recliner and unable to rope until the American Contender Finals in Abilene, Texas, in February. Driggers pieced together the start of his winter rodeo run without his brother in arms, placing at Odessa’s Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo with Paul Eaves and Fort Worth with Jake Minor.

“I found runs, and I was appreciative for them going and roping with me, but it’s just not the same as roping with him just because of our bond,” Driggers said. “It has nothing to do with the roping or anything like that. He heels great, but at the same time, it’s his and our bond together. And I knew that his passion is roping, and he wasn’t doing it. I knew that he would be okay, and I knew that everything, it would all work out. But at the same time anytime you know a loved one struggling, then you take it on yourself to a little bit.”

Nogueira bounced back for checks at San Antonio, RodeoHouston, Las Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Rodeo Austin and Waxahachie, Texas, but they hadn’t quite had the dynamite win they’d grown accustomed to since Nogueira’s return. But their steady veteran maturity kept them plugging away as a team.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Nogueira said. “We still have a little road ahead of us. I was looking forward to winning this roping forever. Even coming from Brazil, we always watched this roping… I was just trying to get through my steers, ride my horse the best I could, trying not to be panicked, and just let the roping come to me. That’s a personal win. This was for myself. Just to get it done here and do your job all day, and finish the day.”

Driggers’ BFI Horsepower

Driggers won the roping on Chics Like Hickey, the 9-year-old son of Hick Chickaroo out of Dee Bars Lust by Dee Bar Rock. “Oliver” has been Driggers’ go-to jackpot mount, and the win at the BFI put an early exclamation point on the horse’s career.

“I would venture to say that Oliver is the most underrated jackpot head horse that has ever lived,” Driggers said. “I just won three holes on him last week at a 4-second roping. And then we came over here, see him out two foot past the end of the gate and six head. And he gives you the same chance every single time, and I honestly wish that I would have done a better job of calculating how much I’ve actually won on that horse, because I rode on him a little bit last summer, but he’s not a rodeo horse, he’s a jackpot horse. I think it would shock me to know exactly how much I’ve won on him, because I’ve rode him a lot.”

The horse came from Los Olivos, California—hometown of NFR average champion Cody Snow. Snow bought him and took him to Texas, where NFR header Lane Ivy then bought the horse. Ivy sold him to Driggers in a moment of weakness, and the rest is history.

“He was 5-years-old, and I went over there, and I run two steers on him,” Driggers said. “He felt like a fire breathing dragon. But I just—from the very first day—I knew he had something special.”

Nogueira’s Lucky Bucky

Junior Nogueira was on the buckskin gelding aboard whom he won his 2022 PRCA World Title—Lucky Bucky, who came from Cesar de la Cruz. The 14-year-old gelding is registered as Smokin Copper King by Imps Specialdelivery out of the Dakotas Integrity mare And The Beat Goes On.

“He’s so fast, he’s probably the one of the fastest,” Nogueira said. “Hali (Nogueira’s mare) was really fast for the long setups, but he can really run. And he runs fast, but he don’t feel like, you know, he’s running. So he kind of like runs so fast, but he floats and make it easy to you. And he hit the turn so good, so I’ll need a little help just to take my time to catch the steers, and he’s still a little free. And, uh, he’s a little dancey, but I don’t think there’s any faster horse than that horse.”

Related Stories:

• Driggers and Nogueira Get Round 1 Win
• Can ANYONE Actually Catch Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira?
• Repeat: Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira Notch Second-Consecutive Round 1 Win
• DRIGGERS AND NOGUEIRA WIN THE AMERICAN
• Picking Up Where They Left Off: Driggers, Nogueira Win 2023 Reno Rodeo

Added Bonus

Driggers didn’t just win the roping—he also won fourth in the enter-once jackpot when Dakota Kirchenschlager finished the day at 47.7 seconds on six behind Colby Lovell, riding Driggers’ stud Metallic Payday.

“Dakota’s been doing a really good job with him,” Driggers said. “And what’s hard is for him is, you know, he’s having to go back and forth from breeding farm.”

Kirchenschlager picked the stud up at Outlaw Equine Friday after being collected, and he’ll drop him back off Sunday for his Monday collection. The 7-year-old son of Metallic Cat out of the Freckles Playboy mare Another Playgirl was the Reserve World Champion Heel Horse in the American Rope Horse Futurity Association in 2023, and he’d won $63,294 in his show career according to QData. After The Feist, QData will add $29,500 to his LTE.

“And Colby was riding a stud of Griffin Marshall’s and Clint Summers’ that, you know, they just bought, and one is 7 and one is 8,” Driggers added. “And it shows you how handy those guys are at the same time, you know, to be able to keep those horses composed and in this tough of a setup. But I thought that both of them handled it extremely well. I think they both have a very exciting future for them.”

Lovell rode SEVS Judgement Day, a 2015 son of Judge Cash out of Dancing Kaweah Jet by Gray Dancer, a horse he will continue to season in 2024 for Summers and Marshall.

—TRJ—

Full Results from The Feist

The post Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira Are Finally BFI Champions in 2024. appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Dustin Egusquiza and Jake Long went an insane 11.66 on three runs to clinch the 2024 Lone Star Shootout victory for $76,000 at the notoriously tough Texas gunslinging jackpot’s new home in Abilene.

The setup featured a 16-foot box with a barrier a foot and a half under and cattle custom chosen to encourage fast times from start to finish. This couldn’t have been a better match for either of the players.

“Dustin’s phenomenial,” Long said. “He’s good in any setup, but he’s especially good in this one. I think these (ropings) are made for him…I guess we’re both a little aggressive, so it’s really good when it comes together.”

Egusquiza’s proven he can be deadly at the Lone Star Shootout in the past—he won it in 2021 with Travis Graves. When he cracked out ahead of Long with a 3.92 in Round 1 and won the $1,500 Round fast time, it wasn’t on accident.

“Brad Culpepper told me a long time ago,” Eguzquiza said. “Before I ever went to my first George Strait, that if you can win the first round of the top 50 when you make it back, it makes it a lot easier. And that’s been my philosophy ever since. I won the Strait in 2016, won in the first round, then in 2021, when I won the Lone Star Shootout, I won the first round with T.G..”

The next time they nodded, Egusquiza and Long came back to win second in Round 2 with a time of 4.04 seconds for $1,000. Their 7.96 on two brought them as high callback team to the short round.

Then, the duo put an exclamation point on the exciting day of roping with a 3.70-second run, the fastest of the day, earning another $1,500 for the fast time and clinching the aggregate title.

Just 24 hours after celebrating the $76,000 aggregate victory and grand total of $80,000 on the day, new trailers, saddle and lineup of additional prizes, Egusquiza and Long will be back in the same arena once again. However, at the Rodeo Austin finals, they’re coming back in the first and second high callback positions with their respective ProRodeo partners—that’s Clint Summers for Long, and Levi Lord for Egusquiza.

The 2024 installment of the Lone Star Shootout didn’t just change venues from Stephenville to Abilene, it included a payout on an #18.5 incentive within the roping that paid out an extra $6,000 to Cash Palmore and Clay Green, who also snagged a sixth-place finish in the Open for a grand total of $21,000 for the team. According to producer Austin Robertson, of Robertson Hill Ranch Productions, the 2024 event, which started with 284 teams was the third-largest in Lone Star Shootout’s history.

Stay tuned for the full story, plus an analysis of Kaleb Driggers’ outstanding performance at the 2024 Lone Star Shootout, where he qualified four runs to the finals and notched three finishes inside the top four placings.

Lone Star Shootout Results 2024

The post Friends Today, Opponents Tomorrow: Dustin Egusquiza and Jake Long Take $76,000 Lone Star Shootout appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

On Mar. 21, 284 teams battled it over two rounds in five separate rotations in hopes of earning one of 60 team positions to come back to the Lone Star Shootout 2024 2D Rope Horses Open Finals at 6 p.m CST, and these are the duos who are locked in, along with rotation-by-rotation results

The Lone Star Shootout Open format

• The Year’s Fastest Jackpot: Watch the 2024 Lone Star Shootout Live Exclusively on Roping.com March 21-24
• Dalton Turner and Daniel Braman Notch Biggest Career Win With $70,000 Lone Star Shootout Payoff
• Dream Team: Ward and Hawkins Outlast the Pack Again to Win 2022 Lone Star Shootout

In each of the five rotations of roughly 60 teams, the top 10 overall times qualified back on two head to Friday’s three rounds of competition, along with two teams in the #18.5 incentive in each section. Each rotation also paid two overall fast times for $1,500 and $1,000 each. The rounds were progressive after Round 1. Ropers had the opportunity to enter up to four times each.

Results

Rotation 1

Overall Fast Times: Kaleb Driggers/Nicky Northcott, 5.05 $1,500; Ty Arnold/Patrick Smith, 5.18, $1,000

Rotation 2

Overall Fast Times: Coleman Proctor/Landon Glenn, 4.26; Dustin Eguzquiza/Jake Long, 5.00

Rotation 3

Overall Fast Times: Nelson Wyatt/Jonathon Torres, 3.94; Riley Kittle/Kaden Profili, 4.32

Rotation 4

Overall Fast Times: Dawson Graham/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 4.21; (tie) JC Yeahquo/Logan Moore, Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 4.54

Rotation 5

Overall Fast Times: Cody Snow/Lil Michael Calmelat, 4.13; Jaxson Tucker, Caleb Anderson, 4.2

*denotes 2023 event champions

Watch the shootout action live on Roping.com at 6 p.m. CST on Mar. 22 here.

The post Gunslingers: The Top 60 Teams Coming Back to the Lone Star Shootout Open Finals Today appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The 2024 BFI Week, the most exciting week of the year, is right around the corner, March 28 through April 6 at the famous Lazy E in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

For years the BFI has been one of the most prestigious ropings of the year, holding a spot on most—if not all—ropers’ bucket lists. The best of the best will return to Guthrie March 30 for The Feist. With a purse of over $650,000 and 125 teams, here’s who’s entered.

2024 The Feist Draw

More from the BFI

• Futurity Horse to 2023 Heel Horse of the BFI
• Summers’ Mr. Joes Shadow Bar Rides Away the 2023 Head Horse of the BFI
• Now You See Them: Curry Kirchner and Tyson Thompson Win The Feist 2023
• The Day We Won the BFI
• History of the Bob Feist Invitational
• Like Father, Like Son: Memories of Winning the BFI Never Fade for Walt Woodard
• Clay Tryan Takes Wheel as Winningest BFI Roper of All Time
• Happy Birthday to the Godfather of Team Roping!

The post 2024 BFI Time: The Feist Draw appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

Where can I watch the 2024 Lone Star Shootout?

Roping.com will stream all four days of Lone Star Shootout, starting with the 2D Rope Horses Open, this March 21–24, providing full coverage of the fastest jackpot of the year.  

The livestream will kick off Thursday, March 21 with a $10,000 added 2D Rope Horses Open at 10 a.m. CDT. Friday, March 22 will have a $20,000 added #15.5, #14.5, #13.5 and #12.5 roping followed by the Open Short Round at 6 p.m. CDT. The action will continue Saturday, March 23, with the Link Properties #12.5 at 9:00 a.m. CDT, and on Sunday, March 24, viewers can watch the #12.5 Shootout Short Round beginning at 10:00 a.m., CDT. 

WATCH THE LONE STAR SHOOTOUT LIVE on ROPING.COM

The Shootout will have the same beloved format as the old George Strait Team Roping Classic, with the world’s best ropers going at each steer in the knife-fight setup, vying for a spot in the top 12 of each rotation (including the fastest 10, plus the quickest #16.5 teams in the roping). It’s enter three times, so they’ll each be duking it out with their second and third partners behind a rope barrier in this must-see roping. The top 60 will return Friday night for the short round.  

“This roping is one of the industry’s favorites because it’s so purely great watching,” Roping.com Content Director Chelsea Shaffer said. “There’s nowhere else you can see a roping with this format, with these guys going all out, steer after steer.” 

The event will stream to all Roping.com members live from the Taylor County Expo Center in Abilene, Texas, and then be available on-demand, post-event. Ropers can sign up for a free trial to watch today.  

While ropers can stream Roping.com from their desktops or phones, they can also download the Roping.com app to any SmartTV or streaming device—like their Amazon Firesticks and Rokus—for a comfortable viewing experience. 

Roping.com is the online training resource for ropers. In addition to thousands of videos and exclusive roping films in your back pocket, members get private access to World Champion coaches like Jake Barnes, Matt Sherwood, Miles Baker, 26-time World Champion Trevor Brazile and more every day.  

Join now for only $29.95/month and take advantage of step-by-step tutorials, run critiques, private members-only Facebook group, livestream event coverage and other benefits available exclusively to Roping.com members. 

—TRJ—

The post The Year’s Fastest Jackpot: Watch the 2024 Lone Star Shootout Live Exclusively on Roping.com March 21-24 appeared first on The Team Roping Journal.

The NTR National Finals X Presented by Cinch kicked off March 9, 2024, at Rancho Rio in Wickenburg, Arizona, and run through March 16. Here are the winners as the finals roll on.

For the full schedule of the NTR Finals X, click here.

#8.5 Megabucks

Winners: Chuck Henderson and John Sampson, 39.02 on four, $6,680

#8.5 Ram Truck Roping

Truck Winner: Alberto Corral

1st in average: Charlie Johnston Jr. and Lawty Cavalliere 22.37 on three, $14,400 and buckles

#8.5 Legends Over 60

Winners: Brian MacCarty and Tobe Driskill, 41.21 on four, $17,800

#9.5 Legends Over 60

Winners: Rees Jackman and Roy McDaniel, 34.96 on four, $15,600

#10.5 Legends Over 50

Winners: Chuck Henderson and Shawn Parrott, 36.79 on four, $17,800 

#11.5 Legends

Winners: Mark Warrack and Todd Reece, 38.74 on four, $13,620

Open

Winners: Brayden Schmidt & Denton Dunning, 35.58 on five, $13,730

#15.5 Championships

Winners: Jack Graham and Britt Williams, 27.64 on four, $11,640

#14.5 Championships

Winners: Clay Freeman and Britt Williams, 27.52 on four, $14,780

#13.5 Championships

Winners: Chachi Odom and Garrett K Jepson, 28.40 on four, $16,120

#12.5 Championships

Winners: Dale Whitlow and Devon McDaniel, 28.48 on four, $19,480 

#12.5 Businessman’s Championships

Winners: Raymond Kerr and Nate Singletary, 33.39 on four, $20,000

National #11.5