Tristen Hutchings may not have put the town of Monteview, Idaho, on the map. But, he certainly is responsible for gaining recognition for the community. Monteview is located about 80 miles north of Blackfoot, where Tristen went to high school, played football, wrestled and competed in all of the rodeo events – except bareback riding. […]
Posted date: July 10, 2026 - 10:16 AM
Watching his father compete created a passion to win. While growing up in Gonzales, Louisiana, participating in team sports was the farthest thing from Tyler Waguespack’s mind. He played some t-ball when he was very young, but by the time he got into junior high and high school, his dedication to steer wrestling was evident. […]
Posted date: June 05, 2026 - 10:54 AM
Reading spurred his desire to be a cowboy. By Susan Kanode Growing up in Carthage, Texas, Tilden Hooper learned a sense of community and a desire to be the best from the start, but his start in rodeo came from books. He had been reading a lot of Louis L’Amour novels and was inspired by […]
Posted date: April 28, 2026 - 10:41 AM
World champion heeler never wanted to do anything but rope. By Susan Kanode The journey from Coffeyville, Kansas, to Las Vegas, Nevada, to compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) has been full of twists and turns for team roper Jake Long. However, his determination and desire never wavered. When Jake rode into the […]
Posted date: March 27, 2026 - 12:35 PM
That path led to big opportunities and big wins By Susan Kanode Growing up, bull rider T.J. Gray didn’t have big dreams of being a cowboy, he just wanted to do what his older brother Levi Gray was doing. They lived in Dairy, Oregon, just a few miles north of the California state line. Their […]
Posted date: March 06, 2026 - 11:02 AM
2025 Pendleton Whisky Stock of the Year – C5 Rodeo’s Virgil Earns Top Saddle Bronc Spot The first time that Vern McDonald laid eyes upon the great bucking horse Virgil, he knew there was something really special about the young gelding. Vern was relatively new to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association as a stock contractor […]
Posted date: November 30, 2025 - 08:41 PM
2025 Pendleton Whisky’s Let ‘er Buck Bucking Stock of the Year – Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetic’s Magic Touch The stars had to align for Magic Touch to become the 2025 Bucking Bull of the Year. The story starts before he was even born. Back in 2019, Wade Sankey was looking for someone that […]
Posted date: October 24, 2025 - 10:45 AM
2025 Pendleton Whisky’s Let ‘er Buck Bucking Stock of the Year – Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven Takes Top Bareback Horse Honors If there was a phone line to heaven, it would be burning up with people calling Marvin Brookman to congratulate him on Lunatic Heaven’s recognition. Brookman Rodeo could credit the big skies of Montana […]
Posted date: October 10, 2025 - 08:47 AM
Kade Bruno credits wrestling and football for his athletic and mental development. With a family history in the rodeo arena, Kade Bruno’s love of riding bucking horses was a natural progression. But the desire, knowledge, and talent to do it well started a long way from the dirt. He grew up in the community of […]
Posted date: September 12, 2025 - 10:42 AM
Team roper Allen Bach’s rise to greatness started with basketball Before Allen Bach made history in the rodeo arena as one of the best team roping heelers ever, he was running up and down the courts of gyms and hoping for a future as a basketball player. Allen spent a lot of his youth near […]
Posted date: August 15, 2025 - 11:13 AM
Kade Sonnier brought a cowboy mentality to sports and an athlete’s mentality to rodeo Imagine crouching down on a baseball field waiting for a ball to come at you at 90 plus miles per hour. You know it’s coming, but you don’t know if it’s a fast ball, a curve ball or if the batter […]
Posted date: June 27, 2025 - 12:52 PM
It started with wrestling. Garrett Shadbolt grew up competing, but it wasn’t the rodeo arena that held the 3-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier’s interest. Garrett has been among the elite bareback riders who qualify for the NFR in Las Vegas in 2021, 2022 and again last December. He is part of a multigenerational ranching family […]
Posted date: May 22, 2025 - 06:50 PM
From handling sticks and balls to handling steers, athletics has driven Oregon’s Jesse Brown to be the best. Jesse Brown was an athlete long before he considered jumping off the back of a running horse onto a steer and bringing it to the ground. He didn’t grow up with a rope in his hand or […]
Posted date: April 18, 2025 - 10:22 AM
The cowgirl volleyball playing nurse By Susan Kanode Last December, when Andrea Busby qualified for her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and left as the average champion, she left Las Vegas with a lot of goals checked off of her list. For those of us on the outside looking in, it could appear that […]
Posted date: March 21, 2025 - 11:01 AM
The four-legged athletes don’t just show up By Susan Kanode There is nothing like the majesty of a bucking horse making a victory lap around an arena full of rodeo fans, or a bull in front of the bucking chutes in all of his glory with a “look at what I just did” attitude. We […]
Posted date: November 15, 2024 - 10:56 AM
I’ve been working on bios of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Contestants. I learn new things and rehash old information and the research I put into it usually results in relevant information. I’ve also been blessed with a curious mind and am not afraid to ask questions. On that note, here is some information about […]
Posted date: October 22, 2024 - 04:41 PM
By Susan Kanode Halfway between Amarillo and Childress, Texas, lies the Donley County Seat. A town of under 2,000 people, Clarendon boasts a junior college, two stoplights and a grocery/hardware store. I drive through there several times a year and have even stopped to visit while the rodeo team is practicing at the school. Bret […]
Posted date: September 26, 2024 - 12:48 PM
Most of us couldn’t name a life-defining year or even a moment. If we have lived a full life, there are generally many that change us as we keep our feet above ground and on the ground. Kaycee Feild has had several, from nodding his head in the famed yellow bucking chutes the first time, […]
Posted date: September 13, 2024 - 08:35 AM
Becoming the G.O.A.T. of bareback riders was no accident for Kaycee Feild. It came with years of planning, preparation and perseverance through injuries, bad luck and struggles. His career was history in the making and created memories for those that were lucky enough to watch. I’m one of those and have been a fan since […]
Posted date: August 30, 2024 - 09:54 AM
It’s all about the plan – By Susan Kanode It’s hard to imagine that Stetson Jorgensen wrestled at 135 pounds when he was in high school. Now, he weighs in at 220 and his steer wrestling opponent is about twice his size. The Blackfoot, Idaho, resident has always been competitive, and he’s always wanted to […]
Posted date: June 28, 2024 - 09:37 AM
By Susan Kanode I don’t remember when I first met Cody Webster or saw him fight bulls. But I noticed that his instinct for protecting cowboys is unsurpassed right away. I’ve watched Cody and Dusty Tuckness work together and if they were in the arena, I’d get on a bull myself and never think twice […]
Posted date: June 06, 2024 - 03:52 PM
Josh Edwards isn’t one to settle for less than the best Retirement comes at the pinnacle of pickup man’s career I’m on a break from being at rodeos in 2024. I’m very grateful for the work that I’ve had at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo in Denver and the Fort Worth Stock Show & […]
Posted date: February 22, 2024 - 01:37 PM
By Susan Kanode It truly is the time of year when all roads lead to Vegas. We are counting down the days and soon hours to the first championship competition to complete rodeo’s 2023 season. I am so grateful for the women in rodeo, from those that volunteer on the committees, to the secretaries, timers […]
Posted date: December 01, 2023 - 12:57 PM
By Susan Kanode So there are lots of factors that make the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo special in every event. That is especially true in the timed events. It takes fast times to win with the short score and small arena. Contestants talk about the start all the time. At some rodeos, when they discuss it, […]
Posted date: November 17, 2023 - 09:13 AM
By Susan Kanode I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. I went to a performance as a ticketed fan the final year it was held in Oklahoma City. And I was there the second year it was held in Las Vegas. That was in 1986. I’ve missed a […]
Posted date: November 09, 2023 - 03:46 PM
Sometimes you work for it, sometimes you are born with it. Most of the time it’s a lot of both. Zeke Thurston has a quiet confidence that has helped him win three gold buckles in the saddle bronc riding. It’s always there, surrounding him like dust from the arenas that he has played in since […]
Posted date: October 26, 2023 - 12:30 PM
The people that have been around for my whole rodeo career have become life-long friends. ProRodeo Hall of Famer Gary Leffew is one of those. Our first interactions came at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. He had a stuffed bull for people to get their pictures taken on. Before the rodeo started, they […]
Posted date: October 06, 2023 - 10:30 AM
Kelsie Domer is a fierce competitor. Just ask any of her fellow breakaway ropers. “Looking at the breakaway roping, I think Kelsie Domer has the best mental game of any of us,” said Lari Dee Guy. “You can tell that she really works at it.” That’s high praise coming from the legendary cowgirl who has […]
Posted date: September 22, 2023 - 12:02 PM
If competing in rodeo events is really 90% mental, how does that work in team roping? What if partners aren’t both on the same page and one of them is struggling while the other one is at the top of the world. This journey into the mental side of rodeo has taken me to some […]
Posted date: September 08, 2023 - 11:28 AM
By Susan Kanode It’s no secret that bullfighters put their lives on the line every day protecting bull riders. Theirs is not a battle for scores, fast-times or first-place paychecks. It’s a battle of inches where rewards are contestant’s health and wellbeing. A job well done sees a bull rider walking out of the arena, […]
Posted date: August 11, 2023 - 08:47 AM
By Patrick Everson Rocker Steiner entered the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in first place in the season-long world standings. On Saturday night, after a 90.5-point second-place ride aboard Disco Party, Steiner exited in the same spot. That final ride in the 10-round Wrangler NFR put another $28,980 in Steiner’s bank account. Plus, he finished […]
Posted date: December 15, 2025 - 12:28 PM
By Patrick Everson The first family of saddle bronc riding proved to be a band of brothers on Saturday night, for the 10th and final go-round of the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. And when the dust settled, it was the youngest, Statler Wright, who walked away with the NFR average title, which boosted him to […]
Posted date: December 15, 2025 - 12:12 PM
By Patrick Everson This is how Stetson Wright hoped to return to Las Vegas. In 2023, Wright had to exit the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo after just two rounds. A serious groin injury finally became too much to ride one more saddle bronc or bull. Fortunately for Wright, he’d built up such a lead that […]
Posted date: December 15, 2025 - 12:07 PM
By Patrick Everson Last Saturday, in the third go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Statler Wright won the night, taking first in saddle broncs with an 88.25-pont ride aboard Angel Cat. To win that go-round buckle, Statler had to outduel 14 others, including older brothers Ryder – who tied for second – and Stetson […]
Posted date: December 13, 2025 - 07:54 AM
By Patrick Everson “It’s just good.” Sometimes, such a simple description says more than a thousand-word monologue ever could. Especially when describing something that hits you in the feels the way the Exceptional Rodeo does each year at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Team roper Colter Todd uttered that simple statement at this year’s Exceptional […]
Posted date: December 12, 2025 - 09:52 PM
By Patrick Everson Rodeo is just a different kind of sport, in ways too numerous to mention. But one way is on full display this week in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Imagine Patrick Mahomes helping out Josh Allen somehow, during an NFL playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. It’s not […]
Posted date: December 12, 2025 - 07:48 AM
By Patrick Everson For 40 years, rodeo fans have descended on the Thomas & Mack Center for 10 days each December, to take in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. For 39 years, Mike Luce has been one of those fans. The Las Vegas resident has been to every NFR since 1986, so of course he’s […]
Posted date: December 10, 2025 - 09:17 PM
By Patrick Everson Forty years ago, in December 1985, Las Vegas hosted the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time. It was a year full of firsts for both the NFR and Vegas. Among those firsts is this: In bareback bronc riding, the first event of the night, Randy Taylor was the first cowboy […]
Posted date: December 10, 2025 - 09:11 AM
By Patrick Everson Each night of the Wrangler National Rodeo, 18,000 people pack the Thomas & Mack. That’s full capacity for the venue. So what do you do if you’re among the other couple hundred thousand in town? Most of you already know the answer to that question: Go to any of the myriad viewing […]
Posted date: December 08, 2025 - 11:57 PM
By Patrick Everson Cowboy Christmas continues to be an absolute can’t-miss event. Certainly for the vendors, who often get a nice year-end influx of business, while also cementing customer relationships that can extend far beyond these 10 days in December. It’s also can’t-miss for all the rodeo fans, who can do one-stop shopping at this […]
Posted date: December 08, 2025 - 11:55 PM
LAS VEGAS – The YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo crowned the final champions of its 10-day run Saturday, with steer wrestling, open team roping, 17-and-under pole bending and junior and senior barrel racing bringing the rodeo to a close. Here’s a look back at the final day of action at the Junior NFR. Steer Wrestling […]
Posted date: December 14, 2025 - 09:24 PM
LAS VEGAS – Teagan Cline is making the KK Run for Vegas at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo her personal playground. The 10-year-old from Roseburg, Oregon, and her horses have dominated the field in both the 17-and-under pole bending and the junior barrel racing through the first two rounds. Cline enters Saturday’s short go-round […]
Posted date: December 12, 2025 - 08:03 PM
LAS VEGAS – For a barrel racer, River Zvonar is a pretty good pole bender. Zvonar finished fourth in the first round of the KK Run for Vegas Pole Bending with a 20.470-second run and followed that with a 20.621 Thursday to take the lead in the average at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo. […]
Posted date: December 11, 2025 - 08:23 PM
LAS VEGAS – Consistency paid off for team ropers Ryder Kerr and Case Kerr at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo. The 18-year-old twins from Afton, Wyoming, won the #10.5 division as the only ones among 22 teams that caught all five head. They didn’t finish higher than fourth in any of the first four […]
Posted date: December 10, 2025 - 08:04 PM
LAS VEGAS – Tad Williams picked up where he left off at the YETI Junior World Finals. After a broken barrier in the first round Tuesday, the Coalville, Utah, steer wrestler tied for the second-round win in the Ote Berry Junior Steer Wrestling World Championships with a 3.5-second run. “I got the barrier on that […]
Posted date: December 09, 2025 - 04:26 PM
LAS VEGAS – Kash Loyd left no doubt. The Cleburne, Texas, bareback rider won his record eighth world title Monday at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo and did so in convincing fashion. Loyd finished with 243.5 points on three head to finish 10 points clear of Canada’s Eylam Podolak. “I was eight years old […]
Posted date: December 08, 2025 - 09:15 PM
Once again, the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo has an international feel to it. In addition to a number of bronc riders from Canada, this year’s roughstock field featured 14 competitors from Australia. They are part of a growing contingent of cowboys from Down Under that have been a presence in Las Vegas ever since […]
Posted date: December 07, 2025 - 07:28 PM
Cash Blanchard is proving to be a quick learner. One year after getting on a bronc for the first time the 14-year-old from Fort Madison, Iowa, is leading the senior bareback riding at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Blanchard and fellow Iowa cowboy Blaine Cornelison tied for the first-round win Thursday […]
Posted date: December 07, 2025 - 10:23 AM
LAS VEGAS – Consistency paid off for Bentley Morris on Friday. The 12-year-old from Pea Ridge, Arkansas, was the only competitor with three runs under 16 seconds to win the 12-and-under tie-down roping title at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo. “I just had to do my job and let everything fall into place,” Morris […]
Posted date: December 06, 2025 - 10:29 AM
Monday, Carlee Martinez was home in George West, Texas, more than 1,100 miles from Las Vegas. Less than 72 hours later, Martinez was the 19-and-under breakaway roping champ at the YETI Junior National Finals Rodeo in Vegas. “With everything going on we weren’t sure we would be able to be here, so this is such […]
Posted date: December 05, 2025 - 02:01 PM
By Susan Kanode Saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper’s quest for excellence in the rodeo arena started when he was a …
Posted date: February 24, 2025 - 12:56 PM
By Susan Kanode Clayton Sellars is headed to Las Vegas in December 2024 to compete at his fourth Wrangler National …
Posted date: October 11, 2024 - 09:36 AM
By Susan Kanode Last December, Stevi Hillman qualified for her eighth consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Stevi’s love of horses …
Posted date: July 22, 2024 - 10:00 AM
By Susan Kanode Horses have definitely shaped Leighton Berry’s life. He spent his childhood around them and as soon as …
Posted date: March 28, 2024 - 09:49 AM
By Susan Kanode Before superstar Carrie Underwood ever competed on American Idol and told fans she was from Checotah, Oklahoma, …
Posted date: February 03, 2023 - 10:17 AM
By Susan Kanode Travis Graves is headed to his 13th consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® in December and is qualifying for the …
Posted date: September 09, 2022 - 01:00 PM
By Susan Kanode I was in church one time when the preacher said, “There’s no good time to have a …
Posted date: July 15, 2022 - 11:02 AM
By Susan Kanode Spend a little time around Jackie Crawford and you can’t help but be inspired. The cowgirl’s dedication …
Posted date: April 08, 2022 - 11:59 AM
With 12 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® qualifications and four world titles to his credit, it would seem that Tuf Cooper …
Posted date: July 09, 2021 - 02:11 PM
Prior to the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, a lot of people didn’t know who Colten Fritzlan was. Then, $183,000 …
Posted date: March 25, 2021 - 02:36 PM
By Brian Hurlburt Hopefully you read our first 2025 Hurly’s Hot Spots blog. If you did, you’re already well on your way to a terrific Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® experience. If not, click to it at NFRexperience.com. We want to take a moment to reiterate four key tips to help you navigate the country-and-western festival of happenings […]
Posted date: November 20, 2025 - 08:14 PM
Here we go again! It is just about time for the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®, and with it being the 40th Anniversary of the biggest and baddest rodeo moving to Las Vegas, this year is setting up to be our best ever! You HAVE to be in Vegas Dec. 4-13, 2025. Hurly’s Hot Spots annually […]
Posted date: November 06, 2025 - 10:55 AM
By Brian Hurlburt Here it is Mid-October, and you can almost feel the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® vibes in Vegas. In addition to the several hundred thousand fans that are prepping for a Vegas rodeo trip descend in December, the Vegas hospitality and country & Western experts are putting the finishing touches on hundreds of […]
Posted date: October 16, 2024 - 11:50 AM
By Brian Hurlburt Let’s RIDE! Hurly’s Hot Spots features some of the best spots, activations and deals found in Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®. We are back with more in 2024. The on-the-dirt action is a can’t miss at the Thomas & Mack Center, but the off-the-dirt action—what we call the NFR Experience […]
Posted date: September 18, 2024 - 04:30 PM
By Brian Hurlburt Just how serious is the South Point Casino Las Vegas about rodeo and the country and Western lifestyle? So serious that they operate VegasCowboyCentral.com that is dedicated to everything the legendary resort offers when it comes to all types of rodeo, bull riding, equestrian and so much more. There are so many […]
Posted date: November 19, 2021 - 04:24 PM
By Brian Hurlburt Do you know which official Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® sponsor resort is the most conveniently located to the Thomas & Mack Center? If you didn’t, now you do: Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The resort is a walk—or very short shuttle—from the most famous arena in rodeo. Besides the location, there are plenty […]
Posted date: November 12, 2021 - 05:32 PM
By Brian Hurlburt It may seem like a bit of a stretch that a Vegas resort that is, well, ‘cosmopolitan’ in feel and vibe, would welcome Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® fans, competitors, sponsors, and anyone else with an appreciation for the country & Western lifestyle. But that is exactly what The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas […]
Posted date: November 05, 2021 - 08:38 AM
By Brian Hurlburt Rodeo Vegas. Those words have been a staple at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for more than 15 years. And once again in 2021, The Mirage is upping the ante. Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The Mirage offers a one-of-a-kind experience on the large HD projection screens each […]
Posted date: October 29, 2021 - 03:54 PM
By Brian Hurlburt Gilley’s is here. That’s about all you have to mention about the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® happenings at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino (T.I.) to verify that this is a certified place to be during the NFR. Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall & Barbecue is as country & Western legit as it gets, […]
Posted date: October 22, 2021 - 03:58 PM
In rodeo and country & Western circles, especially in Las Vegas, the Boyd name carries big weight. Boyd Gaming properties, and the Boyd family are among the biggest supporters of the annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® and this December it will be more of the same. Once again, The Orleans and Sam’s Town Hotel & […]
Posted date: October 15, 2021 - 10:51 AM
Kennadee Riggs, Miss Rodeo America 2023, is spreading the message of kindness during her journey Since earning the title in Las Vegas as part of the 10 days of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®, Kennadee Riggs has been on the go-go-go, with no letup in sight until she relinquishes her title in about four months […]
Posted date: August 08, 2023 - 03:11 PM
By Brian Hurlburt Charlie Daniels and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo fit together like horse and saddle. Or cowboy and hat. Or a barrel racer and a fast, talented horse. And, most appropriately, they fit together like Charlie Daniels and his world-famous fiddle … The legendary country musician and icon passed away at 83 on […]
Posted date: July 06, 2020 - 05:04 PM
Roper Kyle Lockett loves his family and rodeo, in that order By Brian Hurlburt, Las Vegas Events Unexpected surprises are usually the most enjoyed. There’s no doubt that is the case for the Lockett family when it comes to the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Team Roper Kyle Lockett (heeler) was a regular at the […]
Posted date: June 19, 2020 - 08:58 AM
By Brian Hurlburt, Las Vegas Events. During these unparalleled times during the coronavirus pandemic, people and companies across the United States—and the world—are coming together to help and support those in need. The sport of rodeo has always had a giving reputation–we annually spotlight this generosity in a “Heart of the NFR” feature–and now one […]
Posted date: April 30, 2020 - 08:27 AM
Event info: Annual Wrangler NFR ticket raffle Each night of the Wrangler NFR, the UNLV rodeo team is set up at Thomas & Mack Center selling raffle tickets for nightly seats. UNLVRodeo.com UNLV Rodeo is alive and well at the university, headed by Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ric Griffin. In all, the […]
Posted date: December 08, 2018 - 05:59 PM
Event info: tickets $85 or tables of 10, $850 contact Larry Jordan at 406-223-6503 The Orleans The World of Rodeo Reunion is the “reunion of all reunions” and brings together the legends of rodeo for an annual celebration of the sport. The group will honor rodeo families, 25 legends of rodeo that are 80 years […]
Posted date: December 08, 2018 - 05:58 PM
Event info: Thursday, December 13 | 11:00 a.m., South Point Hotel Casino and Spa Benefits the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund (of interest, the event has raised nearly $1.8 million for JCCF) $50 Table sponsorships available Buy tickets online: https://www.prorodeoleagueofwomen.com This is a be and be seen type event that is a lot of fun and that […]
Posted date: December 08, 2018 - 05:57 PM
Event info: Takes place during the night’s competition at Thomas & Mack Center. Fans and athletes urged to wear pink To donate: ToughEnoughtoWearPink.com Each Monday of the Wrangler NFR, the baddest rodeo cowboys and cowgirls in the world wear pink in honor of the fight against cancer. is Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night at […]
Posted date: December 08, 2018 - 05:57 PM
Exceptional Rodeo is a special interactive program that allows dozens of Las Vegas-area special needs children to experience the world of rodeo. Now in its 36th year, Exceptional Rodeo is one of the highlights of the ten days of the Wrangler NFR. Special needs children are brought to Cowboy Christmas by their parents and teachers to spend […]
Posted date: December 08, 2018 - 05:56 PM
Event info: Private Events To donate or additional info contact Tina Tonascia at 805-925-4125 or tina@elksrec.com This event will bring together children suffering from cancer and their families (one child representing each of 10 rodeo committees in the Western US) at the Wrangler NFR. There will be special banquet at the South Point on […]
Posted date: December 08, 2018 - 05:55 PM
By Brian Hurlburt Statler Wright, by most accounts, probably wasn’t the Wright brother expected to win the 2025 PRCA Saddle Bronc World Championship. But when the dust… Read more "World Title Provided Unexpected Relief for This Wright Brother"
Posted date: July 08, 2026 - 01:28 PM
By Brian Hurlburt If there is a rodeo competitor out there with a personality and an aura that oozes invincibility, it would be Rocker Steiner. He’s a… Read more "Invincible Steiner in Danger of Missing NFR Title Defense in 2026"
Posted date: July 01, 2026 - 03:30 PM
In May 2026, each of the 2025 PRCA and WPRA World Champions gathered in Las Vegas for a 2026 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® promotional media event. The… Read more "Best in the Rodeo Business Lead Off 2026 Gold Buckle Buzz NFR World Champions Series with Exclusive Memories"
Posted date: June 23, 2026 - 02:33 PM
This is the final installment of the 2025 Gold Buckle Buzz series, when writer Brian Hurlburt dove into the hearts and minds of PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during… Read more "Beaver to Webb: Gold Buckles Bind Rodeo’s Past, Present and Future"
Posted date: September 11, 2025 - 04:33 PM
Through the Gold Buckle Buzz series, writer Brian Hurlburt dives into the hearts and minds of PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®.… Read more "From 1985 to Today: Saddle Bronc Legends Share NFR Memories"
Posted date: September 03, 2025 - 05:41 PM
Through the Gold Buckle Buzz series, writer Brian Hurlburt dives into the hearts and minds of PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2024 Wrangler National… Read more "Excitement, Expectations Have Always Been Part of the NFR Thrill for World Champion Team Ropers"
Posted date: August 21, 2025 - 03:44 PM
Through the Gold Buckle Buzz series, writer Brian Hurlburt dives into the hearts and minds of PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2024 Wrangler National… Read more " Current and Former World Champion Bull Riders Agree: Vegas Changed the Rodeo Game"
Posted date: July 29, 2025 - 11:47 AM
Through the Gold Buckle Buzz series, writer Brian Hurlburt takes us into the hearts and minds of PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2024 Wrangler… Read more "These Two Steer Wrestling World Champions Will Never Forget Their First Times at the Vegas NFR"
Posted date: July 24, 2025 - 12:50 PM
Via the Gold Buckle Buzz series, writer Brian Hurlburt takes us into the hearts and minds of the PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2024… Read more "Here’s How the Words of the Legendary Lewis Feild Inspire World Bareback Champion Each Day"
Posted date: July 09, 2025 - 02:56 PM
Via the Gold Buckle Buzz series, writer Brian Hurlburt takes us into the hearts and minds of the PRCA World Champions who clinched titles during the 2024… Read more "Two Barrel Racing Champions Share Joy, Amazement About PRCA World Titles & NFR Experiences"
Posted date: July 01, 2025 - 11:05 AM
