The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the season-ending championship event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is widely acknowledged to be the world’s premier rodeo. Held every December since 1985 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Wrangler NFR is ProRodeo’s richest and most prestigious rodeo, and it showcases the very best cowboys, barrel racers and livestock in the world.

2019 WNFR Team Roping Headers Profiles

Riley Minor: Riley Minor – Ellensburg, Wash. ($97,649) 10-time WNFR qualifier

There have been a lot of consistency’s in Riley Minor’s life. And there have been things that he has been consistent at. One of those is team roping and that has him headed to his 10th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo roping with his older brother.

Every time that Riley has nodded his head to call for a steer in the Thomas and Mack Center, his older brother Brady has been to his right waiting to rope two legs. Riley has consistently roped horns and this year that has led to $97,649 in regular season earnings. He will start the NFR in sixth place. His four-legged partner has added to that consistency over the last several years.

Professional
2019 Highlights – partner Brady Minor
• Won the Sheridan WYO Rodeo
• Won the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo (Vernal, Utah)
• Won the Chief Joseph (Ore.) Days
• Co-champion at the Helzapoppin (Buckeye, Ariz.)
• Co-champion at the Medicine Hat (Alberta) Stampede

Erich Rogers: Erich Rogers – Round Rock, Ariz. ($73,999) 9-time WNFR qualifier 2017 World Champion Header

Erich spent most of the 2019 season roping with the PRCA Heeling Rookie of the Year who finished the season in 17th place. Paden will be in Las Vegas to get his award. Erich finished the regular season with $73,999 in earnings and will start the NFR in 13th place.

He and Paden had a good Cowboy Christmas run winning the rodeo at St. Paul, Oregon and tying for first at what Erich considers his hometown rodeo in Window Rock, Arizona. The win was really special for Paden as it was the first buckle that he has won at a rodeo. Erich had won the rodeo in 2015 and even though he has a gold buckle, the one from St. Paul is what he sports most of the time. He told Paden it was his lucky buckle. Now thanks to Erich’s heading, Paden has one of his own and Erich has two lucky buckles.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Payden Bray
• Won the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo
• Won the Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo
• Won the Laramie (Wyo.) Jubilee Days
• Won the Horse Heaven/Kennewick (Wash.) Round-Up
• Co-champion at the Annual Fouth of July Celebration (Window Rock, Ariz.)

Clay Smith: Clay Smith – Broken Bow, Okla. ($150,512) 5-time WNFR qualifier

A year ago, Clay Smith missed his first steer at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. What could have dashed his hopes for a world title reminded him to treat the NFR like 10 separate rodeos.

He did just that, went on to place in seven of the rounds winning rounds two and five and leaving Las Vegas as the new world champion header. It was his fourth qualification for rodeo’s championships and each of those times had been with heeler Paul Eaves, who won the world in the heeling.

This year has been a year of transition for the man from Broken Bow, Oklahoma. He started roping with Jake Long. They won the National Western Stock Show Rodeo in Denver in January and the RAM National Circuit Finals in March.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Jake Long
• Won the all-around at the Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days
• Won the all-around at the 50th Annual Cowboy Capital Of The World PRCA Rodeo (Stephenville, Texas)
• Won the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo (Kissimmee, Fla.)
• Won the Texas (Waco) Circuit Finals Rodeo
• Won the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo (Denver, Colo.)
• Won the Ropin Dreams (Jourdanton, Texas)
• Won the team roping and co-champion in all-around at the Apache (Okla.) Stampede, with Jade Corkill
• Won the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede, with Jade Corkill
• Won the Eugene (Ore.) Pro Rodeo, with Jade Corkill
• Won the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), with Jade Corkill
• Co-champion at the Kansas (Phillipsburg) Biggest Rodeo, with Jade Corkill
• Won the San Angelo (Texas) Cinch Shoot-Out Rodeo, with Paul Eaves

Ty Blasingame: Ty Blasingame – Casper, Wyo. ($101,490) 2-time WNFR qualifier

Sometimes the unexpected works out. It sure did for Ty Blasingame this year. Ty is headed back to the NFR after a nine-year absence.

He was there in 2010 with Cody Hintz finishing the season in 14th place. Finding head horses, getting married and having daughters all added challenges to Ty’s quest to get back to Vegas. He came close finishing in the top 25 three more years. Then to support his family he started driving truck. He bought more trucks and had others working for him, but the desire to get back to roping was growing. Ty had been living in Ramah, Colorado. After going through a divorce, he moved to Casper, Wyoming.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won RodeoHouston (Texas), with Kyle Lockett
• Won the Moses Lake (Wash.) Round-Up Rodeo, with Brandon Bates

Clay Tryan: Clay Tryan – Billings, Mont. ($103,165) 17-time WNFR qualifier 3-time World Champion

There’s very little in the world of team roping that Clay Tryan has yet to accomplish, yet he still finds the drive and passion to load up horses, get in a truck and drive to the next rodeo or jackpot.

He has been a member of the PRCA for 22 years and has won nearly every major rodeo on the circuit. The Reno (Nevada) Rodeo is still on his bucket list. When he nods his head to call for a steer at the first performance of this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, it will be the 151st time he has done that.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Travis Graves
• Won the Waller County Fair & Rodeo (Hempstead, Texas)
• Won the Ogden (Utah) Pioneer Days
• Won the Daggott County Centennial Rodeo (Manila, Utah)
• Won the Evanston (Wyo.) Cowboy Days
• Co-champion at the Kansas (Phillipsburg) Biggest Rodeo

Brenten Hall: Brenten Hall – Jay, Okla. ($88,927) First-time WNFR qualifier

Brenten Hall has the distinction of being one of two first-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers in the heading, is the youngest of this year’s team ropers and he predicted his future when he was seven years old.

Brenten, who grew up in Jay, Oklahoma with a family of ropers turned 20 last June. He will enter his first NFR in ninth place with $88,927 in regular-season earnings. His parents roped with Travis Graves when he was just starting. They kept busy with roping, raising cattle and kids.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Chase Tryan
• Won the Washington (Puyallup) State Fair Pro Rodeo
• Won Leduc (Alberta) Black Gold Rodeo
• Won the IPE and Stampede (Armstrong, British Columbia)

Cody Snow: Cody Snow – Los Olivos, Calif. ($95,054) 4-time WNFR qualifier

Seven years ago, when Cody Snow was still a teenager, he made an investment that has had a very positive influence in his life.

That was when he purchased a four-year-old mare, Ima Fresnos Dee, that has been partially responsible for his four trips to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He calls the mare Annie and he is the only person that has ever roped on her.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Wesley Thorp
• Won the Canby (Ore.) Rodeo
• Won the Coleman (Texas) PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Tri-State Rodeo Cinch Shoot-Out (Fort Madison, Iowa)
• Won the Springhill (La.) PRCA Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo (Oakley City, Utah)
• Won the Buffalo (Texas) Stampede PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo, with Hunter Koch

Matt Sherwood: Matt Sherwood – Pima, Ariz. ($76,204) 6-time WNFR qualifier 2-time World Champion

Matt Sherwood told Chelsea Schaeffer on the Team Roping Journal’s podcast “The Score” that this season had been a big rollercoaster ride.

Looking at his statistics, his career could be likened to a rollercoaster as well. Matt, from Pima, Arizona is headed to his sixth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 11th place with $76,204 won during the regular season.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Hunter Koch
• Won the Strathmore (Alberta) Stampede
• Won the Innisfail (Alberta) Pro Rodeo
• Won the Brooks (Alberta) Kinsmen Pro Rodeo
• Won That Famous Preston (Idaho) Night Rodeo
• Won the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo (Merritt, British Columbia)
• Co-champion at the Young Living’s Last Chance Rodeo (Mona, Utah)
• Won the Parada Del Sol (Scottsdale, Ariz.), with Derrick Begay

Kaleb Driggers: Kaleb Driggers – Hoboken, Ga. ($118,455) 8-time WNFR qualifier

It would have been hard to imagine the career that was ahead of Kaleb Driggers when he first started roping as a four-year-old.

Twenty-five years later, Kaleb is headed to his eighth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He has won over $1.5 million in the PRCA alone, many major rodeo titles, and been the reserve world champion four times.

Three of those have been with his current partner, Junior Nogueira, and they have been the last three years. Kaleb enters the 2019 NFR in second place with $118,455.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Junior Nogueira
• Won the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup Rodeo
• Won the Mineral Wells (Texas) PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Wolf Point (Mont.) Wild Horse Stampede
• Won the Cache County Fair And Rodeo (Logan, Utah)
• Won the Magic Valley Stampede (Filer, Idaho)
• Co-champion at the Pasadena (Texas) Livestock Show & Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo (Oakley City, Utah)

Chad Masters: Chad Masters – Cedar Hill, Tenn. ($95,529) 13-time WNFR qualifier 2-time World Champion

If Chad Masters is handing out advice to young people, he tells them to do something that he didn’t do, go to college and get an education.

The two-time world champion doesn’t have many regrets, but he has said that if he would have gone to college and gained maturity before starting on his journey to becoming one of the world’s best ropers, that journey might not have had so many twists and turns.

The Cedar Hill, Tennessee resident joined the PRCA in 2001 and two years later was heading at his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In 2006 he won his first NFR average championship and finished the year as the reserve world champion.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Joseph Harrison
• Won the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo
• Won the Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days
• Won the Amarillo (Texas) Tri-State Fair and Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Lewiston (Idaho) Roundup
• Co-champion at the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo

Jake Cooper: Jake Cooper – Monument, N.M. ($73,191) 3-time WNFR Qualifier

Fans are very excited to see the Cooper family represented in the team roping at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo again. Jake Cooper, son of 1981 all around world champ and ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Cooper qualified for this year’s NFR in the final spot.

He’ll rope there with Caleb Anderson who he has roped with all year. He qualified the first time in 2007 where he was heading for his twin brother Jim Ross Cooper. They made history as the only twins to compete in the team roping at the NFR.

Professional
2018 Highlights- Partner Logan Medlin
• Won That Famous Preston (Idaho) Night Rodeo
• Won the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo (Castle Rock, Colo.)
• Won the Lynden (Wash.) PRCA Rodeo

Tate Kirchenschlager: Tate Kirchenschlager – Yuma, Colo. ($75,738) First-time WNFR qualifier

On Oct. 1st when the 2019 regular rodeo season was officially over, Tate Kirchenschlager posted on his Facebook wall, “What an unforgettable year it has been – I qualified for my first NFR.”

When Tate starts this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 12th place with $75,738 in earnings. Throughout the year he has roped with five different partners, and two of them got him big wins that were critical to his qualification.

Last year he finished 47th in the world standings. That got him into San Antonio where he roped with the reigning team roping rookie, Ross Ashford for the first time. They got the W there and collected $25,750. Just like that, the eight-year-member of the PRCA was at the top of the world standings.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo, with Ross Ashford
• Won the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo, with Buddy Hawkins II
• Won the Woodward (Okla.) Elks Rodeo, with Buddy Hawkins II
• Won the Stockyards Championship (Fort Worth, Texas), with Buddy Hawkins II
• Won the Kit Carson County Pro Rodeo (Burlington, Colo.), with Buddy Hawkins II

Luke Brown: Luke Brown – Rock Hill, S.C. ($84,939) 12-time WNFR qualifier

Luke Brown is making some room on the trophy wall of his barn. When he walks in there, he has a nice reminder of the success that he has had as a PRCA team roping header.

He has qualified for his 12th consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 10th place with $84,939 earned during the regular season. His previous 11 back numbers are all framed and hung on the wall. And while he lives in Texas now, South Carolina will always be home. He’ll be proud to carry the “Palmetto State” flag during the grand entry for 10 nights in Vegas.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Oakdale (Calif.) Saddle Club Rodeo, with Jade Corkill
• Won the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo (Abilene, Kan.), with Paul Eaves
• Won the West Texas (Abilene) Fair & Rodeo, with Paul Eaves

Tyler Wade: Tyler Wade – Terrell, Texas ($73,394) 3-time WNFR qualifier

With three Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifications to his credit, it’s going to be a smarter Tyler Wade that rides into the roping box in the Thomas and Mack Center this year.

Tyler learned a lot at his first two qualifications. The first was in 2016 with Dakota Kirchenschlager. He missed it in 2017 finishing the season in 28th. Then he made it back again in 2018.

The first year he was there he didn’t really know what to expect and no matter what anyone told him, experiencing it for himself was a different reality. He saw what other ropers did to prepare and tried to mimic that. It wasn’t the best plan. He and Dakota placed in four rounds.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Billie Jack Saebens
• Won the 101 Wild West Rodeo (Ponca City, Okla.)
• Won the Cowboy Country Fest (Shawnee, Okla.)
• Won the Rooftop Rodeo (Estes Park, Colo.)
• Co-champion at the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Mesquite (Texas) Championship Rodeo, June 8

Coleman Proctor: Coleman Proctor – Pryor, Okla. ($104,318) 5-time WNFR qualifier

Coleman Proctor knows what it is like to be on the bubble for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He knows all about near misses as well after finishing last year in 18th place.

Now he knows what it is like to qualify for rodeo’s championships near the top of the list and to be able to pick and choose which fall rodeos he wants to compete at. That happened this year thanks in part to a big win he and partner Ryan Motes had at RFD-TV’s The American last March.

That $50,000 that he won there had him in second place in the world standings the first of April with over $90,000 in earnings. That is a position he had never been in before. He continued picking up checks with Ryan and other partners to the tune of $104,318 earned in the regular season.

Professional
2019 Highlights- Partner Ryan Motes
• Won The American (Arlington, Texas)
• Won the Lea County PRCA Rodeo (Lovington, N.M.)
• Won the Tri-State Rodeo Cinch Shoot-Out (Fort Madison, Iowa)
• Co-champion at the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo
• Won the Inter-State Rodeo (Coffeyville, Kan.), with Brye Crites
• Co-champion at the Eureka (Kan.) Pro Rodeo, with Brye Crites
• Won Tulsa (Okla.) State Fair PRCA Rodeo, with Joseph Harrison

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the season-ending championship event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is widely acknowledged to be the world’s premier rodeo. Held every December since 1985 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Wrangler NFR is ProRodeo’s richest and most prestigious rodeo, and it showcases the very best cowboys, barrel racers and livestock in the world.

2019 WNFR Steer Wrestlers Profiles

Scott Guenthner: Scott Guenthner – Provost, Alberta ($102,750) 3-time WNFR qualifier

Scott Guenthner has had a lot on his mind while preparing for the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

He set a goal of winning the Canadian title just like his father did. Scott accomplished that last year. His father, Ken, won it in 1981. Now he wants to win another one and of course, the ultimate in rodeo a gold buckle that says world champion steer wrestler.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won Rodeo Austin (Texas)
• Won the All American ProRodeo Finals (Waco, Texas)
• Won the Grande Prairie (Alberta) Stompede
• Won the Brooks (Alberta) Kinsmen Pro Rodeo
• Won the Manitoba (Morris) Stampede & Exhibition
• Won the Dawson Creek (British Columbia) Exhibition and Stampede

Kyle Irwin: Kyle Irwin – Robertsdale, Ala. ($83,472) 5-time WNFR qualifier

Kyle Irwin has rightly earned the nickname Alabama Slamma.

The native of Robertsdale, Alabama has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo five times. That’s twice more than any other Alabaman in NFR history. Rick Carpenter competed on three occasions in the saddle bronc riding.

Kyle made his first trip to Las Vegas to compete for rodeo’s championships in 2014. He qualified in 10th place and with a stellar NFR finished as the reserve world champion. He was back again in 2015, missed 2016 and has been there each year since.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Ropin Dreams (Jourdanton, Texas)
• Won the Molalla (Ore.) Buckeroo Rodeo
• Won the Lawton (Okla.) Rangers Rodeo
• Won the Dillon (Mont.) Jaycees PRCA Rodeo-Montana’s Biggest Weekend

J.D. Struxness: J.D. Struxness – Milan, Minn. ($82,829) 3-time WNFR qualifier

Minnesota has a lot to be proud of in steer wrestler J.D. Struxness. The Milan resident is headed to his third Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with $82,829 in regular season earnings and in 10th place.

J.D.’s start in professional rodeo began in 2014 while he was still in college. The next year, he nearly qualified for his first NFR missing it by just four positions. His 19th place finish saw him with $55,450 and winning the Rookie of the Year in the steer wrestling.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo
• Won Tulsa (Okla.) State Fair PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Woodward (Okla.) Elks Rodeo
• Won the New Mexico (Albuquerque) State Fair & Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Tri-State Rodeo Cinch Shoot-Out (Fort Madison, Iowa)

Cameron Morman: Cameron Morman – Glen Ullin, N.D. ($76,704) First-time WNFR qualifier

Cameron Morman will be one of two North Dakota cowboys competing at the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Since the other North Dakotan is bareback rider Ty Breuer, the first time Cameron rides in front of a crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center, he will be carrying the flag of his home state in the grand entry.

After graduating high school in a class of about a dozen students in 2012, Cameron joined the PRCA in 2013. He competed in college rodeo for Dickinson State University, less than an hour’s drive west of his hometown, and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo three times. He won the college steer wrestling championship in 2015 and earned his ag business degree in 2016.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won Badlands Circuit Finals (Minot, N.D.)
• Won the American Royal Pro Rodeo (Kansas City, Kan.)

Ty Erickson: Ty Erickson – Helena, Mont. ($146,081) 6-time WNFR qualifier

Ty Erickson has had the best regular season of an eight-year career that has seen him win over $1 million. And, he’s not slowing down one bit.

He started the year off with a win at the National Western Stock Show in Denver last January. The end of February found him second in the world standings. Then he headed to RFD-TV’s The American and magic happened.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo (Denver, Colo.)
• Won The American (Arlington, Texas)
• Won the World’s Oldest Rodeo (Prescott, Ariz.)
• Won the YMBL Championship Rodeo (Beaumont, Texas)
• Won the Belt (Mont.) PRCA Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Ogden (Utah) Pioneer Days
• Co-champion at the Central Montana (Lewiston) Ram Pro Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Magic Valley Stampede (Filer, Idaho)

Bridger Chambers: Bridger Chambers – Stevensville, Mont. ($79,028) 2-time WNFR qualifier

Steer wrestling is known as a “big man’s” evemt, and that suits Bridger Chambers. At 6’5” he towers over most other WNFR contestants. A former college basketball player, Bridger is believed to be the only athlete to compete in the NAIA national championship basketball tournament and the College National Finals Rodeo in the same year, as a senior at the University of Montana Western in 2012.

While Bridger has always been a talented steer wrestler, he mainly competed in his circuit while running a drug dog business for the past six years with his father Keith, a former college basketball teammate of 1997 World Champion Steer Wrestler Brad Gleason, another Montanan.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Montana (Great Falls) Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals
• Won the Lions’ Dixie Roundup (St. George, Utah)

Will Lummus: Will Lummus – West Point, Miss. ($86,395) 2-time WNFR qualifier

Will Lummus quickly became one of the most popular steer wrestlers at the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

It was his first appearance and right out of the gate, the likeable Mississippian was getting checks. In fact, he won round five and including that round, got checks in seven out of the first eight rounds.

He had entered in fifth place. His success in the Thomas and Mack arena had him on pace to win a world title. Then disaster struck in the ninth round. A no-time took him out of the average and he finished the season in third place.

Disappointment didn’t last long. He still left Las Vegas with $132,551 and it wasn’t long until he was geared up for the 2019 season. After the winter rodeos he had moved into the top 15 in the world standings. He continued to climb through the summer.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the 142nd Silver Spurs Rodeo (Kissimmee, Fla.)
• Won the 71st Annual PRCA Rodeo (Crossett, Ark.)
• Won the Richland County Fair & Rodeo (Sidney, Mont.)
• Co-champion at the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo

Matt Reeves: Matt Reeves – Cross Plains, Texas ($79,490) 7-time WNFR qualifier

Matt Reeves is back among the Top 15 steer wrestlers in the world, after missing the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for two years.

He last qualified for professional rodeo’s year-end championship in 2016. That year he placed in seven of the ten rounds and climbed from 12th to 2nd in the final standings. That made Matt reserve world champion for the second time in his career.

That career started in 2003 and took off when he qualified for his first WNFR in 2007. He was back competing in Las Vegas in 2009 and 2010, and again in 2012 and 2013.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the West of the Pecos (Texas) Rodeo
• Won the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo (Odessa, Texas)
• Won the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo (Oakley City, Utah)
• Won the Summit County Fair & Rodeo (Coalville, Utah)
• Won the Norco (Calif.) Mounted Posse PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Evanston (Wyo.) Cowboy Days

Riley Duvall: Riley Duvall – Checotah, Okla. ($85,963) 3–time WNFR qualifier

Riley has had many mentors that have been the best in the business. He comes from a long line of steer wrestlers. In fact, there have been five Duvalls who have competed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the steer wrestling a total of 33 times. Riley’s great-uncle Roy has contributed the majority of those and holds the record at 24.

Riley’s dad, Sam, uncle, Spud, and cousin, Tom have each been there twice. And now Riley is headed to the NFR for the third time. While he is a long way from Roy’s record, he now is in second place in the family.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Sikeston (Mo.) Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo
• Won the Ram Prairie Circuit Finals (Duncan Okla.)
• Won the Angelina Benefit Rodeo (Lufkin, Texas)
• Won the Phil Gardenhire Pro Rodeo (Poteau, Okla.)
• Won the Nebraska’s (Burwell) Big Rodeo
• Co-champion at the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo

Tanner Brunner: Tanner Brunner – Ramona, Kan. ($74,950) 2-time WNFR qualifier

Tanner Brunner is returning to Las Vegas for his second Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling. He qualified in sixth place last year, but only placed in one round and dropped to 15th by the end of the finals.

This year he comes into the finals in 15th and is hoping to improve that standing during 10 rounds at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede
• Won the Medicine Hat (Alberta) Stampede
• Won the Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo (Garden City, Kan.)

Dakota Eldridge: Dakota Eldridge – Elko, Nev. ($81,103) 6-time WNFR qualifier

Nevada native Dakota Eldridge will be making the trip south from his hometown of Elko to Las Vegas to compete at his sixth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He qualified for the WNFR in steer wrestling for five years in a row, from 2013 to 2017.

Last year he started out to be his best year yet. He won the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo and kept winning until July. That’s when he tore up his knee at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He missed the rest of the season and finished the year 24th in the world standings.

Dakota’s comeback was slower than what he had hoped for. He didn’t crack the Top 15 until late April when he won more than $5,100 at Clovis, California. Other wins this season included Greeley, Colorado; Las Vegas Days, Nevada; Ramona and Norco, California; Lynden, Washington, and Dodge City, Kansas. His combined winnings between Greeley (July 3) and Dodge City (August 4) were over $18,000. He’ll start the 2019 NFR in 11th place with $81,103 in regular season earnings.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo
• Won the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede
• Won the Las Vegas (Nev.) Days
• Won the Ramona (Calif.) Rodeo
• Won the Lynden (Wash.) PRCA Rodeo
• Won the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup Rodeo
• Won the Norco (Calif.) Mounted Posse PRCA Rodeo
• Co-champion at the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo (Heber City, Utah)

Tyler Waguespack: Tyler Waguespack – Gonzales, La. ($97,130) 5-time WNFR qualifier 2-time World Champion

There is something to be said for momentum. Just ask Tyler Waguespack.

He’s had momentum on his side and been able to use it to his advantage to qualify for five-consecutive Wrangler National Finals. He left Las Vegas on two of those occasions with the gold buckle awarded to world champions.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo
• Won the Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo
• Won the Dixie National Rodeo (Jackson, Miss.)
• Won the Leesville (La.) Lions Club Rodeo
• Won the Kit Carson County Pro Rodeo (Burlington, Colo.)
• Won the Tri-State Rodeo Cinch Shoot-Out (Fort Madison, Iowa)

Tyler Pearson: Tyler Pearson – Louisville, Miss. ($83,109) 4-time WNFR qualifier 2017 World Champion

When Tyler Pearson backed into the timed-event box at the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, he was wearing the world champion steer wrestling buckle and riding the best horse in the PRCA.

But no matter what happened inside the arena in the Thomas and Mack Center, Tyler and Kyle Irwin, “Scooter’s” owners, their sponsors and fans had already made a commitment outside of the arena that would change lives.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo (Kissimmee, Fla.)
• Won the Omaha (Neb.) River City Rodeo

Stetson Jorgensen: Stetson Jorgensen – Blackfoot, Idaho ($90,220) First-time WNFR qualifier

Stetson Jorgensen joined the PRCA in 2015 and in the first three years of his membership earned $52,695. The bulk of that was in 2018 as he was working to set himself up for the 2019 season.

The Blackfoot, Idaho resident wanted to be among the top 50 in the world to qualify for the winter building rodeos. He finished 38th in the world standings in 2018 with $37,601. This year he set out to qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the NILE Pro Rodeo (Billings, Mont.)
• Won the RAM Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo (Heber City, Utah)
• Won the Golden Spike Rodeo (Tremonton, Utah)
• Co-champion at the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo (Heber City, Utah)
• Co-champion at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up
• Co-champion at the Annual Fourth Of July Celebration (Window Rock, Ariz.)
• Co-champion at the Mountain Valley Stampede Rodeo (Heber City, Utah)

Hunter Cure: Hunter Cure – Holliday, Texas ($104,568) 5-time WNFR qualifier 2013 & 2015 World Champion

A big part of Hunter Cure’s success this year can be attributed to one of the most important equine partners that he has ever had.

In 2013 and 2015, Cure rode a steer wrestling horse he calls Charlie to world championships. He made his first trip to Las Vegas to compete at rodeo’s championships in 2009. He was there also in 2018 and is making his fifth trip this year.

In 2016 Charlie cut his foot. That injury was not just threatening Charlie’s career, it nearly took his life. The Cures did everything they could just to keep him comfortable and let him live out his days in the luxury of a pasture.

Professional
2019 Highlights
• Won the Washington (Puyallup) State Fair Pro Rodeo
• Won the Williams Lake (Alberta) Stampede
• Won the Oakdale (Calif.) Saddle Club Rodeo
• Won the Snake River Stampede (Nampa, Idaho)
• Co-champion at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up

Courtesy of WranglerNetwork.com

The Wrangler NFR is the season-ending championship event for the PRCA and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is widely acknowledged to be the world’s premier rodeo. Held every December since 1985 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Wrangler NFR is ProRodeo’s richest and most prestigious rodeo, and it showcases the very best cowboys, barrel racers and livestock in the world.

2019 WNFR Bareback Riders Profiles

Jake Brown: Jake Brown – Cleveland, Texas ($95,068) 5-time WNFR qualifier

Jake has always wanted to be cowboy and one of the first goals he ever set was to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

He enters his fifth NFR in ninth place with $95,048 in regular season earnings. The born and bred Texan first accomplished that goal in 2015 and hasn’t missed one since. His father, Paul Brown is a college rodeo coach. He has two older sisters that competed at play days and the family was nearly always at a rodeo or practicing for rodeos.

Tim O’Connell: Tim O’Connell – Zwingle, Iowa ($113,168) 6-time WNFR qualifier 3-time World Champion

Three years in a row Tim O’Connell entered the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in first place and left with a world title. But in 2018, he also left with an injury.

He scored 87-points on J Bar J’s bucking horse All Pink in the tenth round, but that came at a cost. He suffered a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum. While he didn’t think the injury was that bad at first, an MRI when he returned home showed the extent of the damage.

Dr. Tandy Freeman of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team recommended surgery which kept Tim out of action for six months. The upside of the forced inaction was Tim had more time to spend with his wife Sami and their son Hazen who turned one in March.

I enjoyed the six months off,” he said. “God blessed me with the time to spend with my wife and son, and it lit my fire to ride bucking horses again.

Trenten Montero: Trenten Montero – Winnemucca, Nev. ($80,757) First-time WNFR qualifier

If Trenton Montero has any regrets about his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification, it’s that he won’t be able to participate in the grand entry.

There is nothing this ranch-raised cowboy would rather do than ride behind the Nevada flag as one of this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo contestants, except get on a bucking horse and ride for a world championship. That is exactly what he is going to do and because bareback riding is the first event, those contestants don’t participate in the grand entry.

Taylor Broussard: Taylor Broussard – Estherwood, La. ($79,271) First-time WNFR qualifier

When a lot of rodeo contestants qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, someone plans a celebration for them.

Taylor Broussard from Estherwood, Louisiana is having his own party on Facebook. Broussard’s family owns Acadia Crawfish Company, a gourmet line of spices and foods that reflects his Louisiana bayou heritage. When it was official, and he could announce that he got the 15th spot and was headed to compete on rodeo’s biggest stage he celebrated by giving away a starter kit to have the world’s best crawfish boil.

While he is giving others the opportunity to have a celebration, he and his wife Alishea and their families are doing a lot of celebrating as well. Taylor joined the PRCA in 2011. When he’s not rodeoing, he works at the family business. After finishing in the top 40 last year, he felt like he could compete with the best and had the confidence that he could be among the top 15 that ride for the gold buckle.

Tilden Hooper: Tilden Hooper – Carthage, Texas ($137,559) 6-time WNFR qualifier

When Tilden Hooper won the bareback riding at the College National Finals Rodeo and the PRCA Rookie of the Year in 2007, everyone saw a bright future for the talented athlete.

He qualified for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2008. Tilden finished that year 15th in the world standings. The next year he qualified again in 14th place.

In 2010, he tied for the world-record score when he rode Classic Pro Rodeo’s Big Tex for 94 points. But he missed the NFR.

A trip back to Las Vegas came in 2011 and again in 2014, when he finished the year in 11th place both times.

Clint Laye: Clint Laye – Cadogan, Alberta ($107,954) 2-time WNFR qualifier

Clint Laye is returning to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo after a three-year absence. The Canadian bareback rider qualified for his first trip to the Thomas & Mack Center in 2015, finished 10th in the world standings and placed in four of the 10 rounds.

Injuries kept him out of action for most of 2016, he finished in the Top 50 in 2017 and just missed returning to the WNFR last year when he finished 17th. He starts this year’s competition in eighth place with $107,954 in regular season earnings.

He started 2019 with a bang, winning the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver in January. Other big wins included the California Rodeo in Salinas; Union, Oregon; Jerome, Idaho; Moses Lake, Washington; and Mona, Utah, the last weekend of the regular rodeo season.

Ty Breuer: Ty Breuer – Mandan, N.D. ($88,699) 5–time WNFR qualifier

Ty Breuer had the best winter of his nine years as a PRCA bareback rider this year.

The Mandan, North Dakota resident won the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, then the Fiesta De Las Vaqueros Rodeo in Tucson, Arizona. He also got nearly $10,000 out of the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo.

He continued winning and by the first of April had worked his way to third place in the world standings. Then things started to slow down. After the Fourth of July he was sixth with $86,113. He only added $2,586 through the rest of the season qualifying for his fifth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 12th place with $88,699.

Caleb Bennett: Caleb Bennett – Corvallis, Mont. ($110,973) 8-time WNFR qualifier

Caleb Bennett had high hopes for a gold buckle last year. He came to Las Vegas ranked 2nd, his best regular season finish in more than a decade of membership in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

He won one round at the 2018 WNFR and placed in three others – a respectable showing – but five other cowboys won enough in the 10 rounds to pass him. He finished the year ranked sixth in the world.

This year he starts rodeo’s championships in seventh with $110,973 earned in during the regular season. He kicked off 2019 with big wins in Texas at San Angelo and Austin, where he won first for the second year in a row. Other big wins came at the 100th anniversary Cody (Wyoming) Stampede over July 4 and at several Canadian rodeos.

Austin Foss: Austin Foss – Terrebonne, Ore. ($92,895) 4-time WNFR qualifier

A bareback riding glove that gets wedged into the handle of a rigging is much more than a tool for Austin Foss of Terrebonne, Oregon.

The four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier customizes those gloves for his fellow competitors and uses his own glove to keep track of his rides and remind him to keep improving. Each time he is more than 80 points on a ride, he stamps an eight on his glove. He pulled out some old gloves and did some calculating. The glove he rode with in 2012 had about 20 of the eights on it. The next year it was 26. During this year’s regular season, he has been 80 points or better a total of 45 times and even got to put a nine on his glove for a ride that topped 90 this year.

That success during the regular season has Austin headed to the NFR in 11th place with $92,895. A native Oregonian, Austin won the state title in high school twice. He went on to Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton and finished fifth at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2012, the same year he won the PRCA Rookie-of-the-Year title.

Steven Dent: Steven Dent – Mullen, Neb. ($93,799) 10-time WNFR qualifier

Growing up in the sandhills of Nebraska, there were three things Steven Dent learned a lot about, athletics, rodeo and ranching. He has been successful at all three and 2019 marks his tenth trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

When he was a junior in high school,l he helped his eight-man football team win a state championship and led the state in rushing with 2,488 yards. The next year, he was a state wrestling champion.

All the while, he was learning about rodeo from his father who competed in the PRCA. His parents made their living ranching and he was taking that all in as well. Football scholarships held little interest to the high school athlete, but an offer to rodeo with world champion saddle bronc rider Tom Reeves at Ranger College in Texas was very appealing.

Steven also competes in saddle bronc riding as well as bareback riding. In fact, he finished the 2019 regular season ranked fifth in the all-around world championship standings and won the collegiate all-around title in 2007.

Clayton Biglow: Clayton Biglow – Clements, Calif. ($181,952) 4-time WNFR qualifier

After the best season of his rodeo career, Clayton Biglow is headed to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the fourth consecutive year – and this time he’s the frontrunner.

He racked up nearly $182,000 in regular-season earnings, including over $9,000 in the final month of the season to move him $5,741 ahead of four-time world champion Kaycee Feild.

Clayton has been among the top seven bareback riders in the world since 2016, just three years removed from winning the National High School Rodeo Association champion bareback rider and reserve all-around cowboy.

After his first NFR qualification in 2016, he finished the season in seventh place. In 2017, he was fifth and in 2018 he finished fourth. With that constant improvement, this year he is poised for a serious bid for a world championship.

Kaycee Feild: Kaycee Feild – Spanish Fork, Utah ($176,205) 10-time WNFR qualifier 4-time World Champion

The path to his tenth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo has been a roller-coaster of ups and downs for four-time world champion bareback rider Kaycee Feild.

After finishing seventh at the end of 2018, Feild didn’t have an exceptional early season in 2019. By mid-February he was ranked 10th in the world championship standings.

Then came March. He started the month winning second place and $26,000 at The American in Arlington, Texas. Then he headed to one of his favorite rodeos – Rodeo Houston. There he won his fifth title in eight years and added more than $56,000 to his season earnings and passing the $100,000 mark. He finished the month by staying in Texas and winning $12,000 at Rodeo Austin and held the number one position with just under $116,000.

Richmond Champion: Richmond Champion – The Woodlands, Texas ($130,829) 5-time WNFR qualifier

With parents that jobs that required frequent moves, Richmond Champion didn’t find his way to the rodeo arena until he was a teenager and had moved to Texas. The first-generation cowboy has truly found his passion and has qualified for his fifth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the bareback riding.

His mother competed in equestrian events in high school and had a love for horses that she passed on. The family is super competitive with everything they do and when Richmond’s older brother Doug was riding bareback horses, it wasn’t long until they both were getting on. Richmond had been riding bulls but said “I wasn’t very good at it,” so the transition to bareback was an easy decision.

Wanting to be the best he knew he needed to learn so he went to three bareback riding schools in six months. It paid off. He won the Texas High School Rodeo title, competed at the National High School Finals Rodeo and got a chance to further his education at Tarleton State University.

Orin Larsen: Orin Larsen – Inglis, Manitoba ($173,442) 5-time WNFR qualifier

Orin Larsen is making a habit of qualifying for both the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. This is the fourth year in a row that he will compete at Canada’s championship rodeo in October and then head to Las Vegas for the WNFR in December.

The first year he qualified for the NFR was in 2015. But the native Canadian missed the CFR that year.

Orin’s first NFR qualification was special for the family as his older brother Tyrell competed in the saddle bronc riding. They were the first contestants from Manitoba to compete for rodeo’s championships.

They have made a lot of family memories. At last year’s CFR, Orin competed in bareback riding, Tyrell in saddle bronc riding and their youngest brother Kane qualified in the bull riding.

Tanner Aus: Tanner Aus – Granite Falls, Minn. ($81,595) 4-time WNFR qualifier

Rodeo fans would be hard pressed to find a cowboy that is more humble than Tanner Aus from Granite Falls, Minnesota.

He has won a lot of big rodeos, qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo four times and is on track to cross the $1 million mark. In fact, even though he is entering the NFR in 13th place with $81,595 he could cross that milestone in Las Vegas in December.

Each of the three previous years that he has been there, he has shared or won at least one round and placed in multiple rounds. He has career earnings of nearly $900,000 so it’s a pretty safe bet that he will accomplish that goal at this year’s NFR.

Courtesy of WranglerNetwork.com

The Wrangler NFR is the season-ending championship event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is widely acknowledged to be the world’s premier rodeo. Held every December since 1985 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, the Wrangler NFR is ProRodeo’s richest and most prestigious rodeo, and it showcases the very best cowboys, barrel racers and livestock in the world.

2019 WNFR Barrel Racers Profiles

Jennifer Sharp: Jennifer Sharp – Richards, Texas ($91,754) First-time WNFR qualifier

Jennifer Sharp started the 2019 season with a bang, winning second at Odessa, Texas, and then taking the championship at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver in January. Riding Six French Smooches “Smooch”, she won nearly $12,000. Smooch, a six-year-old palomino mare is owned by Terri Lamp of Cat Springs, Texas.

Hailey Kinsel: Hailey Kinsel – Cotulla, Texas ($148,867) 3-time WNFR qualifier 2018 World Champion

It wasn’t that long ago that no one had heard of Hailey Kinsel, but she and her great mare DM Sissy Hayday “Sister” have not only become superstars in the barrel racing world, their rise to success in the rodeo arena has given the Kinsel name notoriety.

It started in 2017 when they won RFD-TV’s The American. Then came a college championship for Texas A&M University and their first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo where they set an arena record and an earnings record.

Stevi Hillman: Stevi Hillman – Weatherford, Texas ($105,335) 4-time WNFR qualifier

For any barrel racer to achieve greatness, it takes a team. For Stevi Hillman, it has also taken a Truck.

Stevi is on her way to her fourth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and while she has ridden several different horses, there has been one that has been instrumental in her success. That horse is 12-year-old gelding Cuatro Fame, “Truck.”

There are several constants in her life. Her faith in God, her husband Ty, and her desire to win. Truck has been right there too. This year he has won the majority of her $105,335 during the regular season putting her in sixth place to start the NFR.

Stevi first qualified for the NFR in 2016. That same year, her husband, Ty Hillman, started his own personal coaching business – Prepare to Win. That has become a way of life for this duo as they listen to motivational speakers as they drive, try to eat healthy and get rest on the road and put their faith to good use.

Nellie Miller: Nellie Miller – Cottonwood, Calif. ($154,611) 4-time WNFR qualifier 2017 World Champion

Nellie Miller not only has the distinction of entering her fourth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in first place, she did it by entering fewer rodeos than any of her other competitors.

It’s not just because she has a super star horse in Rafter W Minnie Reba, the 11-year-old mare that everyone knows as Sister. Sister was raised and trained by Nellie’s father Sam Williams and is a full sister to the horse that Nellie competed on at her first NFR.

Maybe it is because they raised and trained the mare, and maybe it’s just because of the partnership they have formed, but Nellie has figured out exactly what rodeos Sister likes and where they will excel. Needless to say, they have a high winning percentage. They earned $154,611 during the regular season and did that at 28 rodeos.

Ericka Nelson: Ericka Nelson – Century, Fla. ($93,433) First-time WNFR qualifier

Ask Ericka Nelson about the learning curve in rodeo. It took her three years to get to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and it wasn’t from lack of effort or winning.

Ericka joined the WPRA in 2001. She went to circuit rodeos and stayed pretty close to home in Century, Florida. She rode outside horses and did some training. One of the horses that came to her in those days was PC Cash “Bud.” He came to Ericka as a three-year-old, she started training him and taking him to futurities. Because she didn’t want to travel and go “out west” but wanted Bud to have those opportunities he was sold.

Then Goodfrenchmanfriday “Friday” came into her life and she couldn’t turn down the opportunity to ride him. She saw it as an opportunity to show the rest of the world the quality of horses there are in Florida, so she hit the road.

Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi: Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi – Lampasas, Texas ($105,503) 13-time WNFR qualifier 2-time World Champion

Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi just might have a horse problem. It’s a self-proclaimed part of her barrel racing addiction.

That addiction has led to 13 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifications, well over $2 million in career earnings and two world championships. It’s also developed her horsemanship as she has ridden so many different horses and gained experience and knowledge from each one.

Her love of the sport led to ventures outside of the arena starting a breeding business. She and her husband Garrett Tonozzi have about 50 horses in their care and do a large percentage of the work themselves.

Add a two-year-old daughter (Tinlee born March of 2017) and their lives have to be nothing short of chaotic. Even with the chaos, Brittany has managed to travel coast to coast, earn $105,503 during the regular season and will start this year’s NFR in fifth place.

On the “Married With Horses” podcast, she told Lane and Jackie Jatzlau that she would really be happy if she won fifth place at every rodeo she went to. All of those fifth-place checks would add up and with going to 67 rodeos would likely get someone to the NFR.

Emily Miller: Emily Miller – Weatherford, Okla. ($98,145) First-time WNFR qualifier

Emily Miller grew up on a farm in Kansas with family that wasn’t involved with horses. Her babysitter was a barrel racer and that started an interest that is not only a lifelong passion for Emily, it forged a lifelong relationship with that babysitter, Jana (Wehkamp) Turner.

Emily’s parents supported her love of horses and competing in rodeos but they also were realistic about the endeavors. She competed in five events in high school and was the Kansas all-around champion on three occasions.

When she was a sophomore in high school her parents bought her a horse for the last time. They were still supportive but knew that she needed to learn to make it on her own and treat rodeo like a business.

She got rodeo scholarships for college and started out at the nearby Garden City Community College. Then she transferred to Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford and got her dental hygiene degree.

Shali Lord: Shali Lord – Lamar, Colo. ($111,776) 2-time WNFR qualifier

A lot of things have changed since Shali Lord qualified for her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2005.

While the competition is essentially the same, the NFR payout has nearly doubled going from $5,104,424 to $10,000. Each of the 10 rounds is worth about $12,000 more for winners and the overall NFR champion will earn $27,000 more than the 2005 winner did.

When Shali, from Lamar, Colorado, qualified in 2005, she rode a little bay rocket, SX Docs Slider “Slider” that either got her to the pay window or hit a barrel. It was exciting to watch and that duo stole the hearts of many fans. She ended up third in the world with $143,348. This year she enters the competition fourth in the world with $111,776, just $31,572 less than she won during the whole 2005 season.

Cheyenne Wimberley: Cheyenne Wimberley – Stephenville, Texas ($90,361) 3-time WNFR qualifier

It’s been 20 years since Cheyenne Wimberley ran down the alley at the Thomas & Mack Center to compete in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

The Stephenville, Texas, cowgirl joined the WPRA shortly after hitting double digits. It wasn’t long until she was finding success in the rodeo arena. She filled her permit when she was 11 at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque. The next year she was the Turquoise Circuit Rookie of the Year. She made her first of two consecutive appearances at the NFR in 1998.

After her good horse sustained a career-ending injury, Cheyenne walked away from professional rodeo and its grueling travel schedule. She finished college at Tarleton State University, earned her realtor’s license, became a horse insurance broker and founded Cowboy Classic Saddlery with her parents. She kept her passion for barrel racing, finding her niche training futurity horses.

Ivy Conrado-Saebens: Ivy Conrado – Nowata, Okla. ($93,269) 4-time WNFR qualifier

This has been a year of change outside of the rodeo arena for Ivy Conrado-Saebens, but her barrel racing has been on a steady winning path.

She qualified for her fourth consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in barrel racing and her ten-year-old mare KNFabs Gift of Fame “JLo” was named AQHA Purina Reserve Barrel Horse of the Year for the second straight year. Ivy has $93,269 in regular-season earnings and will start the NFR in 11th place.

Last year she placed in six of the ten rounds at the Thomas & Mack Center, finishing eighth in the average. She won the fifth round, earning the go-round buckle, finished third in the first, sixth and seventh rounds and took sixth in the third and tenth rounds. Ivy won $98,000 to nearly double her regular season winnings and finish the year ranked sixth.

On the personal side, Ivy moved to Nowata, Oklahoma, early this year, where her fiancé Billie Jack Saebens is head trainer for Dixon Flowers Rope Horses.

The couple had a chance to be one of the relatively few husband-wife duos to qualify for the WNFR in the same year. Saebens, a two-time WNFR qualifier in team roping, just missed the cut this year, finishing 16th in the heeler standings, just $2,200 short of the Top 15.

Dona Kay Rule: Dona Kay Rule – Minco, Okla. ($96,507) First-time WNFR qualifier

Dona Kay Rule has said that at 60-plus years of age, it’s her turn. She proved that by qualifying for her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and doing it on a horse that 20 years ago she probably would have sold.

The Minco, Oklahoma resident doesn’t remember a time when horses weren’t a part of her life or when she didn’t want to go ride. Her father competed in rodeos. She was showing horses. Her father was entered in the team roping at a rodeo and they had to hustle from the horse show to get there. Dona Kay had won ribbons at the horse show but when she saw that her father got money for winning at the rodeo, her focus changed.

She met her husband, John Rule, inside the National Saddlery shop in Oklahoma City. That’s a business that they bought and ran together for years. Dona Kay was also raising two children and training barrel racing horses.

Amberleigh Moore: Amberleigh Moore – Salem, Ore. ($93,059) 4-time WNFR qualifier

Amberleigh Moore will be making her fourth consecutive trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The Salem, Oregon, barrel racer has earned her berth nearly every possible way in those four years.

Her ten-year-old mare CP Dark Moon, who her husband Paul nicknamed Paige, has excelled in the atmosphere at the Thomas & Mack Center

Four years ago, she barely squeaked into the barrel racing field in 15th, but placed in eight of the 10 rounds, winning three. She won almost $187,000 at the finals, finished as reserve world champion and was the high money winner among the barrel racers.

The next year she came into Las Vegas ranked fourth and again won three rounds and placed in two others, winning nearly $120,000 at the WNFR.

Lisa Lockhart: Lisa Lockhart – Oelrichs, S.D. (146,352) 13-time WNFR qualifier 2-time WNFR Champion

Maybe 13 will be the magic number for South Dakota’s Lisa Lockhart. Her fans are certainly hoping so.

When she rides into the Thomas and Mack Center for the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, it will be for her 13th qualification. Much of her success in Las Vegas has been aboard An Oakie With Cash “Louie.”

Louie has been a standout in Las Vegas, taking Lisa to two NFR championships. At 16-years-old, the buckskin gelding has already made 80 trips around the barrels there. That’s 80 right turns and 160 left. Lisa has another buckskin mount that she won a round on at last year’s NFR, Rosas Cantina CC “Rosa,” nine, that looks very similar to Louie. The biggest difference is when they enter the arena, Louie goes right, Rosa goes left.

She also got help this year from an eight-year-old Prime Diamond “Cutter” that took her to her first national title. Last March, with Louie on the inured list and Rosa busy with breeding season, Lisa’s top two horses weren’t available for competition. She was representing the Badlands Circuit at the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo (for the 15th time) and had a big decision to make.

Jessica Routier: Jessica Routier – Buffalo, S.D. ($96,507) 2-time WNFR qualifier

Last year was a learning experience for Jessica Routier that led to her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification and taught her how to get back there again.

After finishing the 2018 season as the reserve world champion, she got into the lucrative winter rodeos hoping that the palomino mare, Fiery Miss West, that she rides would shine over the winter. “Missy” did just that and before the busy summer run, they had been to 10 rodeos and won nearly $40,000.

Jessica is a planner and with five children, a ranch and plenty of horses to ride, those plans play a critical role in her success. This year she went to 54 rodeos and won $96,507 to finish the regular season in eighth place.

As she schedules those rodeos, she plans the trips so she is never gone from home for more than two weeks. Her husband Riley Routier is part of a ranching family that takes care of 800 head of cattle.

Lacinda Rose: Lacinda Rose – Willard, Mo. ($88,936) First-time WNFR qualifier

Making her first appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is barrel racer Lacinda Rose of Willard, Missouri.

Lacinda qualified for Las Vegas in the 15th (and last) position, but with a $10,000 cushion over 16th-ranked Leia Pluemer. She is the first person from Missouri to qualify in the barrel racing since Amanda Clayman in 2004. They are the only two Missouri barrel racers to compete at the NFR since it moved to Las Vegas 34 years ago. She and team roper Paul Eaves will represent the “Show Me” state this year.

Her main mount has been RR Meradas Real Deal, an 11-year-old product of her father-in-law’s breeding program. Her husband Adam, a PRCA tie-down and team roper, trained Real Deal as a heading horse and Lacinda trained him on barrels.

Adam has qualified for four RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeos and won the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in January with partner Jett Hillman.

Courtesy of WranglerNetwork.com