LOVINGTON, N.M. – Since Dec. 1, 2011, Kaycee Feild has won more than $400,000 on the backs of bucking horses.

On Thursday night, he assured himself even more by testing his world championship spur stroke against the nasty moves of a world championship beast, Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal. It worked out for 89 points to take the lead at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo.

“I knew that horse had a different move around the post (of the chute), but I wasn’t expecting it four times,” Feild said of how many times the powerful 12-year-old bay gelding changed leads during the eight-second ride. “It sure was fun. I really couldn’t just sit down the first two or three jumps. It took me that long to extend my spur stroke.”

It’s one of the best bareback riding spur strokes going down the rodeo trail today. Feild won the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, scoring a record 860 points through the 10-round slugfest in Las Vegas. That propelled him to his first world championship.

Since then, he has won some of the most prestigious events in the sport, including ProRodeo wins in Fort Worth, Texas.

But that’s nothing to the day he experienced just nine days ago, when he celebrated his wedding to his new bride, Stephanie. In fact, Thursday’s ride was just his second one since the July 31 nuptials.

“I’ve been dating her for two years,” said Feild, 25, a four-time NFR qualifier from Payson, Utah, whose father, Lewis, is a five-time world champion. “She’s been around my family. She understands my job is to go to every rodeo I can and to put every loving minute into riding bucking horses.

“In order to be the best, you’ve got to practice to be the best, and she understands that. She loves me whether I do good or do bad, and that’s a good feeling to go home to.”

It took Feild five years of competing in ProRodeo to win his first gold buckle. Now he’s got to do everything it takes to defend that title.

“I’m friends with a lot of world champions, and they say the first one isn’t the easiest to get but that the second one is harder to get,” he said. “That’s my goal. My goal was to win a gold buckle and to dominate in Vegas.

“I didn’t have my goals written down for like a month and a half, and it was showing. Staying at home for 10 days lit a fire under me, and I’m ready to go.”

Of course, it helps that a lot when he gets to ride one of the best horses in rodeo. Real Deal was named the 2005 Bareback Horse of the Year, and he looks as powerful as ever.

“That’s what I crave,” Feild said. “That’s what I ride bucking horses for is to get on the rankest, baddest horses. I can prove, not only to my friends but also to myself, that I can spur anything and that I can spur the bad ones.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster when you can get on a bad one and spur him every jump.”

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 8-11
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Kaycee Feild, 89 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal; 2. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Seth Hardwick, 86; 4. (tie) J.R. Vezain, Justin McDaniel and Casey Colletti, 83; 7. (tie) Will Lowe and Caine Riddle, 81.

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Kash Koester and Jacob Shofner, 4.0 seconds; 3. Shayde Etherton, 4.4; 4. Ben Shofner, 4.6; 5. (tie) Riley York and K.C. Jones, 5.0; 7. Monty Eakin, 5.2; 8. Justin Smith, 5.6. Second round leaders: 1. Riley Duvall, 4.1 seconds; 2. (tie) Tom Lewis and Aaron Vosler, 4.4; 4. (tie) K.C. Jones, Kash Koester and Teddy Johnson, 4.5; 7. Stockton Graves, 4.6; 8. Ben Shofner, 4.8. Average leaders: 1. Kash Koester, 8.5 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Ben Shofner and Jacob Shofner, 9.4; 4. K.C. Jones, 9.5; 5. Shayde Etherton, 9.7; 6. (tie) Teddy Johnson and Aaron Vosler, 10.2; 8. Riley York, 10.5.

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Trevor Thiel, 8.0 seconds; 2. Stetson Vest, 8.4; 3. Ross Beasley, 8.5; 4. Shane Hanchey, 8.8; 5. (tie) Sterling Smith and Matt Kenney, 9.1; 7. (tie) Beau Marshall and Russell Cardoza, 9.2; 7. Scott Kormos, 9.3; 8. Cimarron Boardman, 9.5. Second round leaders: 1. Cody Ohl, 7.8 seconds; 2. Cody Owens, 8.0; 3. Scott Kormos, 8.1; 4. Sterling Smith, 8.4; 5. J.D. Kibbe, 8.5; 6. Chris Demases, 8.6; 7. Matt Kenney, 8.7; 8. Reese Riemer, 8.8. Average leaders: 1. Scott Kormos, 17.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Sterling Smith, 17.5; 3. (tie) Matt Kenney and Ross Beasley, 17.8; 5. Stetson Vest, 17.9; 6. J.D. Kibbe, 19.1; 7. Chris Demases, 19.3; 8. Cody Owens, 19.8.

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Travis Sheets, 85 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s True Lies; 2. (tie) Troy Crowser and Chuck Schmidt, 8.4; 4. J.J. Elshere, 83; 5. Bradley Harter, 81; 6. Sterling Crawley, 78; 7. Cody Martin, 77; 8. Robert Aragon, 75.

Steer roping: Third round leaders: 1. Bryce Davis, 10.5 seconds; 2. Brent Lewis, 11.9; 3. Scott Snedecor, 12.4; 4. Cody Lee, 12.9; 5 (tie) Rocky Patterson, Jim Davis and Buster Record Jr., 13.9. Average leaders: 1. J.P. Wickett, 42.7 seconds on three runs; 2. Brent Lewis, 44.4; 3. Cody Lee, 47.8; 4. Rod Hartness, 50.4; 5. Landon McClaugherty, 26.2 on two; 6. Scott Snedecor, 27.2.

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 4.2 seconds; 2. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.5; 3. Nick Sartain/Kollin VonAhn, 4.8; 4. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 5.3; 5. Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 5.4; 6. Nate Singletary/Tom Bill Johnson, 5.5; 7. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 5.6; 8. Billy Stephens/Justin Hendrick, 6.1. Second round leaders: 1. Travis Tryan/Jake Long, 4.2 seconds; 2. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.3; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 4.5; 4. Chad Masters/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 4.7; 5. (tie) Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz and Nick Sartain/Kollin VonAhn, 4.8; 7. (tie) Arky Rogers/Cory Petska and Blaine Linaweaver/Matt Garza, 5.2. Average leaders: 1. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 8.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Nick Sartain/Kollin VonAhn, 10.1; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 10.1; 4. Chad Masters/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 11.3; 5. Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 11.4; 6. Nate Singletary/Tom Bill Johnson, 12.1; 7. Billy Stephens/Justin Hendrick, 15.8; 8. Tom RichardsNick Sarchett, 15.9.

Barrel racing leaders: 1. Kaley Bass, 17.14 seconds; 2. Shada Brazile, 17.64; 3. Caren Lamb, 17.70; 4. Gretchen Benbenek, 17.71; 5. (tie) Savannah Reeves, 17.73; 6. (tie) Kim Schulze and Fallon Taylor, 17.74; 8. Megan Stock, 17.75; 9. Shannon Tidwell, 17.78; 10. Marisa Simpson, 17.80; 11. Rebecca Hughes, 17.81; 12. Cindy Smith, 17.82; 13. Sally Young, 17.87; 14. (tie) Kelsi Walraven and Sarah Kieckhefer, 17.89.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Scottie Knapp, 91 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Wicket Game; 2. Dalton Votaw, 89; 3. Shawn Coleman, 79; 4. Clayton Savage, 77; 5. Friday Wright III, 60; no other qualified rides.