ALLEN, Texas – Pete Carr is setting a new standard in stock contracting in professional rodeo.
This December, 27 animals from Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo have been selected to perform at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. No other stock contractor in the modern era has taken more bucking horses and bulls to ProRodeo’s grand finale.
That’s the kind of power that Carr will have on hand for the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Allen Events Center.
“It shows you Pete is somebody that puts a lot of work into getting the best horses around,” said Heath Ford, the bareback riding representative in the PRCA and a three-time NFR qualifier from Slocum, Texas. “They’ve not only got the best horses, but they put them out there for us to see. He still has a lot of great horses that weren’t selected this year, but if you care about it, you know you’re going to continue to build that program.
“We all know Pete is going to continue to build that. We all have a lot of respect for him.”
The respect is reciprocated. Carr knows it takes great animal athletes to help draw the top names in the sport to events like the Tom Thumb Texas Stampede; that attention to detail means world champions will make their way to Allen this week: Bobby Mote, a four-time titlist from Culver, Ore.; reigning world champion bull rider Cody Teel from Kountze, Texas; and two-time saddle bronc riding world champion Cody Wright of Milford, Utah.
“He’s got the best bull pen going,” Teel said of Carr, who has been nominated for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Stock Contractor of the Year. “He’s got my vote for stock contractor of the year. He really tries to put together a good set of bulls, and it shows. There wasn’t one bull you didn’t want to get on. He gives a guy every opportunity to win.
“I was more anxious for his rodeos this year because of his bulls. You know you’re going to draw pretty good. It showed this year. All his rodeos had a lot of big scores, which shows how good the bulls really are. He definitely has the deepest set of bulls in rodeo.”
Whether it’s bulls or horses, Carr is loaded with elite-caliber animals, which is why there are so many that will be featured at the NFR. Carr will have 12 bareback horses, five saddle broncs and 10 bulls, which is proof of the all-around talent that spends most of its time on lush grassland on Carr’s ranch near Athens, Texas.
But there’s more to a rodeo than bucking animals, and many of the top timed-event cowboys in the game have entered to compete in this weekend’s Tom Thumb Texas Stampede, from two-time reigning world champion tie-down roper Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas, to reigning barrel racing titlist Mary Walker of Ennis, Texas, to numerous others who represent those who have earned the highest acclaim in the sport: the gold buckle.
That’s the type of talent that makes this weekend’s festivities in Allen so spectacular. It’s what fans have come to expect.