Thanksgiving weekend means so much for many people, and it’s something different for each personality. For me, it’s family. It’s card games, just like we had at Grandma and Grandad’s when I was younger. It’s laughing over turkey, then staring at dessert table while wondering what else could fit inside my tummy. It’s being thankful,[...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written for Tyson Durfey and submitted to Rodeo Athletes, an online magazine. Check out the website’s coverage filled with photos. I am publishing it here to celebrate Tyson’s birthday. Happy Thanksgiving to all you true cowboys and cowgirls, whether it’s because you rope and ride or because you’ve always dreamed[...]

REXBURG, Idaho – When Wyatt Smith looks back at 2014, he points to a certain moment as the turning point and a key reason as to why he qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “San Antonio was a huge boost for me,” said Smith, who won the steer wrestling title in San Antonio this[...]

LAS VEGAS – Terri Powers thinks there are more pertinent story lines about the Western lifestyle than most books written on the subject portray. “When I decided to write books for the rodeo crowd, I saw that most cowboy books out there are either historical, old-timey stuff or Western romance novels,” said Powers, an author[...]

RANDLETT, Utah – As a child, Joe Frost did what most kids do: He let his imagination take him anywhere it wanted to go. Even then, his imagination carried Frost along the rodeo trail. It’s what he knew. It’s how he lived. “We didn’t play football or baseball,” he said. “When we played, we pretended[...]

EDMOND, Okla. – Carlee Pierce and her family needed a breather from the rigors of the rodeo trail. The Oklahoma cowgirl took it. That was in June 2013, when Pierce was the third-ranked cowgirl in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s barrel racing standings. Instead of chasing the world championship at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo,[...]

ELSMERE, Neb. – Cort Scheer is one of the best saddle bronc riders in ProRodeo. He’s been one of the best for several years, and next week he heads to his fourth qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s premier event that takes place Dec. 4-13 in Las Vegas. “Every year you go[...]

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Richmond Champion lives life a little bit on the edge. Why else would any sane man strap himself to a 1,100-pound bucking horse in order to make a living? “You’ve got every wild and free thing in the palm of your hand,” said Champion, 21, of The Woodlands. “It’s awesome. There’s[...]

MORGAN, Utah – The reason Caleb Bennett loves rodeo is very simple. “The rodeo atmosphere is me,” said Bennett, a bareback rider from Morgan. “It’s like whiskey to a drunk or poker to a gambler; it’s just something you’ve got to have. “I love it. I love traveling. I love 10-hour drives with buddies, and[...]

LAS VEGAS – If seven is a lucky number, Tyson Durfey is counting his blessings. Next week, Durfey will compete in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the seventh time. It’s just another major step in an already-amazing 11-year tie-down roping career, which includes three Canadian titles, a Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo championship and[...]