DALLAS – World-class cowboys crave the opportunities to be matched with world-class bucking animals.
They get that with the athletic buckers from Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, the livestock producer at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22-Saturday, July 25, at Johnette Phillips Arena on the Eagle County Fairgrounds.
“I think Pete’s just tried to fortify a herd of animals that a guy has a chance to win on,” said Luke Creasy, a top-10 bareback rider from Lovington, N.M. “With a lot of horses he has, you have a chance to be 90 on a horse any day of the week at his rodeo. That’s important when we’re rodeoing.”
Creasy knows. In June, the Alberta-born cowboy matched moves with Carr’s Night Bells for 90 points to split the victory in Weatherford, Texas, with Winn Ratliff, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier who rodeo Dirty Jacket to share the title.
They are two of four bareback riders that have been marked at least 90 points in 2015, joining Jessy Davis and Ryan Gray. Davis, a six-time NFR qualifier, was 93 points on Dirty Jacket to win the Cinch Shootout in San Angelo, Texas, in January; Gray, an eight-time finalist, was 92 points to win in Pecos, Texas, in late June.
But those weren’t the only rides in the 90s on Carr animals so far this year. A trio of bull riders also hit that magic mark in June: Caleb Robinson rode Vegas and Cameron Bland rode Salty Dog for 90 points to share the victory in Weatherford, while Scottie Knapp scored 93 points on Half Nutz.
“When you go to Pete’s rodeos, you know you’re going to have a shot to win first,” said Ratliff, who also added victories at Carr events in Nacogdoches, Texas, and Crosby, Texas. “You have to do your part and ride good, but if you do your job, you’re going to have the opportunity to win the rodeo.”
Gray has two big victories on Carr animals this season. It’s one of the reasons he’s among the top 15 in the world standings with just weeks remaining in the 2015 campaign – only the top 15 at the end of the regular season qualify for the NFR. In addition to the Pecos victory, Gray followed that a week later with an 89-point ride on Carr’s Outa Sight to win in Window Rock, Ariz.
“I love going to Pete’s rodeos because he’s got great horses,” Gray said. “You want to have the opportunity to be a lot of points, and he’s got the horses that you can. I love going to his rodeos and having that opportunity every time.”
The Carr herd includes about 100 of the best bucking animals in the world. In both the 2013-14 seasons, 27 Carr animals were selected to perform at the NFR; that’s a record of animals coming from one contractor.
“I just think it’s a phenomenal herd, and you have a good opportunity to win any time when you draw the top animals,” Ratliff said, pointing great buckers like Dirty Jacket, Night Bells, Outa Sight, Half Nutz, Big Tex, Spur Strap, Good Time Charlie, Scarlet’s Web, Footloose and a host of other top animal athletes. “When you have your name next to theirs, it makes rodeoing a lot easier.”
That’s why Carr-produced rodeos are sought after by the game’s top cowboys.