CROSBY, Texas – The last time a Carr bucking horse performed in this part of Texas, Big Tex matched moves with Wade Sundell for 90 points to win RodeoHouston, just 30 miles southwest at Reliant Stadium.
That kind of greatness returns to the metro area for the Crosby Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20-Saturday, June 22, at Rock’n C Arena. The rodeo will be produced by Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, two of the top livestock contractors in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
“That’s one of the coolest horses to have for $50,000,” said Sundell, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Boxholm, Iowa. “He’s just so big, and he’s showy.”
That’s also an adequate description of the Carr firms since Pete Carr purchased Classic this past spring. By combining two top-tier companies, Carr has made moves that are changing the face of ProRodeo.
“Pete’s got a heck of a string put together,” Sundell said. “There are not a lot of people that can match him anymore.”
A major ingredient in the Carr program is the production of a rodeo, in which Carr and his crew work hard to put on the best show possible for fans while trying to put on the premier competition for contestants.
“I’m combining two of the best crews in rodeo to form one of the greatest rodeo companies,” Carr said. “I’m excited about the new opportunities that are ahead for the company. I want committees to know we have a lot to offer them. We’re going to have unprecedented resources for all the rodeos, which will benefit everyone involved: committees, sponsors, contestants and spectators.”
That attention to detail is a big part of the changing tide in ProRodeo.
“Pete Carr is one of the premier stock contractors in the world,” said saddle bronc rider Heith DeMoss, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Heflin, La. “Pete taking it another step further is amazing to me. It’s just going to make it better for everybody.”
“Pete has such an array of horse now that no matter where he goes, he will have it to where everybody has a chance to win money. It’s a riding contest instead of a drawing contest, and that’s what Pete’s got in his mind to do. I’m behind him all the way.”
DeMoss won the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo on Pete Carr’s Classic’s Spur Strap, so he knows the kind of horse power it takes to be successful. He’s not the only bronc rider who touts the athletic animals now owned by Pete Carr.
“It’s awesome when you have a good horse underneath you, because you know something good is going to happen,” Sundell said.
This is about giving spectators with the best entertainment value while serving the committees with elite performances and providing contestants with the best opportunities.