LAS VEGAS – Even for the greatest cowboys in the game, the setting for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo can be somewhat intimidating. Each night for 10 go-rounds, more than 17,000 fans pack the Thomas & Mack Center, which boasts of an arena about the same size as a hockey rink. For tie-down ropers, it’s[...]

LAS VEGAS – As a veteran saddle bronc rider, Chet Johnson knows a thing or two about his discipline. He knows quite a bit about horses, too, so he knew his match-up with Sankey Rodeo’s Hermit was going to be something special for Thursday’s first go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Johnson’s traveling partner,[...]

LAS VEGAS – Every bronc rider who makes a living on the back of bucking beasts knows the key to a good ride is the start. The first step is make sure his spurs are over the front of the horse’s shoulders when the animal leaps from the chute. Not only is it following the[...]

Heeler Riley Minor, who won the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo’s opening round with his brother, Brady, on Thursday night, celebrated during the Montana Silversmiths Go-Round Buckle Presentation by proposing to his long-time girlfriend, Jordan Crossley, on the South Point stage. After Riley and Brady visited with hosts Randy Corley and Flint Rasmussen, they introduced their[...]

Reigning world champion heeler Jade Corkill of Fallon, Nev., suffered an injury to his left (reining) hand during the first round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “(I’m) not sure how but the top strap of my dally came off the horn when I went to pull back,” Corkill posted on his Facebook page this[...]

LAS VEGAS – Standing behind the golden bucking chutes, Casey Colletti’s heart raced as nervous energy coursed through his bloodstream. “I was as nervous as you could get,” said Colletti, now competing for the third straight years at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand championship that takes place inside the Thomas & Mack[...]

LAS VEGAS – The grin on Caleb Bennett’s face said quite a bit; so did his ride on Thursday night during the first go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I’m probably not going to quit smiling for a little bit,” said Bennett, who rode the Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo horse Wise Guy for[...]

1. Sherry Cervi, 13.77 seconds, $18,630; 2. Syndi Blanchard, 13.80, $14,724; 3. Fallon Taylor, 13.83, $11,118; 4. (tie) Sabrina Ketcham and Trula Churchill, 13.88, $6,310; 6. Jane Melby, 13.91, $3,005.

1. Shane Hanchey, 7.6 seconds, $18,630; 2. (tie) Stetson Vest and Ryan Jarrett, 7.7, $12,921 each; 4. Sterling Smith, 7.8, $7,813; 5. Caleb Smidt, 7.9, $4,808; 6. Scott Kormos, 8.0, $3,005.

1. Jake Wright on Korkow Rodeo’s Wiggle Worm, 84 points, $18,630; 2. Sterling Crawley, 82.5, $14,724; 3. Cort Scheer, 80.5, $11,118; 4. (tie) Cody Wright and Heith DeMoss, 79, $6,310 each; 6. (tie) Taos Muncy and Chet Johnson and Wade Sundell, 78, $1,002 each.