LOVINGTON, N.M. – Cody Cabral knew he had a good opportunity Saturday at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo.

That’s why he flew in and borrowed a horse to could compete on the final day of Lovington’s rodeo, and he made the opportunity pay off. He wrestled two steers in a cumulative time of 7.3 seconds, with the punctuation coming Saturday night with a 3.4-second run.

That was good enough to share second place in the second round and give him the edge in the aggregate by three-tenths of a seconds.

“I’m pumped up,” said Cabral, a 2016 National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Hilo, Hawaii. “It’s been a pretty slow past couple of weeks. I’ve had a little luck at this rodeo but never been able to win it. Today I had a couple of good steers.

“Tonight, I really liked my steer. Wyatt Jurney was 3.9 and place in the first round on him. I knew he would leave good and would stop, so I just tried to get down early and just tried to do my job. I was lucky enough to get the win.”

That victory was worth just shy of $4,000. He’ll pay a bit of that in mount money to Stockton Graves, who owns the horse Cabral rode, and Billy Boldon, who hazed.

“It’s a cheap price to pay,” Cabral said. “It’s always good when you have to pay mount money.”

When borrowing a horse, cowboys pay a percentage of their winnings to the horse’s owner. If the cowboy wins nothing, then the horse owner is paid nothing.

“This is always a good week to get on a roll,” he said. “By this time of year, you either have to get it or go home.”

Team ropers Coleman Proctor and Ryan Motes have few reasons to go home; it’s been that kind of year. Motes, the heeler, is second in the world standings, and Proctor is fourth. Both are heading to the NFR for the fifth time in their careers.

After winning the first round Saturday morning with a 4.3-second run, Proctor and Motes put together a solid, 5.2-second run in the performance to win the title. They finished tied for seventh in the second round and pocketed $5,710 each.

“This has been a good week for us,” said Motes, who pointed out a first-round victory in Sikeston, Missouri, and a shared victory in Lawton, Oklahoma, this week. “We had a pretty slow week last week, so it was a good time to have a good week.

“All three rodeos we went to this week are tour rodeos, and we were needing a few more tour points to make sure we are in for Puyallup (Washington).”

Puyallup is home to the championship for the season’s ProRodeo Tour, so it’s vital for both cowboys to earn their spot.

“I’ve had good luck here; this is a good rodeo for me,” Motes said. “I’ve always done good at the three rodeos we went to this week; I’ve won Sikeston a couple times, won Lawton a couple times and won this one a couple times. They’ve all been good rodeos for me.”

They’re having a good year, but it was punctuated by a victory this past March at The American where each man earned $333,000. Because of sanctioning by the PRCA, $50,000 of that counts toward the world standings; the rest is just life-changing money that comes in quite handy.

“It definitely makes for a much easier year,” Motes said. “We’ve had a great year anyhow, but it makes it good for us. Now Coleman can go home and spend time with his new baby and his family. I’ll go to the Northwest and try to build on what I’ve earned.

“The gold buckle is what drives me. That’s the only goal left for me. That’s the one main goal Coleman and I have. I’ve lost the world (title) before by narrow margins. I’m going to go to all 65 rodeos I can go to and give myself the best shot to win that gold buckle.”

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 7-10
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie, $5,189; 2. Orin Larsen, 87, $3,978; 3. (tie) Garrett Shadbolt and Zach Hibler, 86, $2,422 each; 5. Kyle Charley, 84, $1,211; 6. (tie) Steven Dent and Kody Lamb, 83, $778 each; 8. (tie) Jake Brown, 81, $259 each.
Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Tyke Kipp, 3.8 seconds, $1,730; 2. (tie) Cody Cabral, Tyler Pearson and Wyatt Jurney, 3.9, $1,278 each; 5. (tie) Brady Reneau and Kalane Anders, 4.0, $714 each; 7. (tie) J.D. Struxness, Justin Shaffer and Will Lummus, 4.1, $175 each. Second round leaders: 1. Cody Harmon, 3.1 seconds, $1,730; 2. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Cody Cabral, 3.4, $1,391 each; 4. (tie) Nick Guy, Jacob Talley and Cody Devers, 3.5, $827 each; 7. (tie) Tyler Pearson and Bridger Anderson, 3.7, $263 each. Average leaders: 1. Cody Cabral, 7.3 seconds on two runs, $2,594; Tyler Pearson, 7.6, $2,256; 3. (tie) Kalane Anders and Jacob Talley, 7.8, $1,748; 5. Bridger Anderson, 7.9, $1,241; 6. Russell Armenta, 8.2, $902; 7. Dakota Eldridge, 8.3, $564; 8. (tie) Matt Reeves and Denver Berry, 8.5, $113.
Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Tyson Durfey, 7.8 seconds, $2,480; 2. (tie) Timber Moore and Stetson Vest, 8.3, $1,995 each; 4. Treg Schaack, 8.6, $1,510; 5. (tie) Marty Yates, Clint Cooper and Tanner Green, 8.8, $863 each; 8. Cody McCartney, 8.9, $216. Second round leaders: 1. Shad Mayfield, 7.3 seconds, $2,480; 2. Rhen Richard, 7.5, $2,157; 3. (tie) Ty Harris and Richard Newton, 7.6, $1,671 each; 5. Tuf Cooper, 7.7, $1,186; 6. Chance Oftedahl, 7.9, $863; 7. Justin Smith, 8.3, $539; 8. (tie) Randall Carlisle and Luke Jeffries, 8.5, $108. Average leaders: 1. Shad Mayfield, 16.4 seconds on two runs, $3,730; 2. Stetson Vest, 17.2, $3,235; 3. Richard Newton, 17.6, $2,750; 4. Rhen Richard, 18.0, $2,265; 5 (tie) Chance Oftedahl and Cooper Martin, 18.1, $1,537 each; 7. Cody McCartney, 18.4, $809; 8. Cimaroon Boardman, Tyson Durfey and Marcos Costa, 18.5, $108 each.
Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Bradley Harter, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Big Tex, $4,569; 2. (tie) Ryder Wright and Jacobs Crawley, 85.5, $3,046; 4. (tie) Brody Cress and Sterling Crawley, 83, $1,371; 7. (tie) Tegan Smith and Wyatt Casper, 82.5, $685; 8. Jade Blackwell, 78, $457.
Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Shay Good, 10.3 seconds, $2,005; 2. Thomas Smith, 10.4, $1,659; 3. Brady Garten, 10.5, $1,314; 4. Trenton Johnson, 10.7, $968; 5. Kelton McMillen, 11.0, $622; 6. (tie) Garrett Hale and Scott Snedecor, 11.3, $173 each. Second round: 1. JoJo LeMond, 9.5 seconds, $2,005; 2. Cole Patterson, 9.7, $1,659; 3. Roger Branch, 10.7, $1,314; 4. Cole Evans, 10.8, $968; 5. Bryce Davis, 11.0, $622; 6. Trevor Brazile, 11.1, $346.Third round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.9 seconds, $2,005; 2. Reo Lohse, 9.0, $1,659; 3. J.P. Wickett, 9.4, $1,314; 4. (tie) Roger Branch and Chet Herren, 10.0, $795; 6. Rocky Patterson, 10.8, $346. Average leaders: 1. Billy Good, 39.9 seconds on three runs, $3,008; 2. Cody Lee, 43.7, $2,489; 3. Laramie Allen, 44.2, $1,971; 4. Kelton McMillen, 44.4, $1,452; 5. Scott Snedecor, 46.6, $933; 6. Ty Hered, 57.1, $519.
Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 4.3 seconds, $2,153 each; 2. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 4.5, $1,872; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 4.7, $1,591; 4. Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 4.9, $1,310; 5. Trey Blackmore/Seth Hall, 5.2, $1,030; 6. (tie) Chris Francis/Cade Passig and Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 5.3, $608 each; 8. (tie) Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, Bubba Buckaloo/Shay Dixon Carroll and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 5.5, $62 each. Second round leaders: 1. Aaron Tsinigine/Patrick Smith, 4.1 seconds, $2,153; 2. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.4, $1,872; 3. Kolton Schmidt/Jeremy Buhler, 4.5, $1,591; 4. Wyatt Imus/Reno Gonzales, 5.0, $1,310; 5. (tie) Charly Crawford/Logan  Medlin and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 5.1, $889 each; 7. (tie) Chace Thompson/Tyson Thompson and Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 5.2, $328 each. Average leaders: 1. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 9.5 seconds on two runs, $3,229; 2. Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 10.6, $2,808; 3. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 11.1, $2,387; 4. Marcus Theriot/Coleby Payne, 11.4, $1,966; 5. Charly Crawford/Logana Medlin, 11.6, $1,544; 6. Chace Thompson/Tyson Thompson, 11.9, $1,123; 7. Aaron Tsinigine/Patrick Smith, 13.0, $702; 8. Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 13.5, $281.
Barrel racing leaders: 1. Cindy Smith, 17.37 seconds, $4,061; 2. Shali Lord, 17.39, $3,249; 3. Ericka Nelson, 17.50, $2,640; 4. Kassidy Dennison, 17.62, $2,030; 5. Lori Todd, 17.63, $1,624; 6. (tie) Emily Miller, Leia Pluemer and Jill Wilson, 17.64, $1,049 each; 9. Jana Bean, 17.66, $812; 10. (tie) Ivy Conrado and Sidney Forrest, 17.72, $660 each; 11. Jill Tanner, 17.73, $508; 13. Tammy Fischer, 17.76, $406; 14. (tie) Jamie Wilson and Geneva Kelly, 17.86, $254 each.
Bull riding leaders: 1. Trey Kimzey, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Legacy, $5,565; 2. (tie) Daylon Swearingen and Wyatt Nez, 85, $3,847 each; 4. Chase Dougherty, 83, $2,301; 5. Cole Meloncon, 81.5, $1,614; no other qualified rides.