LOVINGTON, N.M. – A glance is about all that Leighton Berry gives the bareback riding world standings.
He knows his place. He knows he has a really good chance to return to the National Finals Rodeo for the fourth time in five years. He is third on the money list with $145,349.
He also knows that the world champion will be handed to the man who finishes the year atop that list. While a big chunk of that will come by playing for the biggest pay in the sport this December, Berry wants to continue to pad his earnings any way possible.
“I’ve been up since 3:30 this morning catching planes, trains and automobiles to get down here to Lovington, New Mexico,” said Berry, 25, of Weatherford, Texas. “Even though we had two days to do it, we’re coming from Strathmore, Alberta, so that was 13 hours to Salt Lake City, then a plane to Dallas and a plane to Midland (Texas).
“A good friend of mine left a car at the airport (in Midland), and it’s a two-hour drive here, but we got here just in the nick of time.”
Why was it so important? Berry was matched with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Shady Nights, a 16-year-old bay gelding that has been selected 11 times to perform at the NFR. The two danced across the Jake McClure Arena dirt for 88 points, good enough for the Texan to take the lead in bareback riding at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo.
“Lovington’s an awesome rodeo,” he said. “I really like coming over here, because you see these yellow chutes, and you get a different visual.”
Few other rodeos offer yellow bucking chutes, but the best known is the NFR, where the yellow panels and chutes make for a lasting memory. For cowboys that play at that level, yellow is the perfect color that leads to gold buckles, the awards given to world champions.
“You also get to get on Pete Carr bucking horses and Cullen Pickett horses, so that fires you up,” Berry said. “It fires you up, and then you get the rodeo committee that steps up and adds a lot more money than they ever have.”
Lovington’s rodeo nearly doubled it’s local contribution to the rodeo’s purse since last year, and that’s made a lasting impact on the contestants who compete for a living. The opportunity for a big payday is enough to make cowboys like Berry figure out any way possible to make sure they’re in southeastern New Mexico in time to ride.
Already this year, he’s won Texas rodeos in Houston, Weatherford, Helotes, Henderson and Pecos. He’s also been champion in Clovis, California; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Billings, Montana. It’s a continuation of a strong start to an excellent career, one in which he first qualified to the NFR in 2020 and finished the year ninth in the world standings. An injury took him out of the mix the next year, but he still finished 23rd. He was third in 2022 and sixth last year, so he’s certified himself as one of the elite bareback riders in ProRodeo.
“I had one of my all-time favorite horses in Shady Nights, and he was phenomenal today,” Berry said. “I knew I’d probably be anywhere from 88 to 90, and being the first performance, you’ve got to set the bar high. You’ve got guys coming swinging for the fences. I may not win it, but I’m going to get a good check. Lord willing, it’ll stay hooked for first, but if not, I came down here to win a check, and I think that’s going to happen.”
Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 7-10
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Leighton Berry, 88 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Shady Nights; 2. Jacob Lees, 86.5; 3. Nick Pelke, 85.5; 4. Dean Thompson, 83.5; 5. Tanner Aus, 81.5; 6. Kashton Ford, 78; 7. Tilden Hooper, 59.5; no other qualified rides.
Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Clayton Hass, 3.4 seconds; 2. Walt Arnold, 4.1; 3. (tie) Tyke Kipp and Cameron Haumea, 4.5; 5. Tucker Allen, 4.9; 6. (tie) Winsten McGrw and Matt Jodie, 5.1; 8. Zach Hamar, 5.3. Second round leaders: 1. Tyke Kipp, 4.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Matt Jodie and Will Lummus, 4.1; 4. Clayton Hass, 4.2; 5. (tie) Walt Arnold and Jacob Talley, 4.4; 7. Ty Bauerle, 4.5; 8. Landris White, 4.6. Average leaders: 1. Clayton Hass, 7.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Tyke Kipp and Walt Arnold, 8.5; 4. Matt Jodie, 9.2; 5. Zach Hamar, 13.0; 6. Justin Shaffer, 29.2; 7. Will Lummus, 4.1 seconds on one run; 8. Jacob Talley, 4.4.
Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Bryce Derrer, 9.2 seconds; 2 Kincade Henry, 9.4; 3. Brushton Minton, 9.6; 4. Trevor Hale, 9.7; 5. Chet Weitz, 10.7; 6. Blane Cox, 11.8; 7. Chance Oftedahl, 12.6; 8. Garrett Jacobs, 13.6. Second round leaders: 1. Cash Hooper, 8.6 seconds; 2. Trevor Hale, 8.8; 3. Kincade Henry, 9.9; 4. (tie) Brushton Minton and Blane Cox, 10.1; 6. Chet Weitz, 10.2; 7. Landyn Duncan, 11.6; 8. Dontae Pacheco, 11.7. Average leaders: 1. Trevor Hale, 18.5 seconds on two runs; 2. Kincade Henry, 19.3; 3. Brushton Minton, 19.7; 4. Chet Weitz, 20.9; 5. Blane Cox, 21.9; 6. Bryce Derrer, 24.0; 7. Chance Oftedahl, 34.0; 8. Chris McCuistion, 34.4.
Breakaway roping leaders: 1. (tie) Kelsie Domer and Josie Conner, 2.1 seconds; 3. Bailey Bates, 2.5; 4. Maddy Deerman, 2.6; 5. Jackie Crawford, 2.8; 6. Jordan Muncy, 3.3; 7. Kadin Jodie, 3.6; 8. Lari Dee Guy, 12.10; 9. (tie) Jayme Marcrum and Bradi Good, 12.2; 11. (tie) Hope Thompson and Janae Todacheenie, 12.3; 13. TiAda Gray, 13.1; 14. Aspen Miller, 13.9.
Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Weston Patterson, 85.5 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Watch the Night; 2. Allen Boore, 85; no other qualified rides.
Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 3.8 seconds; 2. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 4.2; 3. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 4.9; 4. Wawa Ben Jr./Brandon Ben, 5.1; 5. Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard, 5.2; 6. Coy Rahlmann/Ross Ashford, 5.4; 7. Shay Carroll/Jace Helton, 5.9; 8. Kreece Thompson/Cooper Freeman, 10.0. Second round leaders: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 3.7 seconds; 2. Coy Rahlmann/Ross Ashford, 5.2; 3. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 5.4; 4. Wawa Ben Jr./Brandon Ben, 6.6; 5. Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard, 9.2; 6. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 13.7; 7. Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 13.9; 8. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 14.7. Average leaders: 1. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 10.3 seconds on two runs; 2. Coy Rahlmann/Ross Ashford, 10.6; 3. Wawa Ben Jr./Brandon Ben, 11.7; 4. Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard, 14.4; 5. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 17.5; 6. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 18.9; 7. Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, 31.0; 8. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 3.7 seconds on one run.
Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Shad Mayfield, 15.6 seconds; 2. Chad Mathis, 17.5; 3. Erich Rogers, 17.9; 4. Michah Northington, 18.0; 5. Keith Hudson, 18.7; 6. Conrad Hagen, 23.4; no other qualified runs. Second round leaders: 1. Cash Fretwell, 11.7 seconds; 2. Ryan Willberg, 13.4; 3. Mark Milner, 14.6; 4. Keith Hudson, 14.9; 5. Erich Rgoers, 18.1; 6. Wade Shoemaker DVM, 24.2; 7. Micha Northington, 27.1; no other qualified runs. Third round leaders: 1.Paul Patton, 18.1 seconds; 2. Wade shoemaker DVM, 24.2; no other qualified runs. Average leaders: 1. Keith Hudson, 33.6 seconds on two runs; 2. Erich Rogers, 36.0; 3. Micah Northington, 45.1; 4. Wade Shoemaker DVM, 48.4; 5. Cash Fretwell, 11.7; 6. Ryan Willberg, 13.4; 7. Mark Milner, 14.6; 8. Shad Mayfield, 15.6.
Barrel racing leaders: 1. Taryn Lee, 17.54 seconds; 2. Natalie Bland, 17.73; 3. Fallon Forbes, 17.80; 4. Doskie Edwards, 17.90; 5. Courtney Moody, 18.00; 6. Andrea Busby, 18.03; 7. Nicole Driggers, 18.03; 8. Kiersten Pettus, 18.04; 9. Jordan Muncy, 18.07; 10. Christina Gould, 18.08.
Bull riding leaders: No qualified rides.