Reigning all-around world champion and current leader in the bull riding world standings Stetson Wright highlighted the opening day of the Ute Mountain Roundup on Thursday at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.
The bulls from Powder River Rodeo got the best of the first eight bull riders of the in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s opening performance, bucking most of them off in four seconds or less. Brandon McCassie of Phoenix, Arizona, had a good early effort, but his bull threw him with a spinning kick at the 5.38-second mark.
Wright, a five-time world champion at just age 22, was the last cowboy to ride, and he was up to the challenge. Wright hopped on a bull named Big Papa and stayed on while it spun and bucked until the 8-second buzzer to score an 85-point ride to grab the early lead. He’ll have to wait until after the performances Friday and Saturday to see if the score holds up.
Wright’s older brother Ryder, 24, also competed Thursday in the saddle bronc competition. Ryder, a two-time world champion, said it was the brothers’ first time in Cortez.
“My dad does the entries, and I go where he tells us, but I’m sure Powder River being here is a big part of it,” Ryder said.
He said the quality of the stock at events is “huge.”
“Half of the score comes from the horse,” Ryder said. “The caliber of horses makes our jobs a little easier.”
The UMR rodeo committee did a nationwide search to find stock to elevate the rodeo, announcer Jody Casper said Thursday, and it settled on Powder River Rodeo, based in Riverton, Wyoming.
Hank Franzen and his wife, Lori, started the business from scratch 39 years ago and now have roughly 400 animals that compete. “It’s all genetics — putting it together and trying to find the right mix,” he said.
They do blood and DNA tests, but he said the biggest thing that has changed over the years is the amount of data they now have. They also treat the animals well, as seen by their shiny coat and lean bodies.
“They come first, they’re like our kids,” Franzen said. “We treat them like regular athletes on a football team.”
He said they brought 56 bucking horses to Ute Mountain Roundup, and each animal will compete just once. “We want them to have their best day and feel good about it,” Franzen said, noting that each horse competes 10 to 12 times a year.
Franzen, however, doesn’t root for his animals to buck off their cowboys.
“We need a full eight seconds; it’s the horse and cowboy added together,” he said. “But if he’s not going to get a high score, then a buck off comes second.”
One of their top horses they brought to Cortez is an athletic 1,400-1,500 pound mare named Bet the Ranch.
“You can almost walk under her kick, but she’s honest and straightaway,” Franzen said. “She’s been awful, awful good.”
Ryder rode Bet the Ranch on Thursday.
“I’ve seen her a couple times, and my uncle has had good luck on her,” Ryder said. “I’m super-excited to see her next to my name.”
Ryder was the last saddle bronc competitor. Kolt Ferguson scored a 75-point ride to start the competition. His lead held until Clayson Hutchings scored an 83-point ride on Bar Time.
The stage was set for Ryder at the end, but unfortunately for the cowboy, Bet the Ranch was able to shake him loose and buck him off.
The rodeo began with arguably the most physically demanding event: bareback riding.
“It takes a lot on our bodies,” said competitor Kyle Charley. “But the more horses we get on, the better we are.”
Charley, who’s from Lukachukai, Arizona, about an hour south of Cortez, has competed at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds in amateur rodeos and started his PRCA career there. He won in 2015 and 2017.
“It’s been a couple years since I’ve been to this rodeo. I’d like to win it again,” Charley said. “I’ve got a horse I can do it on if I can do my part.”
The keys to bareback riding, he said, is everything from staying back, having fast feet and holding on tight.
“If you don’t do that, they basically beat you up,” Charley said.
Thursday, Charley rode Big River and held on for a 73.5-point ride, but finished sixth on the day. Keenan Hayes of Hayden, Colorado, took the early lead in the event with an 84.5-point ride on Raspberry Tea.
In the steer wrestling competition, Mancos football fans might have noticed a familiar name and face.
Jace Logan of Yampa, Colorado, who played football at Soroco High School, visited Mancos High School for the state quarterfinals against the Bluejays in 2017. He left that game with a 40-0 victory after he exploded with 430 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns.
On Thursday, Logan was second on the steer wrestling leaderboard with a time of 4.8 seconds.
Kalane Anders leads steer wrestling at 4.1 seconds, and Justin Simon was third at 5.3.
In the team roping competition, Brooks Dahozy and Seth Hall had a 5.8-second performance to take the early lead.
New Mexico cowgirl Leia Pluemer took the lead in the barrel racing just like one year ago during the first performance. The 2019 UMR barrel racing champion completed the cloverleaf pattern in 17.37 seconds but will have to wait until Saturday to see if she can reclaim her UMR champion title.
In tie-down roping, Josh Jennings is the early leader after lassoing his steer, flipping it and tying his feet together in 11.8 seconds.
And then Stetson Wright ended the night by showing why he’s the top guy in the rodeo world at the moment.
“I like my brothers to win,” Ryder said. “If I can’t win, I want it to be them.”
He also said winning smaller rodeos like the one in Cortez can be the difference in winning a world title or not.
“Every penny counts toward the world title race,” Ryder said, noting that Stetson won last year by about $1,200 and he won one of his titles by about the same amount. “At the end of the year, these play just as big of a part as the big rodeos do.”
Other notable contestants scheduled to compete on Friday and Saturday include team ropers Derrick Begay and Trey Yates as well as barrel racer Shali Lord.
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Keenan Hayes, 84.5 points on Raspberry Tea; 2. Shawn Perkins, 78.5; 3. Mitchell Parham, 77; 4. Tristan Hansen, 76.5; 5. Matt Tuni, 74; 6. Kyle Charley, 73.5.
Steer wrestling leaders: 1. Kalane Anders, 4.1 seconds; 2. Jace Logan, 4.8; 3. Justin Simon, 5.3; 4. Brock Powell, 5.7; 5. Brady Buum, 6.0; 6. Wyatt Lindsay, 14.0.
Team roping leaders: 1. Brooks Dahozy/Seth Hall, 5.8 seconds; 2. Howie Hutchings/Scotty Lauaki, 6.4; 3. (tie) Chaz Kananen/Colby Siddoway and Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 6.6 each; 5. Cory Kidd V/Lane Mitchell, 6.8; 6. Dustin Egusquiza/Travis Graves, 9.9.
Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Clayson Hutchings, 83 points on Powder River Rodeo's Bar Time; 2. Kolt Ferguson, 75; 3. J.W. Meiers, 74.5; 4. Jacob Coates, 68; no other qualified rides.
Tie-down roping leaders: 1. Josh Jennings, 11.8 seconds; 2. (tie) Zack Ekstrom and Clint Robinson, 12.8 each; 4. Wyatt Uptain, 13.7; 5. Todd Brown, 16.6; 6. Jeremiah Peek, 20.6.
Barrel racing leaders: 1. Leia Pluemer, 17.37 seconds; 2. Kelly Yates, 17.55; 3. Christina Gould, 17.70; 4. Tara Seaton, 17.72; 5. Kassidy Dennison, 17.82; 6. Andrea Busby, 17.85.
Bull riding leaders: 1. Stetson Dell Wright, 85 points on Powder River Rodeo's Big Papa; no other qualified rides.
Total payoff: $65,236. Stock contractor: Powder River Rodeo.
