Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 2009

Hooray for the NFR almost being here. I am lucky enough to be able to attend this year's finals during the first weekend. The finals start on December 3, and run through December 12. This year a record $5.75 million will be rewarded at the finals. Trevor Brazile is attempting to set a world record at the finals this year. He is attempting to win a record-tying seventh All-Around World Championship, which would tie him with ProRodeo Hall of Famer and “King of Cowboys” Ty Murray. To follow his progress through the finals go to the PRCA website. Going into the finals in first place is as follows:

Bareback Riding: Clint Cannon
Steer Wrestling: Steve Graves
Team Roping Header: Chad Masters
Team Roping Heeling: Jade Corkill
Saddle Bronc: Jesse Kruse
Tie-Down Roping: Trevor Brazile
Bull Riding: J.W. Harris
Barrel Racing: Brittany Pozzi

Good Luck to all the contestants at the finals! I will be there to cheer y'all on!

College Rodeo loses big-time sponsor

U.S. Smokeless Tobacco has, for many years, supported college rodeo and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for scholarships for rodeo athletes. Unfortunately, they have decided to no longer be a sponsor of college rodeo. The new owners of the company (Altria) decided to no longer support the PRCA and pro rodeo. There are negotiations along the way to try and get continued support, but after January 2010, that money will no longer be available. USSTC has promised to provide scholarship money for the 2010 College Finals in Casper, WY, but that may be the last time the finals has such a generous supporter. The NIRA has recruited Copper Springs Ranch and the United States Team Roping Association as new sponsors, but they are going to have some big shoes to fill after all the support that USSTC has offered since they first began sponsoring rodeo in 1974.

Rule changes for the best

The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association has finally put into effect the rule I have been hoping for. A bell collar catch in the breakaway roping. Before a legal catch consisted of the rope passing over the calf's head and then pulling tight on whatever body part it happened to catch. I believe that this is not right. Girls at the collegiate level should be able to catch a bell collar loop at this stage of the game. A bell collar catch is the rope passing over the calf's head and pulling tight around the neck (like a collar on a dog).

Having the rule the old way is like allowing pro bicycler's to leave training wheels on their bikes. There is no reason why girls at the collegiate level cannot rope this way. If they don't like it, then they should not be competing at this level. I for one applaud the NIRA for implementing this rule change. I only wish they would have put it into effect when I was still eligible to compete in college rodeos.

News regarding transporting horses to Canada from Texas

A new outbreak of a contagious disease was reported by the USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission. Apparently a Quarter horse mare in Texas was found to be infected with Equine Piroplasmosis (EP). Many more horses were tested and veterinarians found 32 horses infected with this disease. This poses a sever health risk, as EP is a contagious disease. It is spread by certain ticks or by the transfer of blood from infected horses to unaffected horses through shared needles.

Symptoms of this disease are weakness, lack of appetite, fever, anemia, swollen abdomen, and labored breathing. This is a very serious problem as there is no vaccine for this illness and the treatment options available are not fail-proof and are still being researched.

The problem for horse owners is that Canada has imposed restrictions on equines originating in Texas that are being transported to Canada. The USDA will no longer endorse any health certificated for equines being transported from Texas to Canada. Also, any equines being exported to Canada from other states must have additional certification that during the previous 21 days the animal has not been in the state of Texas. These restrictions are in place until further notice.

For further details and contact information go to the RodeoUp website.

Local Ropings

For anyone looking for cheap and fun local ropings, Ricky Canton out of Navasota, Tx, puts on roping series at least twice a year. Ricky is an WNFR qualifier and is a renowned calf roping horse trainer. This weekend was the last weekend of his 2009 fall series. They gave away belt buckles in every roping which included, 15 & Under Jr. Tie down Roping, Girls Breakaway, Open Breakaway, 00, 1, 2, and Open ropings. For more information on Ricky's ropings, you can visit their website at RickyCanton.com.

Coming up in January, Ricky will once again be moving his ropings to Huntsville for the Winter Series ropings. They will be held at the Cowboy Country Arena in Huntsville, Tx. I am pretty sure they will be giving away belt buckles again for the winner of the series. They are also hosting a benefit roping, November 14, to help pay the medical bills of the parent's of a little girl who died recently. For more information about this roping, you can look at the flier which has more information here.

This weekend Ricky announced that they will be adding a Jr. Tiedown roping to the benefit roping. That information is not on the flier that I posted above.

More animal outrage on behalf of Shark.com

In an effort to keep this an unbiased blog, I have found yet more articles denouncing rodeo as cruel and heartless. Shark.com has many articles and videos that portray the sport of Rodeo in an unflattering light. The main page at RodeoCruelty.com has numerous articles citing how the many rodeo associations lie and purposefully do not disclose how many animals are injured and killed at their rodeos. Many of the pictures and articles present in this database of cruelty even makes me cringe. I urge readers to look at this with a grain of salt. It is apparent to me that Shark.com has found the very worst in rodeo and is highlighting the worst parts. Yes, accidents happen, but Rodeo as a society is not out to torture animals. I think it interesting that there are 0 reports from people who have good experiences from rodeo and that their website is very one-sided. I think people can form their own opinions, but please take everything with a grain of salt and find out both sides of the story before making judgment calls.

International Rodeo

I found an article through rodeoattitude.com that was an international article about young kids in secondary schools competing in rodeos in Australia and New Zealand. Bring on the cowboys describes a stock contractor letting some kids practice on bucking stock before a rodeo that will pit them against other schools in the area. I think this is great. Many rodeo champions come to the United States from other countries, including Australia. While I attended Western Texas College, my first year saw 4 cowboys from Canada and 5 from Australia. Half of them made it to the college finals that year. The next year we switched some cowboys out and still more made the finals that year. A few of the cowboys that I attended junior college with have made it all the way to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, NV. This shows that rodeo is a far reaching sport that crosses international lines, and is good for the world as a whole.