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Steer wrestler Dirk Tavenner, a qualifier to last year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, will be sidelined for the remainder of the ProRodeo regular season after suffering an injury at the Cinch Playoffs, Sept. 8 in Puyallup, Wash.

He said the right arm injury occurred during his first run at the event. Tavenner was forced to miss the remainder of the Cinch Playoffs.

“I won’t be back for the rest of the regular season, but I’m hoping to be back for the (NFR),” said Tavenner, 32. “Four to six weeks off is what we are looking at right now. I strained my bicep, tore my pectoral muscle, and strained or possibly tore my rotator cuff as well.”

As of Sept. 15, Tavenner is sitting 12th in the PRCA | RAM Standings with $84,532, he’s expecting to qualify for his second Wrangler NFR this season. He said right now the plan is to avoid surgery and focus on physical therapy leading up to December.

“I shouldn’t need surgery, right now they don’t think so anyway. I’ll start rehab next week on Monday. Hopefully it’s just four weeks of taking it pretty easy,” he said. “I’m hoping I can start practicing again in November to prepare for the Finals.

“My goal is to be back for my Circuit Finals, which is in Heber (Utah) in the first weekend of November (4-5). That’s kind of what my game plan is right now.”

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is set for Dec. 1-10 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

News Source: PRCA

Kolby Wanchuk’s ProRodeo.com profile lists his favorite rodeo as the storied Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up.

After spurring Sankey ProRodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Black Tie for 90 points during the short round of the 2022 Round-Up to clinch the championship, Wanchuk’s profile could add a couple of exclamation points to that statement.

“It’s a dream to get to compete here,” Wanchuk, 26, said. “It’s unbelievable to get to win it.”

Wanchuk’s march to the title began with a long round match-up with Brookman Rodeo’s Pretty Woman.

“I didn’t know much at all about that horse,” Wanchuk noted. “He came out and acted like he was going to just be good.”

“Then he hit that grass and really got to bucking. He did some cool stuff,” Wanchuk laughed. The Round-Up is famous for being held on a football field, complete with grass and cowboys littering the field to watch the action. “I was thankful to get back to the short round.”

Wanchuk’s 84.5 point first go effort tied him for fourth in the round and set up the match-up with the legendary Black Tie.

“That’s one I’ve been waiting to see next to my name for a long time,” Wanchuk said. “I watched my hauling partner Tanner Butner win Sheridan on that horse, so I was pretty excited.

One tradition of Pendleton is that champion’s climb aboard their brand-new championship saddles and take a victory lap around the Pendleton track.

“It was unreal,” Wanchuk said. “They said there were 16,000 people there today and they just about got the wave going when we did our victory laps.”

Wanchuk scored 174.5 points on his two broncs, slipping past his other traveling partner, Sage Newman, the PRCA | RAM World Standings leader who won the long round. The earnings were crucial for Wanchuk, who came to Pendleton ranked 11th as he seeks a second consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification.

With the Finals made, Wanchuk will take a little break and do some hunting to refresh before starting the 2023 season with Newtown, North Dakota next month.

“I like to take a little break, head out to the bush,” he said.

Wanchuk will compete at the Canadian Finals Rodeo prior to the Wrangler NFR and is looking forward to an exciting trip to Vegas.

“The NFR should be a lot of fun,” he said. Asked what he’s taking from his first experience a year ago, he said, “I think I’ll be more relaxed. Just go do my job and not get too worked up about things.”

Other winners at the $587,575 rodeo were all around cowboy Marty Yates ($6,541, tie-down roping and team roping); bareback rider Kaycee Feild (175.5 on two head); steer wrestler Riley Wakefield (17.3 seconds on three head); team ropers Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres (19.1 seconds on three head); tie-down roper Trevor Hall (29.0 seconds on three head); breakaway roper Jacey Fortier (6.0 seconds on two head); barrel racer Kacey Gartner (57.11 seconds on two runs); steer roper Logan Currie (37.4 seconds on three head); and bull rider Bubba Greig (88.5 points).

News Source: PRCA

Las Vegas Events and Cowboy Revival announced today the list of Opening Acts for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®. The annual showcase is scheduled for Dec. 1-10 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Each of the entertainers will perform prior to the rodeo competition getting underway and will include a variety of production elements, including pyrotechnics, lasers, interactive stage and full-arena LED and video board supporting graphics. All Opening Acts are presented by Cowboy Revival.

The full list of Opening Acts includes:

• Thursday, Dec. 1 – Vegas Night
• Friday, Dec. 2 – Luke Bryan (also performing at The Theatre at Resorts World on Dec. 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10)
• Saturday, Dec. 3 – Lainey Wilson (also performing at Rodeo Vegas at The Mirage on Dec. 2)
• Sunday, Dec. 4 – Adrian Brannan (Memorial Night)
• Monday, Dec. 5 – Chancey Williams (also performing at the South Point Showroom on Dec. 1-3)
• Tuesday, Dec. 6 – Ben Gallaher (also performing at Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Dec. 6)
• Wednesday, Dec. 7 – Steve Amerson (Military Night)
• Thursday, Dec. 8 – Joe Nichols (also performing at Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Dec. 9)
• Friday, Dec. 9 – Heath Sanders (also performing at Cowboy Revival at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Dec. 10)
• Saturday, Dec. 10 – Gold Night in Vegas

Images are available here.

Known as the richest and most prestigious rodeo in the world, the Wrangler NFR attracts the top 15 contestants in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding to compete for a share of the increased purse and the coveted PRCA Gold Buckle. In 2021, the event had a total attendance of 169,539 over the 10 days of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center and has sold out more than 340 consecutive performances in Las Vegas.

For more information on the Wrangler NFR, please visit NFRexperience.com or through social media at /LasVegasNFR and use #WranglerNFR. For the latest ProRodeo news and Wrangler NFR coverage, please visit WatchNFR.com or through social media @PRCA_ProRodeo.

The rodeo world has lost one of its premiere Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bareback horses in Brookman Rodeo’s Famous Dex. He was nine years old.

Famous Dex’s final out came at the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up on Sept. 17. After bucking off Ty Breuer in the finals the horse lost its footing on the dirt, suffering a leg injury. Famous Dex was able to exit the arena on his own and be brought back to the family ranch in Sidney, Mont., but unfortunately had to be put down earlier this week.

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“The vet out there took care of him as soon as he came out of the arena and actually thought he was going to be all right,” said Cathy Wieferich, owner of Brookman Rodeo. “Then he got on the truck and made his big trek home. He wasn’t too bad when he got home, but as the week progressed, he got worse. We made the tough decision to put him down.”

Famous Dex competed at the past two Wrangler National Finals Rodeos. A year ago, Kaycee Feild won Round 5 in Las Vegas on the horse with a 91-point ride. The ride was a historic one as it pushed Feild to 26 round wins at the NFR, which broke the PRCA bareback riding record for most round wins previously held by Bobby Mote.

In 2022, the horse led four different cowboys to the pay window. As a Montana ranch raised horse, the family said Famous Dex had a big impact on them both inside and out of the arena.

“He had a pretty large impact on us,” Wieferich said. “The cowboys loved drawing him because he was rank. He was ranch raised, so it was really neat to see him go on and be a big bucker.”

New Source: PRCA