Cheyenne Payout Sparks Online Debate
By Ted Harbin When T. Joe Cahill coined the moniker “The Daddy of ’em All” for Cheyenne Frontier Days, it fit. Created in 1897, the Wyoming celebration grew into the largest outdoor rodeo and Western celebration. By 2026, the debate about Cheyenne rages on social media. It’s an argument that began in 2019, when organizers […]
Muncy’s’ Woodrow Can Handle Any Job
By Ted Harbin Photo Courtesy of Phillip Kitts/Avid Visual Imagery. If there was an all-around title for equine stars, Jordan Muncy’s Woodrow might his have his own golden halter. He was bred and raised to be a barrel horse, something Muncy needed. She had tried purchasing cheap ones off the track because that’s what she […]
Ho Ho Ho: Cowboy Christmas is Upon Us
By Ted Harbin Photo Courtesy of Phillip Kitts Sitting at the driver’s license bureau last week, one of the few rodeo friends in my hometown asked me why I wasn’t on the road? “I figured you’d be busy with Cowboy Christmas,” he said. He’s not wrong. I just wasn’t on the road. That trip arrived […]
Rodeo Celebrates Patriotism Every Day
By Ted Harbin Photo Courtesy of Ted Harbin There’s a different aura surrounding this Fourth of July. It’s the 250th anniversary of the United States of America gaining its sovereignty from the British, the semiquincentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Americans have honored that specific day for centuries, and rightfully so. It’s […]
Champions: Pattersons Work for Their Gold
By Ted Harbin Photo Courtesy of PRCA File Photos by Lara St Jacques Much like any craftsman, Rocky Patterson has a way of making things work in ways nobody else could. In rodeo, passion is the driving force. It’s the love of the game at its most core level. Before he added any credential to […]
Charro Shares Family Passion with Rodeo
Charro Shares Family Passion with Rodeo By Ted Harbin / Photo Courtesy of Charro on the Road His silver mane and tail, along with his golden coat, has brightened any arena or stall he has entered. Hollywood is a 24-year-old stallion owned by the Garcilazo family, who showed the beautiful palomino in ways only they […]
Kipp’s Turn At The Top May Be Right Now
Kipp’s Turn At The Top May Be Right Now By Ted Harbin Photo Courtesy of Tyke Kipp It’s early June, and Tyke Kipp is in unfamiliar territory. If the season were to end today, he’d earn his first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, something every cowboy dreams of when he dreams of being a […]
Pain in the Neck: The Lives of Bareback Riders
Pain in the Neck: The Lives of Bareback Riders By Ted Harbin Photo Courtesy of Click Thompson For decades, rodeo fans have been drawn by the danger of the sport. Optics point to bull riding as the most perilous. The beasts are typically massive, with nearly a ton of bucking flesh. The rides can be […]
Battle Torn: O’Connell Returns From Injury
By Ted Harbin /Photos Courtesy of Aaron Witt He didn’t want to think it was possible, but Tim O’Connell couldn’t help but wonder if his career as a professional rodeo cowboy was over. “It was frustrating to think my career was over, that I was never going to truly do this anymore and not be […]
New Book Captures Estes Park’s Rooftop Rodeo History
New Book Captures Estes Park’s Rooftop Rodeo History By Ted Harbin//Photo Courtesy of Rooftop Rodeo When Howell Wright was in high school, he realized he wanted to write a book on American sports. Influenced by being raised on a cattle ranch in central Arkansas, he began the process by attending his county fair. What started […]