Monthly Archives: June 2011

I’ve been to a lot of rodeos in my lifetime, and I’ve seen many sizes of arenas. I guess I haven’t seen anything yet. In talking to folks about the West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for next week in Pecos, Texas, the arena is downright huge. Paul Peterson, one of the top pickup men in the business who has worked three times at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, called Buck Jackson Arena a pasture. Joe Keese, chairman of the rodeo committee, jokingly said it might be bigger than that when he stressed the importance of having a large video board in Pecos for the celebration of the world’s first rodeo. “Our video board this year is 12 feet-by-17 feet, which is about twice the size of the one we had last year,” Keese said. “It’s a huge deal for us, because our arena is the size of Idaho.”

Be on the lookout for the recap from Stephenville coming soon. FROM THE PROFESSIONAL RODEO COWBOYS ASSOCIATION: All-around cowboy: Monty Eakin, $437, steer wrestling and tie-down roping. Bareback riding: 1. Bill Tutor, 77 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Patron, $813; 2. Cody Ziober, 73, $610; 3. Scotty NeSmith, 70, $407; 4. Bubba Hudson, 69, $203. Steer wrestling: 1. Brad Loesch, 4.6 seconds, $1,102; 2. Brian Bauerle, 4.9, $827; 3. Sean Lanciano, 5.6, $551; 4. K.C. Jones, 5.9, $276. Team roping: 1. Luke Brown/Martin Lucero, 3.7 seconds, $1,666 each; 2. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 3.9, $1,449; 3. (tie) Kelsey Parchman/Michael Jones and Nathan McWhorter/Twister Cain, 4.1, $1,123 each; 5. Nick Rawlings/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 4.2, $797; 6. Camish Jennings/Tyler McKnight, 4.3, $580; 7. Dustin Davis/Kinney Harrell, 4.6, $362; 8. (tie) Drew Horner/Trey Johnson and Gavin Foster/Jeff Brown, 4.7, $72 each. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Sam Spreadborough, 83 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Deuces Wild, $844; 2. (tie) Cody Angland and Brody Bolton, 76, $527 each; 4. Justin Bell, 74, $211. Tie-down roping: 1. Houston Hutto, 7.7 seconds, $1,102; 2. Caleb Smidt, 8.1, $912; 3. Barry Burk, 8.5, $722; 4. (tie) Ace Slone and Monty Eakin, 8.6, $437 each; 6. Chase Williams, 8.9, $190. Barrel racing: 1. Cassie Moseley, 14.59 seconds, $1,078; 2. (tie) Shambrae Williams and Michelle McLeod, 14.72, $847 each; 4. (tie) Jessica Watkins and Debra Cooper, 14.75, $590 each; 6. Layna Kight, 14.78, $411; 7. (tie) Phylicia Hupp and Ashley Guest, 14.79, $257 each; 9. Charlotte Cunningham, 14.80, $154; 10. Callie Chamberlain, 14.81, $103. Bull riding: 1. Jacob O’Mara, 82 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Charlie’s Bandito, $998; 2. Ty Clearwater, 76, $749; no other qualified rides. Total payoff: $33,274. Stock contractor: Carr Pro Rodeo. Rodeo secretary: Delia Walls. Officials: Chuck Hoss and Ken Dunn. Timers: Denise Adams and Sandy Gwatney. Announcer: Ben Clements. Specialty acts: John Harrison and Blake Goode. Bullfighters: Scotty Spencer and Chris Kirby. Clown/barrelman: John Harrison. Flankman: Pete Carr. Chute bosses: Pete Carr and John Gwatney. Pickup men: Paul Peterson and Guy Allen. Photographer: Dudley Barker.    

I haven’t seen Anthony Moore in probably eight years or more, but we talk every couple of weeks. He’s a good friend, and I’m working with him this weekend. Over the years, we’ve played pranks on each other, and now we’re reliving old times. It’s a lot of fun. I give some credit to winning the world championship to Anthony (Jerry is the 1998 Wrangler Bullfights world champion). He taught me something about how to read bulls and read what leads they’re in. He awakened me to that aspect of fighting bulls. Actually he’s the one who spurred me on to doing some research on matadors. Working with him, I got to thinking that there’s something more I could do to help my bullfighting. I began reading about matadors, and I learned a lot about bulls that a lot of guys in the States have never learned. I know guys that have been to the finals who still don’t know that stuff. That encouraged me to do a little research and apply myself a little more, and I think that, eventually, helped me to win the world title. This weekend is just another stop with good friends.

BIG SPRING, Texas – When Scotty Spencer was a youngster, he knew the attraction to danger. As an adult, he lives it virtually every weekend, if not more. That’s the life of a world-class bullfighter, who looks eye-to-eye with some of the nastiest bucking bulls in rodeo with the goal of protecting fallen cowboys and just about everyone else in the arena at the time. “I used to race motocross,” said Spencer, who will be fighting bulls during the 78th Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set this year for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16-Saturday, June 18. “I guess it’s the adrenaline and danger of it. If it’s danger, I want to do it. I don’t know why, but that’s the way I’ve always been.” Spencer is just one major cog in the machine that runs Carr Pro Rodeo, a Dallas-based livestock contractor that produces the annual Big Spring rodeo. Not only is he a bullfighter, but also Spencer is one of the ranch hands on the Carr property near Athens, Texas, meaning he tackles many of the day-to-day duties it takes to run an operation like that. When the Carr crew arrives in town to produce a rodeo, Spencer handles many of the behind-the-scenes jobs – from feeding, sorting and moving the animals to helping make sure each show runs well. “I do fight for other people, too, so I’ve been around a bunch of ProRodeos,” said Spencer, who was raised in Mesquite, Texas, and didn’t get into rodeo until the mid-1990s. “Our rodeos are, by far, the smoothest run, professional rodeos I’ve been to.” That’s an attribute to Pete Carr, owner of the livestock firm that has emerged as one of the elite in ProRodeo. “Our rodeos are so smoothly run because Pete hires the right guys,” Spencer said. “We have the best pickup man there is, and John Gwatney runs the front end; John runs that stuff at the NFR, the Dodge Circuit Finals and a lot of other big events, too. Pete hires the best to do their jobs, and they do their jobs well.” Everyone in rodeo is noticing that, too. “We hired Pete after the stock producer we were using sold out, and he’s done us a good job,” said Ace Berry, president of the Big Spring rodeo committee. “I think the best thing about Pete is his production. He does have a really good bucking stock string, really nice broncs and bulls. “I think his production is the main thing. He just puts on a really good rodeo.” Carr Pro Rodeo burst onto the scene six seasons ago when Real Deal was named the 2005 Bareback Riding Horse of the Year. Two years later, Riverboat Annie was named the reserve world champion bareback horse. They continue to be major players in the game, but they’re just two of the great animal athletes in the Carr string. “Pete’s a super nice guy, and even to the guys that haven’t gone as much, he’s really good to us,” said Casey Sisk of Corona, N.M., one of the top 50 saddle bronc riders in the game. “He’s got a good crew, and the rodeos are run great. You can tell everyone involved with Carr cares about making a good rodeo.” A good rodeo in Big Spring means pulling out all the stops. Keith Isley, who has been named the Clown of the Year, Coors Man in the Can and Comedy Act of the Year each of the past two seasons, will be featured at this year’s event, along with Blake Goode, who will Roman ride two Brahma bulls during each of the three performances. Combine that with the outstanding rodeo competition, and the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo will be one of the most exciting events to hit this region all year. “I think the only rodeo in Texas that’s been running longer is in Pecos, and Pete Carr produces that one, too,” Berry said. “We know we’ll have a really good rodeo with a lot of excitement.”

I got into town tonight and saw the local fire department was conducting a training exercise. I pulled out my fire truck and arrived at the fire station horns blowing, siren blasting and lights flashing. Boy, did they stop what they were doing to come and check it out!!!! Nothing like livening up things a little to get ’em talking about the rodeo!!!! YEE HAW!!

BIG SPRING, Texas – There are many reasons why the top cowboys in the game make their way to this west Texas community every June. One, of course, is the chance to ride some of the best bucking beasts in the sport, thanks to Carr Pro Rodeo, the stock contractor for the 78th Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set this year for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16-Saturday, June 18. Owner Pete Carr makes sure outstanding animal athletes are part of the action, just as he has done for years. “You definitely want to go somewhere that you have a chance to win,” said Casey Sisk of Corona, N.M., a rising star in saddle bronc riding. “Pete’s got a great pen of bucking horses, the kind you like getting on.” Sisk isn’t the only cowboy who feels that way, and that’s what makes Big Spring a special stop for many of the top athletes in the game. “Pete Carr, in general, is a great stock contractor,” said bull rider D.J. Domangue of Wharton, Texas. “He spends a lot of money and tries real hard to try to improve his stock. He’s already got great horses, and he is trying to put together a good pen of bulls. “Plus he’s a great guy, and that’s hard to come by when you’re talking about stock contractors in rodeo. He listens to the cowboys. He wants to know what we think, and he wants our opinions. He wants to get the top guys.” Domangue has been one of the top guys for years, having qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo three times. But the top guy in the bull riding business is J.W. Harris of Mullin, Texas, and he’s been that way for a long time. He, too, realizes the role stock contractors play in his business of rodeo. “The great thing about Pete is that he went out and bought some new bulls,” said Harris, the reigning three-time world champion bull rider. “He’s actually trying to get a better bull herd, which is more than you can say for a lot of stock contractors.” The key is to focus on the fans, he said, but a contractor must pay know to the cowboys’ needs. “I know he’s trying hard,” said Shawn Hogg, an NFR qualifier from Odessa, Texas. “He’s got a lot better set of bulls than a lot of guys, and it’s just getting better.” That’s all contestants can ask for. “The guys want to go to rodeos and see that there are things that are making a difference,” said Ardie Maier of Timber Lake, S.D. “With Pete, you can tell he’s working hard at getting a good set of bulls. It helps, because it gives everybody a chance.” Carr has made a name for himself in the world of bareback riding with greats like Real Deal, the 2005 Bareback Horse of the Year, and Riverboat Annie, the 2007 reserve world champion bareback horse. But Carr has outstanding animal athletes in every roughstock event. “Any bucking horse you know you have a chance to win on is one you want to get on,” said Jesse James Kirby of Dodge City, Kan. “That’s what you have when you go to a Carr rodeo. I think Pete Carr is doing a damn good job of supplying a bunch of really good bucking horses.” Cort Scheer knows that better than most. He won Big Spring last June, riding Carr’s Deuces Wild for 85 points to collect the biggest check in saddle bronc riding. It was one of several big checks that helped the Elsmere, Neb., cowboy to qualify for the NFR last December. “You dang sure know you’re going to get on some good buckers when you go to a Carr rodeo,” Scheer said. “Shoot, that’s why we do this, so we can ride great bucking horses, and Pete Carr has a pen full of them at every rodeo he goes to.”

BIG SPRING, Texas – Bareback rider Justin McDaniel has been in the winner’s circle plenty in his six-year ProRodeo career. Twice he’s won the average at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and just three seasons ago he left the bright lights of Las Vegas with the most coveted piece of hardware in the sport, the world champion’s gold buckle. And quite possibly the best regular-season paycheck McDaniel had in 2010 was at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, where he scored 76 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Easy Does It to finish in a tie for second place behind Jared Smith. The $617 he earned last June was nothing compared to the $103,189 he won at the NFR, but it was just as important overall. “That was a big rodeo for me because it was the first one I’d won money on after my injury,” said McDaniel, who missed the first half of season after having surgery to repair two herniated discs in his back. “I knew I was rusty, but it felt good to do well in Big Spring.” McDaniel is scheduled to return to Howard County for the 78th Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set this year for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16-Saturday, June 18. He’d like to improve on things from last year, and he’s already ahead of the game with three rodeo victories, including one the first week in June in Fort Smith, Ark. But he’s not the only cowboy itching to get on some of the great Carr Pro Rodeo bareback horses. Matt Bright earned $81,489 last year riding bucking horses, the best season yet for the 27-year-old cowboy from Azle, Texas. “Any time you can win first, it’s definitely good for a guy’s confidence,” said Bright, who has wins in Shreveport, La., and Guymon, Okla., already this year. For cowboys who make their livings on the backs of bucking beasts, they know how important high quality animals are to their livelihood. Carr Pro Rodeo has them, and that’s why some of the top bareback riders in the business are scheduled to compete in Big Spring “Pete sure enough has a bunch of great horses,” said Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas, a three-time world champion. “You dang sure know you’d better be ready when you get on one of Pete’s horses. “Anytime you ride bucking horses, you’ve got to have your hammer cocked.” Bright knows that as well as anyone. During the eighth round of the NFR last December, the Tennessee-born cowboy was prepared to ride Carr’s Real Deal, the rank 2005 Bareback of the Year. The brown gelding reared in leaving the chute, slamming Bright into the back of the metal-piped fencing. The result was a fracture of the lumbar spine and four months away from the game. In Guymon, Bright scored a strong 87-point ride on Carr’s Dirty Jacket, another bucking beast that is considered one of the best animals in bareback riding. “I like Pete,” said Clint Cannon, a two-time NFR qualifier from Waller, Texas. “He’s always honest, and he always brings good horses to rodeos. He runs a good show. “The great thing about Pete is that he’s not afraid to bring his good horses. We know when we go to one of Pete’s rodeos that you don’t have to get on a piece of junk. You know you’re going to have a chance to draw a good horse.”

BIG SPRING, Texas – Great things happen during the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo. This year, the volunteers who produce the annual event have designated opening night as a way to give back – to the fans who make the rodeo a success and to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, an endowment that offers financial assistance for contestants sidelined from competition due to injury. “We’re going to have Thursday be our Dollar Night in memory of Skipper Driver,” said Ace Berry, president of the rodeo committee who is taking the reins from Driver, the longtime leader who died in April. “The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund was very important to Skipper, so we wanted to do something to honor that. We’re going to take every dollar we get from the gate admission and donate it to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.” The 78th Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo set for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16-Saturday, June 18, and some of the top names in the sport will be on hand to compete for the championships. Most know how important the fund is to those who have been away from the arena for an extended time. “It’s a great organization to prolong and keep the heritage and way of life we live today,” said bareback rider Wes Stevenson, a six-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Lubbock, Texas. “If we didn’t have the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. “Their slogan is ‘It’s a hand up, not a hand out.’ That describes it as best as any I’ve seen.” Stevenson has seen those hand ups up close and personal. In 2000, he sustained a severely broken leg – “I almost severed it completely off,” he said. – then re-injured it in 2002. In fact, he had eight surgeries in a two-month span to finally correct the problem; doctors had to take away part of the bone in his leg and then had to stretch what was left to make it the same length as the other leg. “I had to wear a halo on it for nine months to make that leg the same length as the other one, so I was out all of 2003,” Stevenson said. “At the time, I wasn’t married; I was a college kid, and I was paying for my place and going to school. There was no way I could go to school with all the rehab, and the crisis fund helped me with school and finish my degree while I was away from rodeoing. “That was a huge benefit to me.” It’s been a huge benefit to a lot of contestants. The fund was established to help those who compete in the sport full time, since rodeo is their primary form of income. “They came in and make sure the lights stayed on and the water bill was covered and the mortgage got paid so you didn’t have to worry about that,” said D.V. Fennell, a two-time NFR-qualifying bareback rider from Porum, Okla. “That lets you come out of the injury and not be knee deep into the banker or just behind on a bunch of bills. A guy can just make a strong comeback without having to worry about all that other stuff. “Anytime people can give to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, it truly helps the cowboys.” The Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo’s Dollar Night is being underwritten by a number of local sponsors. “They wanted to be involved in this because they wanted to give back to the community, and they wanted to give to something that meant so much to Skipper,” committeeman Derek Wash said. “This is the perfect way to do it.”

BIG SPRING, Texas – For decades, rodeo has been home to some of the funniest acts in the world of entertainment. For the last few years, none has been better than Keith Isley, and he’s got the hardware to prove it. Each of the last two ProRodeo seasons, Isley has earned the coveted Triple Crown by sweeping the awards in all the categories for which he is recognized – Clown of the Year, Coors Man in the Can and Comedy Act of the Year. He’ll bring his knee-slapping comedy act to the three performances of the 78th Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set this year for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16-Saturday, June 18. Not only that, but the ever-entertaining Isley will show off the tremendous athleticism that has made him one of the most sought-after acts in ProRodeo for decades. Eight times in his career, Isley has been named the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Act of the Year, and he’s earned the Clown of the Year honor five times. “There’s a reason why Keith has won so many awards in the PRCA, and that’s because he works at his trade each and every day,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo, the stock contractor in Big Spring. “Keith doesn’t have a lazy bone in his body; he is always reinventing himself.  He is definitely on the cutting edge when it comes to the entertainment business. I’ve been watching Keith perform for a long time, and he is one of the few people that no matter how many times I’ve seen an act, I make sure I’m watching when he enters the arena.” Isley isn’t the only specialty act at this year’s rodeo, though. Blake Goode of Ravenna, Texas, will pull off his variation of Roman riding when he mounts Geronimo and Apache, two Brahma bulls. “I Roman ride off them and put them through a routine,” said Goode, who has been around rodeo all his life but has focused on the specialty act business for 13 years. Goode still ropes and wrestles steers, just like he did when he started out in the game, but he came up with the act when he married into a family of entertainers. “I don’t work with the horses anymore, just the Brahmas. I quit the horses except the roping on them and bulldogging on them.” Goode said there’s something appealing to his work with the bulls as compared to his equine partners. “You’re dealing with twice the animal,” he said. “A Brahma is known for its meanness and stubbornness. You need a lot more patience. Plus, there’s a risk factor, the fact that you’re dealing with a 2,400-pound animal.” Carr likes what he sees in Goode, and he believes the rodeo-savvy fans in Big Spring will, too. “When you’ve seen how Blake works these bulls, you’ll be pretty amazed,” Carr said. “Any time you can take an animal like that and put it around fire, you know you’ve got some good stuff there. I’m pretty sure Big Spring will love what they see.”

BIG SPRING, Texas – Skipper Driver wouldn’t like this. In his 67 years, the stories were never about Driver, a cowboy from the day he was born on Nov. 23, 1943, to the day he died, April 20, 2011. No, the stories were to be about everyone else. But that’s what’s great about Driver. That’s what’s great about rodeo. Driver represented the third generation of his family to serve on the board for the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set this year for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16-Saturday, June 18. He was its heart and soul. “Skipper had done something the rest of us would like to do, to be known for, and that’s being a good man,” said Mike Mathis, a ProRodeo announcer who has been the voice of the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo for many years. “He did what he loved. He loved rodeo. “I do 40-plus events a year, so you meet all kinds of people all over the country. Skipper was that guy that made you truly look forward to getting to Big Spring.” Many in the rodeo world felt that way, from rodeo cowboys to sponsors to folks around the community. “This rodeo was a family deal for them,” said Ace Berry, president of the rodeo committee that produces the annual event. “It started with is granddad, then his dad, then him. Now his son is on the board. “Skipper has helped many kids rodeoing through the years. His father ran the board for years and years, then he took over and ran it until last year.” What made Driver special? “He was a great rodeo man who put his heart and soul into the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo, the primary stock contractor. “What he said was his word, and that’s a great trait to have.” In fact, the committee will open this year’s rodeo with a Dollar Night on Thursday, where fans can get in the gates for $1. All proceeds will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, an endowment established to help cowboys and cowgirls make ends meet when injuries are keeping them away from the arena and unable to earn money through the competitive nature of rodeo. The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund was important to Driver, who worked hard to promote and produce his local rodeo. “He took his responsibilities to heart,” Mathis said. “He didn’t want anything to happen to that event. He wanted to make it the best rodeo.” And, it seems, he handled many duties single-handedly. “I don’t feel pressure, but I feel uncertainty,” Berry said about taking the reins from Driver in overseeing the volunteer committee. “There are so many things that he did that nobody else knew about. I got a phone call from a pastor about the invocation. I didn’t even think anything about that, because that was something he took care of every year. “Skipper was a really good man that you could talk to about anything. I’m kind of a transplant here since 1980, and he’s been around here all his life. If you had a question about someone, he knew it.” That’s something Mathis leaned on over the years. From the time they met decades ago to the day Driver died, there were plenty of terrific stories involving rodeo. “If there was anything going on at the rodeo level, Skipper would call,” Mathis said. “We visited a lot about Big Spring and things we could do here or things we could do there. He lived and breathed about making that rodeo successful.” Oftentimes, success is in the eyes of the beholder, and those close to the Big Spring rodeo know the work involved to make it an extravaganza every June. It’s one reason the rodeo committee hired Carr and his crew four years ago to help produce the event. “The one thing Skipper really liked in Pete Carr was that what Pete told him, he could take to the bank, that he was honest,” Mathis said. “Skipper was appreciative of that. He had a great deal of faith and confidence in Pete.” That conviction was reciprocated by those who knew Driver best. “Skipper Driver was the first man that I spoke with about putting on the rodeo in Big Spring,” Carr said. “He didn’t know me from Adam, but he took a chance on me and our new company, and I will never forget that. You see, Big Spring was the first ProRodeo the Carr Pro Rodeo ever produced.  Although it didn’t start out so well; our very first performance was rained out until 10 o’clock the next morning. Fortunately, we finished strong that year and have been working with them ever since. “I always looked forward to coming to Big Spring each year. It’s the only place that the head committee man actually let’s me play on his golf team. But what I will really miss are the times we met at the finals every year for lunches at the Orleans Hotel to discuss a number of topics, like rodeo, business in general and particularly life. Whether, I needed a father, an older brother or just a friend to visit with, Skipper was always available. He will be truly missed by me and everyone in our rodeo family.”

I visited with Carlee Pierce today, and I was taken back to my roots. Carlee lives in Woodward, Okla., home of the Woodward Elks Rodeo, the same event that helped direct a passion that still burns in my soul about a wonderful sport and better athletes. My father was born in Woodward County nearly 80 years ago, and nearly every year of my childhood, we made sure to visit Grandma Harbin at the same time as the annual rodeo. I spent last weekend in the western Kansas hamlet of Leoti with my siblings as we moved my dad into a smaller place, one more manageable for a widower his age. Most of the work has fallen on my sister, who lives in Leoti, but we got to go through a lot of things over the weekend and reminisce. That was a really cool aspect of the tasks at hand. Needless to say, one of the items that made it home with me was the rope hanging in the dilapidated shed behind Dad’s house, along with the knick-nacks and trinkets of my childhood. I have many great memories of my youth, but the reality is, I’m living my dreams still. That’s awesome.

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Some of the greatest names in the sport of rodeo will be in Erath County for the Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo. But the group with the greatest admirers will be the three sets of high school coaches who will compete in the wild cow saddling during each of the three performances set for 7:45 p.m. Thursday, June 9-Saturday, June 11, at Lone Star Arena. “It’s a fun, local event, and the crowd really gets a kick out of it,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo, the stock contractor in Stephenville. “There will be three schools represented by the coaches, and it’s a blast to watch.” It’s one of the outstanding pieces of an entertaining puzzle put on by the Erath County Livestock Association, and proceeds go to area 4-H and Future Farmers of America programs. That’s a big deal for the people involved in the association and why they spend hundreds of man hours preparing for and producing the annual rodeo. “We’re always trying to find that crowd-pleaser,” said Dean Taylor, a longtime member of the rodeo committee. “We also have mutton busting for the kids and a huge county team roping, where we bring five teams back each night. Each night a team will win a buckle and cash prizes. We have these events to cater to our local cowboys.” But the Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo is in the business of entertaining, and organizers realize it takes something special to reach the rodeo-savvy folks from this region. Having the professionals from the Carr Pro Rodeo team on board helps with that process; whether it involves some of the greatest animal athletes in the sport or the outstanding production, fans know what to expect. Rodeo isn’t just about the nasty bucking beasts and the cowboys that ride them. It’s a display of pure grit, determination and raw athletic talent. It’s also a show fans flock to throughout the year. “Pete’s a super nice guy, and even to the guys that haven’t gone as much, he’s really good to us,” said Casey Sisk, who was part of the Tarleton State University rodeo team. “He’s got a good crew, and the rodeos are run great. You can tell everyone involved with Carr cares about making a good rodeo.” There will be two specialty acts involved in this year’s event: Trick rider Blake Goode, who performs Roman riding on two Brahma bulls, and funnyman/barrelman John Harrison, one of the most sought-after acts in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “Pete hires the best people to do their jobs the best they can,” said Scotty Spencer, a bullfighter who also works as a hand on the Carr Pro Rodeo ranch near Athens, Texas. “Our rodeos are, by far, the smoothest run, professional rodeos I’ve been to, and I work a lot of other rodeos besides ours. “Everybody gets along, especially when it’s time to get along. When its rodeo time, things click off. Everybody just jumps in and helps where they need to be helping.” And it adds up to a positive, entertaining evening for fans. For Carr, that’s the most important factor when producing a rodeo. “Pete’s been real good to work with,” Taylor said. “He is sure trying. We’ve had good horses, and we draw the top cowboys, as many as you can at a rodeo like this. This is the kind of show fans would want to see.”

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – D.J. Domangue makes a living on the backs of nearly a ton of bucking flesh. That’s the life of a bull rider, and Domangue has been at this business for most of the past decade. Three times in his nine-year career, the Louisiana-born cowboy has played on the biggest stage in ProRodeo, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He knows the importance of collecting as much money as he possibly can in a sport where the contestants with the largest earnings at the end of the season are crowned world champions. “You’ve got to take advantage of all the opportunities,” said Domangue, 28, of Wharton, Texas. He hopes to return to the pay window at the Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo, which will have three performances scheduled for Thursday, June 9-Saturday, June 11, at Lone Star Arena. He’s just a year removed for finishing third at Stephenville’s annual rodeo, where he rode Carr Pro Rodeo’s Black Out for 81 points. Cowboys know they’ll have a great opportunity to make money in Erath County primarily because of the Dallas-based Carr Pro Rodeo, and owner Pete Carr does everything he can to give every contestant a chance. “Pete Carr, in general, is a great stock contractor,” Domangue said. “He spends a lot of money and tries real hard to try to improve his stock. He’s already got great horses, and he is trying to put together a good pen of bulls. “Plus he’s a great guy, and that’s hard to come by when you’re talking about stock contractors in rodeo. He listens to the cowboys. He wants to know what we think, and he wants our opinions. He wants to get the top guys.” That seems to be a theme among cowboys who wrap their hands to a rope that’s tied around nearly a ton of bucking muscle. “The great thing about Pete is that he went out and bought some new bulls,” said J.W. Harris, the three-time reigning world champion from Mullin, Texas. “He’s actually trying to get a better bull herd, which is more than you can say for a lot of stock contractors.” Improvement is important for Carr, whether it’s trying to make the production of a rodeo smoother or investing in great animal athletes. “I think the fans come to the rodeo to see the best show they can see, and we’re there to put it on for them,” Carr said. “We want them to enjoy the experience from beginning to end and to leave that arena wanting more. I’ve got people around me that work very hard to make that happen.” The key is to focus on the fans, he said, but a contractor must pay know to the cowboys’ needs. “I know he’s trying hard,” said Shawn Hogg, an NFR qualifier from Odessa, Texas. “He’s got a lot better set of bulls than a lot of guys, and it’s just getting better.” That’s all contestants can ask for. “The guys want to go to rodeos and see that there are things that are making a difference,” said Ardie Maier of Timber Lake, S.D. “With Pete, you can tell he’s working hard at getting a good set of bulls. It helps, because it gives everybody a chance.”

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Matt Bright earned $81,489 last year riding bucking horses, his best season yet for the 27-year-old cowboy from Azle, Texas. Bright, a bareback rider, earned his first qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on a foundation laid by his nine event titles, including the Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo. He knows what it takes to win in Stephenville, and he expects the 2011 winner to follow a similar path to the championship of one of the most storied events in north Texas. “Any time you can win first, it’s definitely good for a guy’s confidence,” said Bright, who rode the Carr Pro Rodeo horse Alberta Child for 85 points to win in Stephenville last June. “I got a little horse of Pete’s that was just outstanding in that arena. When a guy can make a ride like that, it helps; it helps your confidence, and it makes you feel good about yourself.” There are hundreds of top ProRodeo contestants returning to Erath County for the three-performance rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Thursday, June 9-Saturday, June 11, at Lone Star Arena. It’s where rising stars and world champions will shine. Alberta Child is one of the rising stars in the game, a horse that comes from Canada. Another rising star is Outa Sight, which directed Cody Angland to a second-place finish in Stephenville a year ago, then became a major player around ProRodeo. The 6-year-old mare was so good, in fact, that the top bareback riders in the game voted her to buck at the 2010 NFR. “We just eased her around this year and let her figure it out,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo. “It looks like she’s going to make it.” Outa Sight was sired by the great Night Jacket, a horse purchased from Jim and Margie Zinser for a record $200,000 just two years ago. Outa Sight is just one of many great bareback horses that are part of the Carr program. “Pete sure enough has a bunch of great horses,” said Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas, a three-time world champion. “You dang sure know you’d better be ready when you get on one of Pete’s horses. “Anytime you ride bucking horses, you’ve got to have your hammer cocked.” Bright knows that as well as anyone. During the eighth round of the NFR last December, the Tennessee-born cowboy was prepared to ride Carr’s Real Deal, the rank 2005 Bareback of the Year. The brown gelding reared in leaving the chute, slamming Bright into the back of the metal-piped fencing. The result was a fracture of the lumbar spine and four months away from the game. Since returning to action, Bright has picked up two wins in Shreveport, La., and Guymon, Okla. The latter involved a strong 87-point ride on Carr’s Dirty Jacket, another bucking beast that is considered one of the best animals in bareback riding. “I like Pete,” said Clint Cannon, a two-time NFR qualifier from Waller, Texas. “He’s always honest, and he always brings good horses to rodeos. He runs a good show. “The great thing about Pete is that he’s not afraid to bring his good horses. We know when we go to one of Pete’s rodeos that you don’t have to get on a piece of junk. You know you’re going to have a chance to draw a good horse.”

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The men who ride bucking horses know the most important aspect of their job is the animal beneath them. That’s the foremost reason saddle bronc riders make sure they’re part of the field when Carr Pro Rodeo produces an event. It’s why they’ll be on hand at when the Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo kicks off 7:45 p.m. Friday, June 9-Saturday, June 11, at Lone Star Arena. “Any bucking horse you know you have a chance to win on is one you want to get on,” said Jesse James Kirby of Dodge City, Kan. “That’s what you have when you go to a Carr rodeo. I think Pete Carr is doing a damn good job of supplying a bunch of really good bucking horses.” Dallas-based Carr Pro Rodeo is a developing stock-contracting firm that focuses on high quality. Owner Pete Carr rode bucking horses for years before he got into the livestock business, and he uses that understanding when he goes to work at every rodeo he works, whether it’s in Stephenville or Pecos or Eagle, Colo. “Pete does a great job of getting us horses we can win on,” said Taos Muncy, who won the college and PRCA saddle bronc riding championships in 2007. “He’s got a bunch of great horses. We do what we can to make sure we go to Pete’s rodeos.” That seems to be the case for most of the elite cowboys on tour, but it’s also the way it is for those rising stars in the game. The Cowboy Capital of the World Rodeo will feature them all, and contestants will flock to Erath County for a chance to win a longstanding rodeo in a historic rodeo area. “You definitely want to go somewhere that you have a chance to win,” said Casey Sisk of Corona, N.M., a four-year pro was part of the rodeo program at Tarleton State University. “I’ve been hurt the last two years, so I haven’t been able to go to a lot. “Pete’s got a great pen of bucking horses, the kind you like getting on. I could name off four or five I’d love to get on.” Whether it’s Miss Congeniality or True Lies or a number of the other great broncs that live most of the year on the Carr Pro Rodeo ranch in Athens, Texas, there’s one thing that’s consistent: They’re tremendously athletic animals. “Pete’s got some buckers and some young horses that he’s trying to bring up in his program,” Kirby said. “I think he’s got a well-rounded pen of horses, and everybody loves to get on them. “He also does a damn good job of putting a rodeo on, too. From the openings to the events, they keep it in a timely manner. They keep a lookout for their fans, so it’s something fans want to see, too.” Sisk travels the rodeo trail with Muncy, his childhood friend, and two other Wrangler National Finals Rodeo veterans, Cody Taton and Isaac Diaz. The foursome would like to earn that trip together to Las Vegas in December, and they know what it’s going to take to get there. “You know you want to go to the best rodeos and get on the best horses,” Muncy said. “You dang sure have to do your part.” In all three roughstock events – bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding – contestants are marked on a 100-point scale, and half the points are based on how well the animal performs. When things come together, the high-marked rides are magical. Those soaring scores are a regular occurrence at the Stephenville rodeo, where Andrew Counts won saddle bronc riding in 2010 with an 89-point ride on Carr’s Corner Guard. “For me, winning takes a lot to draw good,” Kirby said. “When you take advantage of drawing good and you’re mentally prepared, you’re not fighting anything, your saddle, your mind, whatever. To me, it’s 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. “You’ve got to be consistent. You want to ride the same every time. You just stick to the basics: Spur them out good and lift on your rein. And have fun. That makes a big difference when you see guys are struggling, that they’re not having fun. I always have fun at a Pete Carr rodeo.”