I headed to The Daddy of ‘Em All last weekend to watch my first Western PRCA rodeo. (I’ve seen many of the First Frontier Circuit shows on the East Coast, but Cheyenne has to be in it’s own category.) 


I left the rodeo thinking about one thing and one thing only: the horse-flesh that was there, from the saddle bronc horses to the barrel horses, was the best I’ve ever seen in my short 22 years on this planet.


The 700-foot arena, with its straight, long run to the first barrel, its 30-foot score for the ropers and doggers, and its wide open spaces for its broncs, truly highlighted the best of the best horses the West could offer. Every barrel horse was so controllable that each one had a good first barrel after the impossibly long alleyway and run to the first, and the rope horses and dogging horses were so in the zone that they managed to wait patiently in the box as the steer got its unprecedented 30-foot head start at Cheyenne’s famous scoreline. Even the pick-up horses were able to get right next to a bronc or could drag a bucking bull down through the out-gate, all unlike any I’d seen before.


While I couldn’t take photos during the events, I encourage you to pick up August’s Spin-To-Win Rodeo, our sister publication, for more coverage. I’ll also shoot you over to AmericanCowboy.com, where I wrote a story on the rodeo and shot a video in which I interview some rodeo queens about being at Cheyenne.