Things get Western at the Wyoming Ranch Rodeo Finals

Cowboys and cowgirls from across the West gathered at the Wyoming State Fair (WSF) to compete in the 2024 Wyoming Ranch Rodeo Finals held in Douglas on July 13.

The returning event thrilled spectators as they cheered on their favorite team competing in a variety of events, each stemming from everyday jobs of the working ranch cowboy.

Seven teams, including Benchmark Cattle, Keystone Cowboys, Leoffler Livestock, Parsley Red Angus, Platte River Crew, Say When and last year’s reigning champion team Broken Arrow/Cross H, competed in five different events – bronc riding, wild cow milking, trailer loading, team branding and team doctoring.

Winners crowned

After an evening filled with excitement, Parsley Red Angus beat the returning champions Broken Arrow/Cross H.

The Parsley Red Angus team, consisting of Captain Cody Parsley, Daniel Dalton, Mike Lloyd, Craig Hutchinson and Brac Walker, scored consistently throughout the evening, nudging out the Broken Arrow/Cross H team by two points.

It was neck and neck until the last event – team doctoring – where Broken Arrow/Cross H lost their lead by not securing a score.

Parsley stated, “It was a great night, and we are excited to bring home the win. We would like to thank everyone for putting on a good ranch rodeo. There was some dang good competition, and hopefully we can make it back next year.”

Broken Arrow/Cross H Teammate Ben Hanson came out of the chute blazing with a 71-point ride in bronc riding, which was sponsored by Becky Constintino. But, Benchmark Cattle won the event when teammate Blake Travnicek scored a 76-point ride. 

Placing third in the bronc riding event was Walker of the Parsley Red Angus team with a 66-point ride.

The Broken Arrow/Cross H team did not waste any time in the second event of the evening, the wild cow milking race sponsored by Lusk State Bank, with an impressive time of 41.22 seconds.

Following them in second place was Say When with a 44.03-second run and landing in third place was Benchmark Cattle. 

Next up was the trailer loading event sponsored by Rhonda Dilts, where Parsley Red Angus loaded their three cows with the fastest time, and following close behind in second place was the Broken Arrow/Cross H team.

With only a few seconds separating out the top three teams in the team branding event sponsored by Frank and Elaine Moore, Keystone Cowboys secured first place, with the  Benchmark Cattle and Say When teams following close behind.

Closing out the 2024 Wyoming Ranch Rodeo Finals, Keystone Cowboys brought the heat with the fastest time in the team doctoring event sponsored by Jeannie Moore, but it was not enough to secure second place, landing them in third for the night.

Individual winners

Along with the team events, participants had the opportunity to earn individual honors, including the Top Hand Award buckle sponsored by Bolln Minerals of Douglas. Jaylen Eldridge from the Keystone Cowboys team was the recipient of the award.

The Top Horse Award spurs, created by Gary Johnson of Douglas and sponsored by Clark and Associates Land Brokers of Lusk went to Travis Krein of the Broken Arrow/Cross H team.

Travnicek won the Top Bronc Award halter, created by Scott McCain of Crawford, Neb. and sponsored by Newman Realty of Torrington.

This year’s Hard Luck Award, sponsored by Barb Dilts of Douglas and Webo Bulls of Lusk, went to Roy Long of the Say When team.

A special thanks

Event Organizer Waive Shepperson stated, “The event would not have been as successful if it was not for the support of the WSF staff and everyone who contributed to the event.”

She continued, “I would like to extend their gratitude to everyone who helped sponsor this amazing event including Moss Saddles, 307 Signs and More, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, Converse County Bank, Shakey Chadwick, Craig and Danny Auction, Fred Larsen, Julie Gomez, Barb Dilts, Gay Bolln, Rhonda Dilts, Lisa Shaw, Buttons York, Elly Wurdeman and all of the others who helped bring the ranch rodeo to fruition.”

She also gave a special thanks to First Northern Bank for sponsoring buckles for the event, Huckfeldt Trucking of Torrington for sponsoring the back cinch buckle, Bomgaars of Douglas for sponsoring the wool saddle blanket and Converse County Bank of Douglas for sponsoring a Mohair cinch made by Jackie Shepperson. 

“The event could not happen without the help from the amazing stock contractor Triple V Rodeo, Bob Edmonds announcing and the lively music by Brandy Edmonds,” she mentioned. “A big thanks goes out to Tami Vold Larsen for her excellent recordkeeping and JD Williams of Four Three Ranch who helped judge and provided the cattle used in various events.”

Shepperson continued, “I would also like to thank Tug Coffman and Kagan Gilbert for keeping the contestants safe in the arena with their incredible pickup men skills.”

“Timers Sherry Ellis and Tera Anderson kept the event running smooth, and I appreciate both of those gals and their hard work,” she added. 

“We look forward to next year’s ranch rodeo, and we will continue to improve year after year,” she concluded.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.