Veteran Saddle Bronc Rider having Fun at San Antonio Rodeo
By Susan Kanode
Saddle bronc rider Bradley Harter’s winning ways continued on Sunday at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Harter, from Loranger, La., finished second in the first round of Bracket 5, then came back and won round two with this 87-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Xecutive News on Sunday Night. San Antonio Rodeo photo by Greg Westfall.
SAN ANTONIO – There are few saddle bronc riders that have more fun riding bucking horses than Bradley Harter from Loranger, La., and he is have a lot of fun at the 2019 San Antonio Rodeo.
The fifth and final bracket of competition started in the AT&T Center on Sunday afternoon and Harter was one of the first contestants to the locker rooms. It’s a matter of necessity. It takes him longer to prepare for his eight seconds of riding than it did when he joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 2002. The first year he came to this rodeo it was still in the Harry Freeman Coliseum. He holds the distinction of being one of the cowboys that first competed in the AT&T Center when the rodeo moved in 2003.
At 37, he now spends more time taping, stretching and getting ready, but proved that he can still compete against the best. Sunday afternoon, he finished second to the 2017 world champion Ryder Wright, who will turn 21 next month. Harter went through his routine to prepare again for Sunday night where he was at the top of the field. He rode Calgary Stampede’s horse named Xecutive News for 87 points and $2,500. Harter is at the top of the leaderboard with $4,500. Wright is in second with $3,833.
No matter what happens in round 3, these two men will be making plans for the semifinals. They could add to their earnings and better their opportunities on Monday night. It will be a shoot-out in the AT&T Center to see who ends up at the top of the board before the semifinals start on Tuesday. Harter is at the top of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings and hoping to increase his lead here. If he remains in the top fifteen through the rest of the season, he will head to Las Vegas next December to compete at his 11th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR).
The barrel racing in Bracket 5 is another close contest between a rookie and veteran. Women’s Professional Rodeo Association Rookie of the Year for 2018, Jimmie Smith from McDade, Texas, won the round with the first run that she ever made here. Riding her palomino mare that she calls Lena, she stopped the clock in 14.09 seconds and won $2,500. She came back Sunday night and finished third.
At the top of the leaderboard Sunday night was former San Antonio rodeo champion Amberleigh Moore, of Salem, Ore., and her great mare, CP Dark Moon that she calls Paige. They have the fastest time of this bracket so far at 14.01. Moore finished third at the Sunday matinee so the three-time NFR qualifier and the rookie flip-flopped positions. They each have earned $3,750 here so far.
Bracket 5 will complete their preliminary competition here on Monday night beginning at 7 p.m. Monday night’s competition will determine the final four contestants in each event that will advance to the semifinals.
The following are results after the 13th and 14th performances of the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo, the 14-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year.
The 2017 world champion saddle bronc rider, Ryder Wright from Milford, Utah, won the first round of Bracket 5 at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo with an 82-point ride on Calgary Stampede’s Xavier Joan at the Sunday Matinee Performance. San Antonio Rodeo photo by Greg Westfall.
Bracket 5, round 1
Bareback Riding: 1, Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, 86 points on Calgary Stampede’s Youngstown Rocket, $2,500. 2, Jesse Pope, Marshall, Mo., 83.5, $2,000. 3, (tie) Blake Smith, Zap, N.D., and Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, 81 and $1,000 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Josh Clark, Belgrade, Mont., 3.8 seconds, $2,500. 2, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 4.0, $2,000. 3, Scott Guenthner, Provost, Alberta, 4.1, $1,250. 4, Dru Melvin, Hebron, Neb., 4.2, $750.
Team Roping: 1, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas, 5.5, $2,500. 2, Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore., and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, 5.9, $2,000. 3, Tate Kirchenschlager, Yuma, Colo., and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 6.2, $1,250. 4, Kelsey Parchman, Cumberland City, Tenn., and Matt Kasner, Cody, Neb., 6.6, $750.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 82 points on Calgary Stampede’s Xavier Joan, $2,500. 2, Bradley Harter, Loranger, La., 81, $2,000. 3, Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 80.5, $1,250. 4, Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont., 75, $750.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Jesse Clark, Portales, N.M., 7.5 seconds, $2,500. 2, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 8.3, $2,000. 3, Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 8.4, $1,250. 4, Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Ga., 8.5, $750.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 14.09 seconds, $2,500. 2, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 14.30, $2,000. 3, Amberleigh Moore, Salem, Ore., 14.31, $1,250. 4, Dona Kay Rule, Minco, Okla., 14.42, $750.
Bull Riding: 1, Reid Barker, Comfort, Texas, 86 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Magnum, $2,500. 2, Lon Danley, Tularosa, N.M., 83.5, $2,000. 3, Dalan Duncan, Ballard, Utah, 81.5, $1,250. 4, Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho, 72, $750.
Bracket 5, round 2 followed by total money
Bareback Riding: 1, Seth Lee Hardwick, Ranchester, Wyo., 87 points on Calgary Stampede’s Welcome Delivery, $2,500. 2, Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, 85, $2,000. 3, Blake Smith, Zap, N.D., 83, $1,250. 4, Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, and Caleb Bennett, Corvallis, Mont., 81 and $375 each. (total money) 1, Larsen, $4,500. 2, Hardwick, $2,500. 3, Smith, $2,250. 4, Jesse Pope, Marshall, Mo., $2,000.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 3.5 seconds, $2,500. 2, Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss., 3.9, $2,000. 3, (tie) Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont., and Josh Clark, Belgrade, Mont., 4.0 and $1,000 each. (total money) 1, Waguespack, $4,500. 2, Clark, $3,500. 3, Pearson, $2,000. 4, Scott Guenthner, Provowst, Alberta, $1,250.
Team Roping: (three times) 1, Tate Kirchenschlager, Yuma, Colo., and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 5.5 seconds, $2,500. 2, Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore., and Evan Arnold, Stephenville, Texas, 5.8, $2,000. 3, Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore., and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, 9.4, $1,240. (total money) 1, Kirchenschlager and Ashford, $3,750. 2, Crawford and Smith, $3,250. 3, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Ryan motes, Weatherford, Texas, $2,500. 4, Smith and Arnold, $2,000.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Bradley Harter, Loranger, La., 87 points on Calgary Stampede’s Xecutive News, $2,500. 2, (tie) Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah; Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont.; and Wyatt Casper, Pampa, Texas, 83 and $1,333 each. (total money) 1, Harter, $4,500. 2, Ryder Wright, $3,833. 3, Brooks, $2,083. 4, Casper, $1,333.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.5 seconds, $2,500. 2, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., $2,000. 3, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 8.0, $1,250. 4, Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Ga., 8.4, $750. (total money) 1, Hanchey, $4,000. 2, (tie) Cooper and Jesse Clark, Portales, N.M., $2,500 each. 4, Thigpen, $1,500.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Amberleigh Moore, Salem, Ore., 14.01, $2,500. 2, Ivy Conrado, Nowata, Okla., 14.19, $2,000. 2, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 14.22, $1,250. 4, Kellie Collier, Hereford, Texas, 14.23, $750. (total money) 1, (tie) Moore and Smith, $3,750 each. 3, (tie) Conrado and Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., $2,000.
Bull Riding: 1, Dalan Duncan, Ballard, Utah, 87.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Kooter Crazy, $2,500. 2, Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho, 87, $2,000. 3, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 85, $1,250. 4, Jordan Wacey Spears, Redding, Calif., 84, $750. (total money) 1, Duncan, $3,750. 2, Reid Barker, Comfort, Texas, $2,500. 3, (tie) Smith and Lon Danley, Tularosa, N.M., $2,000 each.